1 CHAPTER ONE
It was Tuesday, and as usual the editor of the school paper, Ren Stevens, was handing out assignments.
"Sandy, you will be covering the debate on Thursday – interviews with the team members after the match, pictures of the winners, the usual. Tanya, I need a piece about the new gym floor, 200 words. Leslie, interview the new cook. I'll be covering the track meet on Saturday. Now, does anybody have any suggestions for articles?"
After vetoing a piece on the 10th grade biology earthworm farm, and approving an essay on how much harder school was for the modern student, Ren was finally out the door. At 17 years old, she was rarely home before 7; she had an extraordinarily busy life, and she loved it. She was good at school. An A student, editor, and class president, she still managed to have a social life and a close relationship with her family. Life was perfect.
She got to the parking lot and took out her keys. She still got a little thrill when she did that. She had been surprised when her parents bought her a car for her last birthday, and reveled in the freedom it gave her. She could stay at school late and stop at the library or the mall on the way home, without worrying about her mother's busy schedule as State Senator, or the demands on her father's time. She passed Larry Beales loading his gym bag into the trunk of his car. He was a popular student, someone she had known since kindergarten, but they had never got along. Larry had always made it clear that he didn't like her, and his bullying tendencies had made it hard for her to like him. Her 'Hello, Larry' was a little forced, as usual, and his 'Ren' was a little cold, as usual.
Larry watched unnoticed as she continued towards her parking space two cars down. She had the greatest walk, purposeful with just enough sexy sway. He was honest enough with himself to admit that he had the slightest crush on Ren, but he also found her bossy and vain. She behaved as though she owned the school, and took far too much pride in being perfect. She rarely made mistakes, never got detention, hardly ever failed. He had always enjoyed taking her down, even if his desire to defeat her got out of hand sometimes. He regretted some of the more extreme stunts he had pulled over the years, but not the satisfaction he had got from taking Miss Perfect down from her pedestal for a moment. He sneaked one last look at her legs as she swung into her car, and shook his head, laughing silently at himself. Even if she didn't hate his guts, never in a million years. No way.
After school on Fridays, Ren could usually be found in the school newspaper's office, reading articles and finalizing copy for Monday's edition of The Clarion. The name had been her idea, and she felt a surge of pride every time she looked at a copy of the paper. At 4:45 pm, she collected the notes from her interviews with the track team, and tidied her desk. She had spoken to every member of the team but Larry Beales, and she had put it off long enough. She was sure that he didn't want to talk to her either, but when practice ended at 5:00, she planned to be waiting for him outside the changing room.
At 5:50, Ren was still leaning on the wall outside the boys' changing room, and she was furious. Every other member of the team had showered and dressed in 15 minutes, but Larry had yet to reappear. She had noticed the smirks on their faces as they tried to figure out which one of them she was waiting to see, and her temper had started to boil. The idea of herself as a track team groupie was… distasteful. What was he doing in there?
After checking her watch, she decided to take the plunge. She pushed open the door clearly marked "BOYS" and slowly poked her head inside. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him sitting on a bench in the middle of the room, wearing a pair of jeans. Although she had two brothers, the thought of a nude Larry Beales was surprisingly disconcerting. He was slim, almost slightly built, and definitely not her type, but there was a masculine elegance about him that was undeniably attractive. She was not as superficial as some of the girls she knew, and she still found it hard to forgive him for some of the more humiliating stunts he had pulled on her.
Glad for the surge of remembered resentment that distracted her from her contemplation of his bare brown back, she cleared her throat. As he turned, startled by the noise, she saw him frown as he realised who she was.
"What do you want?" he asked sullenly.
She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "We're doing a piece on the track team, and I just wanted to ask you a few questions. I've already spoken to everyone who's competing tomorrow – except you, of course."
He looked at her sourly; "I guess you're done, then. I won't be competing."
Ren was shocked. Larry was the fastest sprinter in the school, maybe even the state, and a strong candidate for several prestigious athletics scholarships. There were credible rumors that several scouts would be attending Saturday's meet; he needed to make a good showing if he wanted to beat the competition for any of those scholarships. Surprised at how upset she was, Ren closed her mouth with a snap. She inadvertently tightened her lips; Larry had done some foolish things before, but this beat all! "Don't you know how important this is to your future? You have great potential, maybe even Olympic potential, and the right athletics programme is extremely important!"
Taken aback by her vehemence, Larry was a little slow in reacting, but there was no doubt that he was angry. "Don't you think I know that? Believe me, the last thing I need now is one of your lectures. I'm way too busy watching my future go down the toilet. And I'm in the mood for a fight, so if you don't want one, shut up or get out!"
Ren swallowed a retort. This was not like him; he teased her mercilessly, provoked her endlessly, but he was hardly ever rude. In fact, he had an inexorable charm that usually made it hard to stay mad at him for longer than a minute; there was no sign of that charm now. She looked at the set of his lips and the slope of his shoulders, and realised that he wasn't just angry; he was really upset! "I'm sorry I said that. I spoke without thinking; I should have realised that you wouldn't miss this meet without a good reason." Genuinely concerned, she tilted her head as she looked directly at him. "I know we aren't the best of friends, but we've known each other forever. Do you think you could tell me what's wrong?"
Larry looked at her anxious expression, unable to find the contempt and irritation that was usually there when she looked at him. He leaned forward, looking down between his bare feet, and rested his weight on his forearms. He felt the need to share his burden with someone, but he couldn't be sure that Ren wasn't just searching for an opportunity to get back at him. The shock of her warm hand on his interrupted his train of thought, and he stared at her for a moment before curling his fingers tightly around hers.
"I fell off my roof yesterday." He stumbled over his next words. "I – I injured my leg – my knee. I had hoped that it was a minor injury, but the doctor says that I need to rest the leg completely for at least six weeks or risk permanent damage." He gripped her hand more tightly, looking at her and looking away again before he continued. "So I won't be able to compete in any of the major events, and my chances of getting a scholarship drop to nil by the end of the season."
"I know that your grades and SATs are more than good enough to get you into the college of your choice," Ren began bracingly, "so it isn't exactly the end of the world."
Larry smiled for the first time, and nodded. "That's the worst part. I know I don't need it; I just want it very badly." He slanted a look at her; "You know better than anyone else how much I hate to lose at anything, and not even being able to compete is killing me."
Ren smiled wryly at this. She did understand. Their more epic battles in junior high had all been the result of unfriendly competition; he had hated to see her win, and they had both hated losing. They smiled at each other, feeling the strain between them dissolving. They held hands silently for a while, both surprised by the affection they felt for each other, realising for the first time that despite the competition and the arguments, they had somehow managed to become friends.
Pushing herself up off the bench, Ren pulled Larry up beside her. Putting her hands on his bare shoulders, she pushed him towards the lockers. "Finish getting dressed. I'm starving; can I buy you dinner?"
It was Tuesday, and as usual the editor of the school paper, Ren Stevens, was handing out assignments.
"Sandy, you will be covering the debate on Thursday – interviews with the team members after the match, pictures of the winners, the usual. Tanya, I need a piece about the new gym floor, 200 words. Leslie, interview the new cook. I'll be covering the track meet on Saturday. Now, does anybody have any suggestions for articles?"
After vetoing a piece on the 10th grade biology earthworm farm, and approving an essay on how much harder school was for the modern student, Ren was finally out the door. At 17 years old, she was rarely home before 7; she had an extraordinarily busy life, and she loved it. She was good at school. An A student, editor, and class president, she still managed to have a social life and a close relationship with her family. Life was perfect.
She got to the parking lot and took out her keys. She still got a little thrill when she did that. She had been surprised when her parents bought her a car for her last birthday, and reveled in the freedom it gave her. She could stay at school late and stop at the library or the mall on the way home, without worrying about her mother's busy schedule as State Senator, or the demands on her father's time. She passed Larry Beales loading his gym bag into the trunk of his car. He was a popular student, someone she had known since kindergarten, but they had never got along. Larry had always made it clear that he didn't like her, and his bullying tendencies had made it hard for her to like him. Her 'Hello, Larry' was a little forced, as usual, and his 'Ren' was a little cold, as usual.
Larry watched unnoticed as she continued towards her parking space two cars down. She had the greatest walk, purposeful with just enough sexy sway. He was honest enough with himself to admit that he had the slightest crush on Ren, but he also found her bossy and vain. She behaved as though she owned the school, and took far too much pride in being perfect. She rarely made mistakes, never got detention, hardly ever failed. He had always enjoyed taking her down, even if his desire to defeat her got out of hand sometimes. He regretted some of the more extreme stunts he had pulled over the years, but not the satisfaction he had got from taking Miss Perfect down from her pedestal for a moment. He sneaked one last look at her legs as she swung into her car, and shook his head, laughing silently at himself. Even if she didn't hate his guts, never in a million years. No way.
After school on Fridays, Ren could usually be found in the school newspaper's office, reading articles and finalizing copy for Monday's edition of The Clarion. The name had been her idea, and she felt a surge of pride every time she looked at a copy of the paper. At 4:45 pm, she collected the notes from her interviews with the track team, and tidied her desk. She had spoken to every member of the team but Larry Beales, and she had put it off long enough. She was sure that he didn't want to talk to her either, but when practice ended at 5:00, she planned to be waiting for him outside the changing room.
At 5:50, Ren was still leaning on the wall outside the boys' changing room, and she was furious. Every other member of the team had showered and dressed in 15 minutes, but Larry had yet to reappear. She had noticed the smirks on their faces as they tried to figure out which one of them she was waiting to see, and her temper had started to boil. The idea of herself as a track team groupie was… distasteful. What was he doing in there?
After checking her watch, she decided to take the plunge. She pushed open the door clearly marked "BOYS" and slowly poked her head inside. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him sitting on a bench in the middle of the room, wearing a pair of jeans. Although she had two brothers, the thought of a nude Larry Beales was surprisingly disconcerting. He was slim, almost slightly built, and definitely not her type, but there was a masculine elegance about him that was undeniably attractive. She was not as superficial as some of the girls she knew, and she still found it hard to forgive him for some of the more humiliating stunts he had pulled on her.
Glad for the surge of remembered resentment that distracted her from her contemplation of his bare brown back, she cleared her throat. As he turned, startled by the noise, she saw him frown as he realised who she was.
"What do you want?" he asked sullenly.
She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "We're doing a piece on the track team, and I just wanted to ask you a few questions. I've already spoken to everyone who's competing tomorrow – except you, of course."
He looked at her sourly; "I guess you're done, then. I won't be competing."
Ren was shocked. Larry was the fastest sprinter in the school, maybe even the state, and a strong candidate for several prestigious athletics scholarships. There were credible rumors that several scouts would be attending Saturday's meet; he needed to make a good showing if he wanted to beat the competition for any of those scholarships. Surprised at how upset she was, Ren closed her mouth with a snap. She inadvertently tightened her lips; Larry had done some foolish things before, but this beat all! "Don't you know how important this is to your future? You have great potential, maybe even Olympic potential, and the right athletics programme is extremely important!"
Taken aback by her vehemence, Larry was a little slow in reacting, but there was no doubt that he was angry. "Don't you think I know that? Believe me, the last thing I need now is one of your lectures. I'm way too busy watching my future go down the toilet. And I'm in the mood for a fight, so if you don't want one, shut up or get out!"
Ren swallowed a retort. This was not like him; he teased her mercilessly, provoked her endlessly, but he was hardly ever rude. In fact, he had an inexorable charm that usually made it hard to stay mad at him for longer than a minute; there was no sign of that charm now. She looked at the set of his lips and the slope of his shoulders, and realised that he wasn't just angry; he was really upset! "I'm sorry I said that. I spoke without thinking; I should have realised that you wouldn't miss this meet without a good reason." Genuinely concerned, she tilted her head as she looked directly at him. "I know we aren't the best of friends, but we've known each other forever. Do you think you could tell me what's wrong?"
Larry looked at her anxious expression, unable to find the contempt and irritation that was usually there when she looked at him. He leaned forward, looking down between his bare feet, and rested his weight on his forearms. He felt the need to share his burden with someone, but he couldn't be sure that Ren wasn't just searching for an opportunity to get back at him. The shock of her warm hand on his interrupted his train of thought, and he stared at her for a moment before curling his fingers tightly around hers.
"I fell off my roof yesterday." He stumbled over his next words. "I – I injured my leg – my knee. I had hoped that it was a minor injury, but the doctor says that I need to rest the leg completely for at least six weeks or risk permanent damage." He gripped her hand more tightly, looking at her and looking away again before he continued. "So I won't be able to compete in any of the major events, and my chances of getting a scholarship drop to nil by the end of the season."
"I know that your grades and SATs are more than good enough to get you into the college of your choice," Ren began bracingly, "so it isn't exactly the end of the world."
Larry smiled for the first time, and nodded. "That's the worst part. I know I don't need it; I just want it very badly." He slanted a look at her; "You know better than anyone else how much I hate to lose at anything, and not even being able to compete is killing me."
Ren smiled wryly at this. She did understand. Their more epic battles in junior high had all been the result of unfriendly competition; he had hated to see her win, and they had both hated losing. They smiled at each other, feeling the strain between them dissolving. They held hands silently for a while, both surprised by the affection they felt for each other, realising for the first time that despite the competition and the arguments, they had somehow managed to become friends.
Pushing herself up off the bench, Ren pulled Larry up beside her. Putting her hands on his bare shoulders, she pushed him towards the lockers. "Finish getting dressed. I'm starving; can I buy you dinner?"