"Shhh," Clare said, "Let's go in here," and gave me a gentle push into my bedroom, pulling the door closed behind us.

I went to sit on the end of my bed, crying in full force now.

Clare sat down beside me, rubbing circles on my back, not saying anything for a few minutes, just letting me cry.

Finally, she said, "Did you know Seth was coming here tonight?"

"Not here. But the logging road, I did."

"Were you going to meet him?"

"He thought I was. But I wasn't, Clare. I never had any intention of really sneaking out to meet him!"

"Why did you tell him to go there?"

I hesitated. "To-play a trick on him."

"What trick?"

"I put nails on the road," I admitted.

Clare didn't say anything, she just nodded.

"He's so mean, Clare. He gave Kristin a black eye, and Guthrie says he likes to get rough with girls."

"He gets his jollies that way?" Clare asked. "I've heard about guys like that."

"I just wanted to take him down a notch," I tried to explain. "I didn't know how else to do it."

"Evan knew about this?" she asked.

"Yes. He told me not to do it-"

"Oh."

"I think he's really mad at me,"

"Maybe you can try talking to him after he cools off," she suggested.

"I hope so."

Clare regarded me with a serious expression in her blue eyes. "Does this boy still think you're interested in him, Harlie?"

"I don't know," I hedged, and then, I met her eyes, and said honestly, "Yeah. He does."

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but playing games like these, it can be a dangerous thing. This Seth sounds like

he's real trouble. Will you please just tell him that's it, and be done with it?"

"Yes. I will. I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Alright." She leaned over and gave me a hug. "Try to get some sleep now."

"Clare?" I said, catching her hand in mine.

"What?"

"Are you going to tell Brian?"

"About the nails?"

"I don't think Brian would care all that much about the nails, but he'll be real angry if he knows I told Seth

I'd sneak out to meet him. Even if I never meant to do it. He won't hear that part of it."

"Well," she looked thoughtful, "if you come home and tell me that you told Seth to jump off a cliff and never

talk to you again, then I won't tell Brian. At least right now. We'll wait till it all blows over and then we'll tell him

together sometime."

"When he's in a really good mood," I specified.

"When he's in a really good mood," she agreed.

We hugged each other, and said goodnight. Once again, I was glad I'd met Clare that night at The Outpost in

San Bernardino.

7

There was hardly a McFadden at the breakfast table the next morning that wasn't in a bad mood. Everyone looked tired.

Evan pointedly ignored my attempts to catch his eye across the table. I stayed quiet so as not to draw attention to myself.

When he'd finished eating, Guthrie stood up, and shoved his chair up to the table.

"I'll be waitin' out in the truck," he told me shortly, and I nodded, finishing my orange juice.

"You hardly ate at all," Hannah said.

"It was good, Hannah," I assured her, standing up and scooting in my chair. When my eyes swept around the table,

it seemed every eye was on me. Except for Evan, of course.

"See you all tonight," I said, and went to grab my books from the living room. Adam walked in as I was

stuffing papers into my backpack. He didn't say anything at first, and even though I felt like running, I stood my ground

and waited.

"Is there anything you need to tell me about, Harlie?"

"I'm going to tell Seth today he'd better never do anything like that again."

"I think Brian and Crane and I made that clear enough last night. I think the less you talk to him, the better."

"Alright," I said quietly.

Guthrie started honking from outside.

"I'll see you tonight," I said.

"Okay. Have a good day."

I didn't think there was much chance of that, but I nodded.

7

The way to school was filled with uncomfortable silence. Guthrie chewed his way thru a pack of Juicy Fruit, but

didn't offer me any.

Finally I braved it, saying, "Thanks for what you said to Brian last night."

"You already told me thank you."

"I'm saying it again."

"Well, I owed you one. For the time you kept it quiet when I broke curfew."

"That's okay."

"Nails on the road? That's a gutsy move, Har."

"You mean crazy, right?"

"Well, that too," he said, and I saw the quick flash of a grin. It was like seeing sunshine, seeing Guthrie grin

at me like that.

"I have to admit, the thought of Seth and three blown tires, that's pretty funny," Guthrie added.

"And you passed up the chance to be in on it," I said, teasing him. "Bet you're sorry now, huh?"

"I didn't say that," he said, and we both laughed.

7

I didn't see Seth at all that morning, but in the afternoon he came in late to English. When I ignored his efforts

to get my attention, he passed a note, across two other people.

I took it, but laid it down as if I wasn't interested at all.

When it was time for silent reading, I propped my book so I could read the note without Seth or anyone else seeing me.

"Meet me after class. Need ta talk to ya."

I looked across at him. He was staring at me, and I shook my head at him. I went back to my reading, and five minutes or so

later, another note came across to me.

"I'm not fooling around anymore. Meet me outside."

I crumpled the note up, feeling an awful sense of foreboding. This was getting out of hand.

Well, I didn't go out to meet up with him. I walked to class with other kids, not wanting him to catch me alone.

He did catch me as I was going into the biology classroom, with a hand on my arm.

"Why won't you talk to me?"

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Look, if it's about last night, coming to your house like that, alright, maybe I shouldn't have. It just royally pissed me off

that some bastard left nails all over the road like that! It's going to cost plenty to replace all those tires."

I didn't say anything in answer to that. I shook his hand off my arm.

"I've got to talk to you!" he insisted. "I'll wait for you after school."

He stalked away.

During biology I could hardly concentrate on what Mrs. Riggs was explaining. I was trying to figure out what to do.

Clare was right, and so were all my brothers. Seth was trouble. I needed to nip this whole thing with him, and quickly. But I was hesitant

now about being alone with him. He seemed like he was on edge, simmering with anger. I needed to tell him, make him

understand, that I wasn't going to have anything to do with him.

I made sure I walked out with a group of kids after school, too, but it didn't matter, because there, sitting as bold as

brass, on Guthrie's truck tailgate, was Seth.

I thought if Guthrie saw that, he would go ballistic. There'd be a big fight. This whole thing would just get worse if that

happened. I walked as quick as I could, going right up to where he sat.

"Get up!" I ordered, not caring if it made him mad or not.

"What?" he said, looking like he was amused.

"Get your butt up and off of Guthrie's truck, before he gets out here!"

"I'm not afraid of Guthrie," Seth scoffed, but he did stand up.

"I just want to talk to you," he said.

"What?!" I demanded. "What do you want?!"

"You didn't meet me last night like you said you would."

"No, and I never meant to meet you! I just told you that!"

Seth's eyes narrowed. "Why would you lie about meeting me?"

"To trick you! I don't like you!"

"Yeah, you do," he insisted.

"I don't!"

"Why not?"

"I know what an ass you are! You hit Kristin, and other girls, too! You're nothing but a scummy piece of trash

bully!"

Seth grabbed my arm. "You're a tease," he accused.

"I'm not!" I protested.

"I get even with people that do me wrong," he said, and I felt a cold chill run down my back.

"I'll tell my brothers!" I threatened him.

"I'm not 18," he said, with a smirk, squeezing my arm. "Not a one of 'em can touch me, 'cept for Guthrie, or they'll go

to jail. And I can take Guthrie, no problem."

I'd worn my boots that day, instead of sneakers, and I raised my heel, stomping on his foot. He hollered, and let go of

my arm. His yell caught people's attention, and he gave me a harsh glare.

"Watch out," he said, and stalked away.

I climbed in Guthrie's truck, shaking. There was a thermos of water and I took a long drink, trying to calm down.

Guthrie opened his truck door. "Hey," he greeted me.

I nodded at him, not trusting myself to answer.

"Megan'll be out in a minute," Guthrie was saying.

I nodded again.

Guthrie looked at me. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I managed.

"You look funny. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

I set the thermos back on the floorboard, and Guthrie frowned.

"You're shaking," he stated.

"I'm okay."

"You're not okay,"

"Please, Guth-" I said, and tears filled my eyes. Guthrie took another look at my face, and my shaking hands, and then

he said abruptly, "I'll be right back," and got out, walking back into the school.

When he came back out, he got in and started the engine up.

"Put your seat belt on," he ordered, and I did.

He put the truck in gear and started pulling out of the school parking lot,

"What about Megan?" I asked.

"I told her to get a ride from a friend, or call her mom."

"How come?" I asked, stunned.

"Cause I figured, whatever's wrong with you, you wouldn't want her to hear what it is when you tell me about it."

At another time, I would have smiled at Guthrie's tenaciousness. I didn't feel like smiling right then, though.

"Who says I'm going to tell you anything?"

"I say.'

I sighed. McFadden's are notorious for their stubbornness, and I swear that Guthrie has the most of all.

"I was talking to Seth-"

"What'd the jackass do?!" Guthrie said, taking his eyes off the road and watching me until I feared he would hit

something.

"Watch the road, Guthrie!"

"Then tell me," he ordered.

"He was talking to me, I was telling him what I think of him. He didn't like it."

"Did he hurt you? I'll kick his ass-"

"No, he didn't. He just got mad."

"Mad enough to rattle you like that?"

"I guess." I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

I opened them again when the truck stopped. We were in the Dari Kurl parking lot.

"What are you doing?"

"Gettin' ice cream, what do you think?"

"I don't have any money."

"I'm paying, goofy."

When Betsy Vail, the car hop, came up to the window, Guthrie ordered two chocolate shakes.

"Okay, coming up," Betsy said. "Hi, Harlie!"

I waved my hand in a weak wave. "Hi, Bets."

Betsy leaned in Guthrie's open window. "Are you okay?" she asked me. "You look kind of funny."

"She's fine," Guthrie answered for me. "Can you get the shakes, Bets? We've got to get home."

While we waited for her to bring us the ice cream, Guthrie tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in an agitated

drumming.

"So you told him, huh? To leave you alone?"

"Yeah."

"What'd he say?"

There wasn't much of what Seth had said that I could repeat to Guthrie. I couldn't tell him about Seth telling me to watch out,

or about how he'd said he could take Guthrie in a fight.

I picked out what I could tell him. "He just didn't believe it when I said I didn't like him. He called me a-"

"He called you what?"

"He said I was a tease."

"Oh."

Bets came up with our shakes. Guthrie gave her the money, and we started driving home. I didn't really feel like ice cream.

My stomach felt like it was in nervous knots. But Guthrie had been so nice to buy it for me, and he was being so nice right now

that I didn't want to tell him that.

"Do you think I'm a tease?" I asked him.

"No."

"Well," I said, honestly, "I kind of did play games with him. I let him think I liked him, and that I'd go out with him, and all. Is

that what a tease does?"

"Don't worry about him anymore. He's not worth it."

"Okay."

"I'll have a little talk with him. Make sure he understands the way things are going to be."

"Please don't, Guthrie!"

I was genuinely distressed, and Guthrie saw that, and relented. "Well, alright. If he leaves you alone, then I won't. But I want

you to tell me if he says or does anything. Do you promise?"

I wasn't certain I could keep that promise, but I knew if I didn't promise, Guthrie would pester me till I would lose my mind.

"Okay."

"Okay," Guthrie said, and pulled into our driveway, parking the truck and shutting off the engine.

"Thank you for having Megan find another ride this afternoon," I said.

"It's okay."

"Was she mad?"

Something passed over Guthrie's face, but it was gone quickly. "Naw," he said.

7

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