We swam for a long time, and my brothers all took turns swinging off the rope and

dropping into the water. Megan mostly just swished around in the shallow water that only

went up to her waist. Guthrie stayed near her at the beginning, but eventually he

left her side to go swim in the deeper water, and take his turn dropping off the rope swing.

He did his somersault into the water, and when he swam up to Kristin and I, Kristin

smiled and said, "Are you going to do the double one like you did on the barn swing that night?"

Guthrie grinned. "No sweat. I could do a triple if I put my mind to it."

"Brag on, little brother," Ford said, and we all laughed.

"Guthrie!" Megan called, and motioned for him to come over to her. She had a definite

frown on her pretty face, and looked decidedly put out about something. I had a pretty good idea what

it was, and I hoped she was going to throw a major hissy fit. Let Guthrie see her true colors.

"The lady does not look happy," Evan said.

"Nope," Ford agreed.

"I know what it is," I told them, and they looked at me in interest.

"Megan doesn't like it because Guthrie keeps talking to Kristin," I said.

Kristin looked embarrassed. "I don't think it's that," she protested. "Why would Megan

care about that? It's not like I'm any competition for her, or anything-"

"You're every bit as pretty as she is," Evan said, and Ford nodded.

"Agreed."

Kristin blushed, but looked pleased. "Thanks, guys."

When we were alone again, Kristin said, "I don't want to cause Guthrie any problems. I mean,

if Megan gets mad at him-"

I waved my hand. "Oh, rats potatoes, who cares?"

Kristin giggled. "Your brothers are all so nice, Harlie."

I floated on my back and looked up at the clouds. "Yeah. They're all just precious."

Kristin giggled again.

We went to take a cookie break, sitting beside Hannah, who was sitting back down

on the blanket again.

"You two having fun?" she asked.

We both said yes, and helped ourselves to cookies from the picnic basket.

Hannah and Kristin talked about Marie's diner, and Kristin was telling Hannah

about the new waitress, when Adam came our way. I chewed my cookie, watching

him out of the corner of my eye.

He didn't look angry or tense. In fact, I thought that he looked as relaxed as I'd seen him look

in awhile. He sank down beside Hannah, and reached into the basket for a cookie, too.

"You two aren't eating all my molasses cookies, are you?" he said, teasing, and

Kristin shook her head, smiling shyly at him.

"Okay, good," he said. "Harlie knows those are mine and mine only, right, Harlie?"

"Right," I said, but avoided looking directly at him. I could feel his gaze on me, but

I kept my eyes on Daniel and Evan and Ford, dropping off the rope.

Brian and Clare came over and Brian flopped down on the ground beside us.

"Whew!" he said. "Gettin' hot out here."

Megan' raised voice carried over to where we were sitting. It was next to impossible to

not look towards where she and Guthrie were standing. It was hard to make out everything

that was being said, but Megan was definitely letting Guthrie know she was unhappy. Guthrie,

in return, looked unhappy, too, though he was doing more listening than talking.

"That's a high maintenance young lady right there," Brian said.

After a few minutes Kristin and I went back to the water, and cajoled Ford and Daniel

into rowing us down the creek in the old canoe that we keep tied there.

"The last time we used this it leaked like a sieve," Daniel said, looking at it

doubtfully.

We begged until they relented, and we climbed into the canoe. One of them was

at each end, and Kristin and I were on the middle seat, squished together.

We'd gone quite a ways, with Kristin and I both yelling, "Faster, faster!"

until Daniel threatened to throw us out.

When the canoe started filling up with water from the leak, they started paddling back to where

we'd started at, but the water kept coming in faster and we started laughing. It was

covering our feet, and suddenly Ford stood up, making the canoe rock back and forth.

"Abandon ship!" he yelled, and dove headfirst into the water.

"Ford, you knucklehead!" Daniel yelled, and then we all jumped into the water.

We had to swim back, pulling the canoe by hand, one of us at each corner. When

we got back, everybody was picking stuff up and getting ready to head back to the house.

"What happened?" Adam asked, walking over to the bank to greet us.

"I had a lousy crew," Daniel said.

"We staged a mutiny," Ford said dramatically.

We were walking back, everybody a little quieter than the morning.

"What's for supper?" Ford asked of the group at large.

"Peanut butter and jelly," Clare said.

7777777

At the house when everybody had changed into dry clothes, and started getting

ready to do the evening chores, Hannah asked me if Kristin was spending the night.

"Do you want to?" I asked her.

"Oh, yes," Kristin said.

Hannah told her to go call her mom, and after that we went outside, and I did

my chores, and Kristin helped me.

"I love these guys," she said, hugging the goats.

After a simple supper of sandwiches and milk, and then turns at the shower, Kristin

and I went to my room, where the rollaway bed had been brought in. We talked but the late

night with Daniel and Crane from the night before, and then the early rising and long day

was catching up with me, and I kept drifting off. I'd snap awake every now and then to hear

Kristin softly talking about Guthrie, and how he deserved somebody really nice to go out with.

7

After breakfast the next morning, we got ready to ride to school with Guthrie, and we

left a few minutes early so Kristin could grab her homework and books from her house. As we

were walking outside, Ford came to the front door, barefooted, to say goodbye. He had to

head back to college that morning.

He grabbed Guthrie with one arm, and me with the other.

"Goodbye, brats," he said, hugging us both hard.

"Takes one to know one," Guthrie told him.

When we pulled up in front of Kristin's house, Guthrie and I waited in the truck, while Kristin went inside.

I was asking Guthrie if he had any gum when he said, "Hey, listen," and then

we could both hear the yelling coming from inside the mobile home.

We exchanged a look. "What's going on, do you think?" I said.

Guthrie shrugged, but looked concerned. "I don't know."

The yelling got louder, mixed in with some strong swearing, by who I assumed was

Frank, since it was a male voice.

I put my hand on the door handle. "Maybe I should go inside," I said.

Guthrie put a hand on my wrist. "Nah. Wait a minute first."

I waited, and when Kristin came out, she was carrying her backpack. I slid back

over, and she climbed into the truck.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Kristin nodded. She looked a little pale, but otherwise seemed alright.

"Just stupid Frank," she said. "On a tangent this morning at mom. It's embarrassing. I'm

sorry."

Before I could answer, Guthrie spoke up first. "You don't need to be sorry, or embarrassed. We're

your friends."

"That's right," I said, and squeezed Kristin's hand.

"Thanks. Both of you."

After lunch, I was throwing away my trash, and starting to walk back towards the school

building, with Lori, when I was surprised by Seth, stepping into my path.

"Well, hello," he said.

I tried stepping around him, but he blocked me again.

"Move out of my way, Seth," I said, with more bravado than I felt.

"I hear you went to the dance," he said, unpleasantly.

I forced myself to meet his eyes. "Move," I said, again.

"Yeah, or I'll get a teacher," Lori said.

"Oh, a big bad teacher," Seth mocked her. "Why don't you disappear, Lori, so I can

talk to Harlie alone."

"I don't have anything to say to you," I said.

More kids were starting to pay attention and gather around. I knew it was only a matter

of time before Guthrie noticed. He'd been sitting at a table not too far from mine at lunch.

"Look, Seth," I said, "just leave me alone. I'm not bothering you."

"Oh, but you are bothering me. Do you want to know how?"

He reached out to take hold of my arm, just above my wrist, and squeezed so hard that I had to

struggle not to wince in pain. It really hurt!

"I'm bothered by this whole thing. First you act like you like me, and then you freeze me

out. You tell me to meet up with you, and then act like it's all a big joke."

"I shouldn't have told you that," I said.

"No, you shouldn't have. You're makin' me really angry, Harlie. That's not a good

thing for you."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lori leave my side, and run into the school building.

"Hey," a voice said, and Tony Williams stepped up beside me. "What's going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Seth said.

"It does, if you're bothering Harlie," Tony said.

Seth dropped his hold on my arm, and turned to Tony.

"Buzz off, Williams," he said, and gave Tony a shove. A hard shove, which caught

Tony off-balance, and he went sprawling into the grass.

"You bastard!" I said to Seth. I was more mad now than scared, and I went at Seth,

scratching and punching.

"Harlie, stop it!" I heard Tony yell, and some of the other kids around started hollering, too,

and then there was a blur of movement rushing past, and Seth was on the ground,

Guthrie on top of him. They rolled around in the grass, trading punches, and then, thankfully,

there was Mr. Fornelli, the science teacher, and Mr. Best, pulling them apart.

When it was all over, they were taken off to the principal's office, and Mr. Best curtly told me and

Tony and Lori to follow along.

My stomach was in knots as we were all separated, and talked to one by one.

When it was my turn Mr. Best faced me across his desk.

"I've talked to Lori and Tony. Why don't you tell me now what happened, Harlie?"

"Alright, but is Guthrie okay?"

"Guthrie is fine. A little banged up, but about equal to Seth, I think."

"Okay." I sank back in the chair a little.

I told Mr. Best how Seth had stopped me and Lori, and the things he'd said, how he'd

shoved Tony.

When it came to my part of it, I didn't mince words, or try to make it sound better for me

than it was. I openly admitted that I'd taken after Seth, scratching, and hitting.

"Maybe that's where the long scratch on his cheek came from then, huh, Harlie?"

If I hadn't known better, I would have thought Mr. Best sounded a little amused.

"Maybe so," I said.

"And what about Guthrie?" he asked.

I looked at Mr. Best for a long moment. There was no way I was going to

say anything that made Guthrie sound like he was at fault.

"Guthrie was only trying to protect me, Mr. Best," I said.

"Yes, Harlie, I'm aware of that. Just tell me what happened."

After we'd talked for awhile, with me being very careful to put Guthrie into

the best light I possibly could, Mr. Best gave me a serious look.

"Guthrie tells it a little differently. He says he blindsided Seth and tackled him without any warning whatsoever."

I felt my cheeks warm. Good old Guthrie. Honest to a fault.

"Are Guthrie and I suspended?" I asked then.

"We'll discuss that when I get ahold of someone at your home."

"If Hannah answers, will you not tell her what happened, please? Maybe you could

ask for Adam or Brian or Crane instead. Hannah's pregnant, and she's not supposed to

get upset or stressed out-"

My voice tapered off at the look on his face.

"Harlie."

"Yes, sir?"

"Guthrie asked me the same thing. I'm impressed by the concern you both have for

Hannah. I want you to know that."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing.

"You can wait in the outer office, Harlie," Mr. Best said then, getting to his feet.

"Okay." I went to sit in one of the uncomfortable chairs they keep there. After a few

minutes, Guthrie came thru from the nurse's office, holding an ice pack on his eye.

"Hey," he said, as casually as though we were sitting down at the supper table at home.

"Hey."

Guthrie sank down into the chair beside me.

"Are you alright?" I asked him.

"I'm fine."

I reached up to push the ice pack down a little so I could see his eye.

"That's going to be really ugly," I said, putting my hands back in my lap.

"Oh, well," Guthrie shrugged.

"They're calling home right now," I told him.

"Yeah."

"Thanks for helping me. But maybe you should have stayed out of it."

"Had to help. You were about to tear Seth's head off. I was worried about him."

"Ha ha. Seriously, Guth, now you're in trouble."

"Not the first time. Won't be the last, either."

I sighed. "My stomach hurts."

Guthrie squeezed my hand, and then let it go. "Everything will be okay, hyena."

I couldn't help it, I teared up at that. It had been so long since Guthrie and I had

used our nicknames for each other.

"Okay, elephant ears," I said softly.

7