A New Shade of Pink
by Lady Dawson
Chapter Three: A Growing Bond
Pushing open the door to her apartment, Liz walked over to the phone that was ringing off of the hook, placing it onto her ear. "Hello?" she answered, setting her backpack onto the island table, unclasping it to pull out her books for homework.
"Hey, Lizzie," her aunt said on the other end. "I just wanted to check in and make sure that your first day went all right. How'd everything go?"
"It went fine," Liz answered as she retrieved her science homework and began pouring over it while talking to her aunt. "I mean, there were a few problems, but nothing major. I even met a few potential friends," she added, thinking of Conner. "And maybe one who might be more," she whispered to herself, but unfortunately, her aunt caught it.
"Hmm, I'm guessing that we're talking about a guy?" Kimberly asked eagerly. Liz couldn't help but laugh in embarrassment. "Wow, so what's his name? What's he like?"
"I don't know that much about him," Liz admitted. "His name's Conner McKnight, the star of the soccer team. But he was really nice and . . . well, I almost broke his nose when he walked in on me practicing karate in the gym."
Kimberly laughed. "I'm going to assume that you were doing it on your own free time and weren't supposed to be in class?"
"Hey, I was doing it after I finished lunch and before sixth period started," Liz complained. "Give me a little bit of credit here, Aunt Kim. I'm not completely mental." Kimberly only laughed. "But we talked and he was really nice." She paused. "I'm not used to that. Usually, people only talked to me because I was Sam Summers' sister. I mean, there were a few people that I talked to, but most of them knew me through Sam. It's different."
"Honey, I can't even begin to understand what you're going through," Kimberly told her gently. "You lost your dad and your brother, your twin. That's more than anybody should go through at sixteen."
"Yeah . . ." Liz glanced down at her watch, frowning. Currently, her aunt was in Rome, training gymnasts for the Olymptics. "Hey, isn't it getting pretty late out there? Isn't it around one in the morning over there?"
"Twelve," Kimberly answered, yawning. "Yeah, I'm headed to be in a few minutes. And I swear, when I do come home to check up on you, I won't be able to even catch up with you, because I'll be jet-lagged all weekend." She groaned slightly. "So, have you heard from Jason?"
"He's supposed to come up this weekend and check up on me," Liz answered. "You two do know that I am sixteen years old? I'm not exactly a child. I can take care of myself."
"Yes, but as long as you are under eighteen, you are under my guardianship. And therefore, I will continue checking up on you and I will have Jason driving up every so often just so he can make sure that you're doing what you are told."
"Do you trust me at all?" Liz complained.
"Yes, I do," Kimberly answered. "So long as I know where you are at every minute of the day, I trust you completely."
Liz rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Aunt Kimberly," she said sarcastically.
"Anytime, kid."
"Okay, you need to get to bed," Liz instructed. "Besides, you're not going to be able to get up early and train those girls for the Olympics if you're dead on your feet tomorrow morning."
Kimberly laughed. "All right. Good night, sweetie. Or afternoon," she corrected herself. "I'll call you tomorrow. Well, later today, for me. Tomorrow for you," she said. "Bye."
"Bye," Liz answered, hanging up the phone and returning to her homework, burying her head into it and silently cursing Dr. O for giving so much homework when it was only her first day here. Couldn't he have given her a little bit of a break? she thought miserably as she finally finished it after two and a half hours.
Desperate to get out of the house, Liz grabbed her purse and jacket, heading out of the apartment, locking it behind her as she walked down the steps and through the streets of Reefside, looking at the local hangouts around the town aimlessly until she reached a café crawling with teenagers.
"Haley's Cyberspace," she read on the front of it, frowning slightly. "What is this place?"
Her curiosity getting the better of her, Liz walked inside, looking around at all of the computers and video games that were scattered around the room. A lot of kids were on them while others were hanging out in front of the televisions or just talking at one of the tables.
"Wow," she said, stunned as she looked around, her hands in her pockets as she stepped further into the café. "This place is cool."
"Glad you approve," a friendly voice said from behind her and she spun around to see a nice-looking redhead right behind her. "You must be Liz Summers, just moved here." Liz blinked, startled that she knew that without even talking to her. "I'm Haley, I own the place," she said, as though that explained everything. "I know all and see all."
"Right," Liz said, bemused. "This is pretty amazing."
"Well, don't be shy, come on in," Haley said, gesturing her to come further in. "You want anything to drink?"
"I'll take a Coke or Pepsi if you got it," Liz answered.
"Coming right up." Haley headed behind the counter to fill up a glass and handed it to her as Liz sat down at the counter, still looking around in complete amazement.
"Thanks," she said as she listened to the music that was playing on the speakers, tapping her fingers rhythmically to the beat as the doors opened again and she glanced around, her heart jumping into her chest as she saw Conner coming through the door, chatting with his two friends.
But he stopped talking with them the second that he saw her, giving her a wave. She smiled back at him, waving back, and her heartbeat accelerated as he walked over to her.
"Hey, Liz," he said, grinning at her as his two friends walked up behind him, looking curiously at her. "Uh . . . guys, this is Liz Summers. Liz, this is Kira and Ethan," he introduced, pointing to each one of them in turn.
"Hi," Kira said, smiling at her.
"Nice to meet you," Ethan told her. "So how'd you find out about this place?"
"I was walking, it was here," Liz answered, shrugging. "That pretty much sums it up." Conner laughed and Kira grinned. Liz smiled as she ducked her head into her soda. "So, you play guitar?" she asked, nodding to the instrument that Kira was carrying. The blonde nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, my band plays here every once in awhile," she answered. "You play any?"
"Uh . . . I tried when I was seven and my dad paid me fifty bucks never to do it again," Liz answered, grinning. All three of them laughed and Liz smiled. "But I love music."
"Well, we're playing here next Friday," Kira informed her. "You should come. It starts at four."
Liz was startled by the invitation, but not displeased. "Uh . . . yeah, that sounds cool. I'll be there," she promised. Kira smiled.
"Good. Well, we'd better get to work on our social studies paper," she said, looking at the two boys. "Come on, guys, let's get to work."
"Yeah, I'll be right there," Conner said, glancing at her before looking at Liz. Once the two of them were alone, he sat down next to her. "Sorry, I have to get to work on this project."
"Don't worry about it," Liz said with a smile at him. "Lucky for me, I don't have to do it because I got here two days before you guys have to have it done. Lucky me," she deadpanned. Conner grinned.
"But, uh . . . since you're going to be here Friday, anyway, maybe after Kira's gig, we could do something," he suggested. "Maybe go see a movie or something."
Liz looked at him sceptically. "Like a date?"
"Well . . ." Conner hesitated, looking down and then chuckled. "You know, I'm usually better at this." Liz chuckled. "Yeah, like a date. Or you know, it could just be friends. We don't have to do the dating thing right away or at all, if you don't want to."
Liz took a deep breath. "That sounds like fun," she said, leaving no room for argument. "But Conner, I can't date you. Not yet, anyway," she said, looking down. "And it has nothing to do with you, okay? It's just . . ." Liz swallowed, forcing down tears. "I'm going through some stuff right now and . . . but I'd like to be friends. Maybe later, when things have settled down with me, we can try for something more. But right now, friendship is all I can really do."
Conner nodded slowly, concern etched into his face. "Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked.
With a smile, she stood up and hugged him, startling both of them, but he didn't pull away until she stepped back, looking right into his brown eyes. "You're doing a lot," she told him. "Go study."
"Well, could I maybe get your number or something?" Conner asked and she laughed, mentally kicking herself.
"Yeah, that would probably help," she said, digging in her purse for a pen and paper, scribbling her phone number and address onto the paper, handing it to him. He took the pen and paper, writing his own number down, handing it to her. "I'll see you."
"Talk to you later," Conner agreed, slipping the piece of paper into his pocket before he headed out towards his friends, all the while grinning while Liz watched him go, something stirring inside of her that she had never felt before.
Something strange.
Something exciting.
Or maybe both.
--
As the sun began to descend into the horizon, Liz began walking through the streets, heading back for her apartment when she heard something coming from behind her, almost as though they were following her. She paused briefly, glancing slightly behind her, but there was no one there.
Continuing on as though there was nothing amiss, Liz headed through the quiet streets, making sure that her gem was securely in her pocket and the pocket zipped before she stopped again.
"It's late," she informed her pursuer. "I'm tired and I do not want to play games. Show yourself."
That was all it took for the dinosaur dudes to jump out from where they were hiding and moved into attack. Liz took a defensive position, using the skills that Jason and Kim had taught her and a few that she had used on her brother when they had been horsing around.
Unfortunately, there were twenty of them and only one of her and they just kept coming, as though there were endless supplies of them. Liz grunted as she hit the ground, feeling the gem hum in her pocket for the second time that day. Looking down at it in bewilderment, Liz's head snapped up as she saw the dinosaur guys moving towards her.
Without even thinking about what she was doing, Liz threw out her hand to put some barrier between her and them. Some power flew out of her hand, sending the dinosaur guys backwards away from her.
Liz blinked, staring first at them, then down at her hand. "What on earth . . .?" she whispered, pulling the gem out of her pocket and examining it closely before she looked back up at her opponents. They were down, but who knew for how long? And there were too many of them; she needed to get out of here while she still had the chance.
Slipping the gem back into her pocket, Liz scrambled away from the dinosaur freaks and raced down the alleyway, rounding around the corner and as fast as she was able.
The second that she was out of the alleyway, she slammed right into Conner, who was heading out of the café with Kira and Ethan.
"Hey, Liz, what—" Conner began, startled. Liz shook her head, unable to stop the tears that were starting to spill down her cheeks as everything that had happened since her family had been killed came crashing down around her.
Conner's arms went around her and she buried her face into his chest, the sobs starting to rip right from her very soul as he held her. She heard Kira and Ethan disappear around the corner, undoubtedly to investigate, but Conner gently pried her off of him, forcing her to look up at him.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Liz nodded, wiping away the remains of tears off of her face. "All right, come on, let me take you home." He guided her away from the alleyway, heading towards her apartment, keeping his arm around her shoulders the entire time.
Liz wasn't about to admit this to Conner, but he made her feel safer than she had in months. Ever since her father and brother had died, she had been scared that something like that would happen to her or someone close to her.
But Conner cast a feeling of protection and warmth over her. Right there, in his arms, she felt like it was the safest place in the world.
She knew that he was dying to ask her what had happened, but he kept his mouth shut, not about to ask until she had calmed down a bit. Liz was quiet the entire time that they were walking, until they had reached her apartment.
Looking at him, Liz smiled at him. "Thank you," she said and Conner nodded, looking at her worriedly.
"Can I just ask? What exactly happened back there?" he asked her. "I don't mean to pry, but . . ."
Liz sighed, looking away from him. Even the police hadn't believed her when she had told them about the dinosaur guys attacking her family, but something inside of her told her that she could trust Conner. His brown eyes met hers and she reluctantly gave in.
"There were these . . . weird, dinosaur-looking creatures," she admitted quietly. Conner's eyes went wide. "They, uh . . . they came out of nowhere and attacked me." She looked up and saw his expression. Immediately, she regretted telling him. "I know how it sounds, but it's the truth," she said defensively.
"No, no, I believe you," Conner said firmly. "But why? I mean, do you know why they attacked you?"
Liz's eyes flew to his swiftly and she swallowed, not really ready to share the piece of information about the gem with him. "It's late," she said quietly, looking away. "I should get inside. And your mom and dad are probably wondering where you are."
"Liz . . ."
Pushing the door open, Liz slipped through it before he could stop her and shut the door behind her. Protecting herself from getting too close and getting hurt again.