The rest of the week passed on. On Thursday I saw Guthrie walking with Misty in the hallways, and that was cool. I thought Guthrie had seemed

a little quieter than usual the last couple of days, though. He always had a serious look on his face, as though he was studying over something.

That night I caught him before supper, as I was laying the silverware and he was washing up at the kitchen sink. I waited until Hannah had stepped

out of the back door for a minute, and then I said, "I saw you walking with Misty today."

"Yeah."

He didn't seem as pleased as I thought he would, so I added, "Everything good? I mean-she likes you too, right?"

"Yeah. I think she does."

I studied him as I walked around the table, putting down the knives and forks and spoons by each plate. He was looking all inward and serious

again.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

"Okay, cause you seem like something's on your mind lately-" I began.

Guthrie turned, drying his hands, and gave me a startled look.

"What do ya mean?" he demanded.

"Just-that you look like you're trying to figure something out-" I said.

Guthrie came closer to me and lowered his voice, eyeing the back door. "Am I showing it that much?" he asked, looking bothered.

"No," I said. "It's just that I know you pretty well, you know."

"Yeah." Guthrie gave me a long considering look. "Well-" he hesitated. "It's just somethin' I gotta work out."

"What is it?" I asked. "Maybe I can help."

"No way," Guthrie said, immediately, with finality.

I was a bit insulted at his quick refusal.

"Well, gosh, o-kaaaayyy," I said, stepping over to get the napkins.

Hannah was coming back in now, and we could hear her talking to one of the guys.

"It's nothin' against you, Har," Guthrie said, swiftly. "I just-I gotta think it out."

I gave a brief nod. He obviously wanted to keep Hannah and whoever else was coming in the dark about what we were talking about.

Which I wasn't even sure just what we were talking about it, anyway.

During the supper meal, the talk touched on the dance the following week at school. Guthrie braved the crowd of McFaddens to say that

he had asked Misty to go with him. If anybody was shocked by this, they didn't say anything. Hannah asked some questions, like

was it a formal-type or what sort of clothes would he be wearing. Guthrie responded that it was casual.

"Jeans and a snap-up shirt," he told Hannah.

Crane spoke from across the table to me. "How about you, kiddo? You were planning on going, too, weren't you?"

I remembered that I'd yet to get my final grade from my Anatomy class. It needed to be a C for me to be able to be off my

grounding and go with Kenny to the dance.

"I forgot to check," I said, hoping that Crane would drop the subject there. "I will tomorrow."

"I'm sure it'll be okay," Crane said, and I smiled at him gratefully.

Hannah and Clare started talking about what I was going to wear if I did go to the dance, and then there was the usual talk

of calves and fences and feed prices at the table.

It was when I was helping to clear the table that I reminded Hannah about Lori's sleepover on Saturday night.

"What are you girls' plans?" Hannah asked, in conversation.

"Watch movies, probably," I said.

"Pack some extra snacks," she told me. "So you're not eating just junk food."

"If I get to go," I said. "I have to see about that grade-"

"I'm sure it will be good," Hannah said, sounding confident.

I was doing my homework in the living room when the telephone rang. It was still early enough in the evening that not

everybody was sitting and relaxing yet. Crane was sitting at his desk, doing paperwork, and Clare was sitting on the couch, working

on crocheting her baby blanket. I could hear Guthrie outside shouting as he was shooting baskets with Evan.

"I'll get it," I said, and pushed my book and papers aside to walk to the telephone.

My 'Hello' was answered by Daniel's, 'Hey'.

I was still for a moment and then I said, "Hey, Daniel."

"Doin' alright?" he asked me.

"Yeah, pretty good," I said. "How about you?"

"Not too bad."

There was a bit of quiet, and I asked, "Are you coming this weekend?"

"Yeah. Planning to. I'll head out tomorrow."

"Is Jill coming?"

"Not sure yet," he said. "I think she might, if she can face the drive."

"Oh, that drive," I said, in sympathy, without thinking.

"Yeah. It's a long one, alright."

"Did you want to talk to Crane? He's right here," I said.

"Yeah. I'll talk to him."

"Okay, I'll get him." I paused. "Did you get my message that I left at the club?"

"I got it," he said. He didn't sound particularly warm, and I felt a wiggle of worry in my stomach.

"I am sorry, Daniel," I said, quietly. "I won't ever hang up on you again like that-"

"Well, that would be good," he said, sounding dry. "We'll talk when I get home. Alright?"

I paused, wishing he would just say that he accepted my apology, and that things were cool between us, and that

he totally understood, and that-

My thoughts were halted by his next comment. "Let me talk to Crane, okay? I'll see you Saturday."

I said okay, but still hesitated before I called Crane to the telephone. "I really mean it," I said, softly.

"I know," he said. There was still something in his tone-as though he was holding back-and that made me uneasy.

"I'm getting straightened out now," I talked on. "My grades are up, and I'm almost off my grounding-"

"That's good." There was a slight pause on his end. "I'm glad you're straight. We're still gonna talk, though."

There was an edge to his words. The older brother edge and I knew that was all I could say right then to him.

"Crane," I said. "Daniel wants to talk to you." As Crane got up to head towards the telephone, I said, to Daniel, "I'll see you, then."

"Yep. See you, squirt."

I was glad to hear my nickname from him. It helped a little. It didn't totally take away that nagging feeling, but it did help.

7

On Friday at school Lori talked about her sleepover the next night. It was to be her, and me, and another girl we were both friends with. Amy Knight. Lori

said she had thought of asking Kristen, but that had decided not to, and hoped I wasn't upset by that. I told her that I understood, it was

hard to know what to say or do around Kristen lately.

Then at lunch our group talked about the dance the next weekend. It was Lori and Trent, Kenny and I, and Guthrie there at lunch. I think Guthrie

might have asked Misty to join our group except sophomores have a different lunch time.

I did see Kristen in the hallway a couple of times. Once she was alone, and another time she was walking with the new boy, Dean. The one

that Guthrie had talked about. The one that had a reputation for dating lots of girls and all of that.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I mean-Guthrie like someone else, so of course Kristen was free to do the same. But-I'd also heard

my own share of rumors about Dean. He drove too fast and he drank too much. Still-it wasn't really my business, I knew.

I did talk to my Anatomy teacher that afternoon and my grade at the current time was a mid-C. I felt really relieved and as though I

was lighter than I'd been in a while. So that meant I would be ungrounded, and could go back to having a social life again.

Kenny walked out with me after school to Guthrie's truck, since we'd ridden together that day. He squeezed my hand,

and said, "I'm sure glad we can hang out on weekends and stuff again. Think I can come over Sunday when you get home from

Lori's house?"

"Probably so," I said, smiling at him. "I'll try to get all my homework done tonight so you can."

Guthrie and I began our ride home, following in the long line of kids leaving the parking lot of the school in their pick up trucks and

cars. Two cars ahead of us was a sleek looking Ford Mustang GT. It was a sky blue, and didn't look as though it had been driven on

many country roads to get dusty.

"That's Dean Stoker's car," Guthrie said.

"It is?"

"Yeah."

The car in front of us turned off and Guthrie moved up behind the Mustang. When it turned to go left on a side street, we saw that

Kristen was riding in the car with Dean. I turned to see if Guthrie had seen it as well, and I could tell that he had.

"Do you care?" I asked Guthrie.

"No," he said, and then shrugged. "I mean-I don't really. I think she's stupid to get involved with a guy like him."

"I hope he doesn't treat her like Seth did-remember? He hit her-"

"Yeah. I remember," Guthrie said. Guthrie was quiet for a few minutes, and then said, "Are you gonna hang out with Kristen

any more?"

I thought that was sort of an odd question. I thought for a minute, and said, "I don't know. She's still mad at me, I think-even though

I apologized for telling Adam and Crane about her getting slapped by whoever. But-I might still hang out with her, yeah. If she

gets over that."

"Oh," Guthrie said, and I heard so much more in his tone than just that simple, 'Oh'.

"Why?" I asked him. "Do you care if I do? I mean-if I do it somewhere besides home. I won't do that to you again-bring her

over."

Guthrie hesitated. "Well-I sort of wish that you wouldn't."

"Bring her around home? I won't-I just told you-"

"No," he interrupted me. "I mean-I'd rather you weren't around her much."

I stared at him. "Why?" I demanded. Something was funny here. Funny as in strange. "If you're thinking that I'll talk about you with her, then I

won't do that-"

"It's not that," Guthrie dismissed. "I'm not that petty, Har."

"Then how come?"

"I'd just rather. That's all," Guthrie said, and he got that look of a stubborn McFadden on his face. One that wasn't going to budge an inch.

"That's not a reason," I challenged. I mean-I wasn't even sure if I wanted to hang out with Kristen, but still-

My natural curiousness and the fact that I had my own share of McFadden stubbornness, well, that drove me on. But, Guthrie closed

his mouth, and wouldn't answer anything else about it.

By the time we got home, to our own driveway, I was put out with Guthrie. I was.

7