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CHAPTER 33 34 35 36 Epilogue
“ That tickles,” she said. He brought her hair to his nose.“ Then it’ s obviously just shampoo, soap and you that smell so good.”“ Thank you for not trying to make out with me in the pool like everyone else was doing.”“ Do you think Ryan and Jackie thought we didn’ t know what was going on behind the waterfall?” he asked. Shelby started to laugh.“ Must have been fascinating, whatever was back there.”“ Ryan has never had a girlfriend. I’ m pretty sure he got his first real kiss today.”“ He caught on quickly. Is there someplace we can sit and be more comfortable?” she asked.“ I’ m sorry. I like talking to you and I didn’ t want you to leave. I thought if we moved from this spot somehow you would just disappear,” Justin said as she took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the family room.
Shelby waited for him to take a seat on the couch before sitting at the other end. She slipped off her tennis shoes and put her feet on the couch facing him.“ How old are you exactly?” she asked.“ I’ ll tell you after you tell me why it’ s important,” Justin said. She sat thinking for quite a while. Justin waited patiently. All the answers she could come up with, suddenly, seemed childish.“ I went out with you because I got a“ B” on the test. Then I read the book because you said it was pretty good. You were right. I guess I was just trying to figure out how a smart guy failed so many grades,” She laughed.“ I didn’ t fail at all. I’ ll be fifteen in two months,”“ I just turned sixteen.”“ You went out with me just to find out how old I was? All you had to do was ask.”“ You stuck your neck out to help me. If we had been caught you would have been in more trouble than me. I would have failed the test without your help. You don’ t act fourteen and we are really only about a year apart in age.”“ So we have a connection that transcends our one year age and two grade difference?”“ That is what I’ m talking about. Those are not the words I expect to hear from a kid,” she said finally able to put to voice what it was about him that seemed so different.
Having a mother who was a teacher may have had something to do with how he acted. She always spoke to him on a level above how his friends parents spoke to their children. This may have caused him to be different from his peers. He could never remember his mother ever yelling or belittling him.
The sound of keys being dropped on the table in the entryway interrupted their conversation. Nicole and Matt joined them in the family room. Matt sat in the big recliner and Nicole found his lap.“ We were just talking. I have to be home by one. I was hoping for a ride,” Shelby said. Nicole noticed they were at opposite ends of the couch and neither seemed to be in any state of disarray.“ Mom and Dad are staying at Sam’ s. Matt and I are going to talk in private for a while. Do you want that ride now or do you need a couple more hours of debate?”“ Your brother is a pretty smart guy.”“ Those smart guys are more dangerous than the dangerous ones,” Nicole gave Matt a squeeze and a smile.“ I have always gravitated toward the wrong guys,” Shelby said.“ Ever thought about changing your luck?” Nicole asked.“ Maybe I’ ll see how the debate goes,” Shelby said, glancing at Justin.“ Justin has my number. Call us when you are ready to go,” Nicole said, getting up from Matt’ s lap and leading him upstairs.
The debate consisted of the merits of standing in the hallway at school and kissing, versus lying on a couch and kissing. Justin being the less knowledgeable could only debate one side of the argument. Shelby helped him improve his debating skills and time seemed to fly by. The chime on Justin’ s phone notified them they had twenty minutes to get Shelby home. He dialed Nicole.“ Shelby needs a ride home,” he said.“ Take my car,” Nicole panted into the phone and hung up. Shelby was close enough to the phone to hear Nicole’ s voice.“ Does she want me to take her car?” Shelby was as puzzled as Justin.“ It’ s not even a mile away. I’ ll drive you home,” he said.“ You don’ t have a license,” she said.“ Neither do you. I’ ll get in less trouble than you will.”“ How do you figure?”