Escaping Fate (24 page)

I didn’t think Claire had any idea
about the way she made me feel, but she almost never went out of
her way to talk to me or be around me. If I was too near her she
would get up and leave. When we saw each other in the hallways she
inexplicably found someone to talk to on the side furthest from me.
She was one of the only girls in the high school who had not asked
me out at least once. That was why her looking at me from the Jeep
was so frustrating. The one time she sought me out I had no idea
what she had said. I knew my own reason from staying away from her,
but all the way to the riverbank I wished I could figure out what
hers was.

My shoes and socks were left in a heap
next to my backpack. The soft grass that grew naturally in so few
places in the New Mexican desert rippled under my bare feet. Its
coolness was such a stark contrast to the hot summer sun. Just
thinking about the heat seemed to make it ten times worse. Slipping
my feet into the lazy rills of the river, I contemplated tugging
off my shirt and jumping in.

The thought barely formed before the
sound of flying gravel hit me. Turning around to see who had
invaded my favorite spot, I was surprised the see Jonny’s Jeep
skidding to a stop on the side of the road. And even more surprised
to hear Claire yelling at him as she jumped out of the cab and
slammed the door behind her. Jonny was right on her
heels.

Slowly getting to my feet, I walked
toward the still running car. Claire’s raised voice caught my
ear.

“Just leave me alone, Jonny! I swear if
I hear another word come out of your mouth I’ll slap you,” Claire
said.

“Knock it off, Claire, you’re acting
like a total-” Jonny didn’t get to finish.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Claire
yelled. And true to her word, she slapped him.

I went from a walk to run. I knew these
two well enough to know where this was going. Jonny’s anger flamed
in his eyes, carrying him toward Claire as his arm reached forward
and grabbed her shoulder. She tried to break away from him, but he
yanked her back.

“Let me go!” Claire’s other hand came
around and smacked Jonny in the shoulder. She didn’t do enough
damage to make him let go, unfortunately. Instead he grabbed her
chin, pulling her face up next to his.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again,”
Jonny seethed. “Now, get back in the Jeep.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,”
Claire said. Jonny’s free hand balled into a fist, but Claire
stared him down.

I didn’t think he would hit her, but I
had never seen Jonny this angry before. One more, quick step
brought me to his side. Grabbing his arm tightly, I snatched it
back. Jonny spun around as his other fist came up. I caught that
one too and forced it back down. He stared at me in shock for a few
seconds before letting his hands fall to his side. Dana and Beth,
still huddling in the back of the Jeep, sighed in
relief.

“Ur-Uriah,” Jonny stuttered, “where did
you come from?”

“I was here before you were,” I said.
“What’s going on? You looked like you were about to hit Claire,
Jonny.”

His face paled and he started shaking
his head vigorously. “No, man, I was just…I wasn't going to hit
her. We were just arguing.”

“About what?”

“Nothing. It wasn't a big deal. I just
got carried away, I guess. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Jonny
assured me.

Claire’s narrowed eyes and attack
stance clearly disagreed that it was no big deal. She looked ready
to rip his spiky black hair right out of his head. No need to see
that happen today. “I think you should probably apologize to
Claire,” I said.

For all I knew Claire had started the
entire fight, but Jonny nodded hurriedly and looked over at a still
very angry Claire. “Sorry, Claire, I didn’t mean to piss you off. I
didn’t mean it, okay? Let’s just forget about it.” Even though is
apology was to Claire Jonny looked to me for approval. I nodded and
his shoulders sagged in relief. He didn’t waste any time trotting
back around to the driver’s side. He was back in the seat before
Claire had time to react.

His buckle clicked into place as Claire
responded. Grabbing the side of the Jeep, Claire pointed at Jonny.
“Where do you think you’re going? You just say sorry and take off?
You’re such a creep, Jonny. Get back over here, you
jerk!”

“Claire.” I took her hands off the
jeep, feeling that odd, painful sensation sweep through me. I had
to grind my teeth together to keep from letting her see the effect
she had on me. I desperately wished I knew what it was that made me
feel so strange. “Just let him go,” I said, “he isn’t worth the
fight.”

Anyone else would have backed off, but
not Claire. She yanked her hands away from me, making the pain
evaporate and bringing my strength back immediately. She spun back
to the Jeep, but Jonny had seen his chance to escape and taken it.
He was already out of reach.

“Thanks a lot, Uriah. You let him get
away. I wasn’t finished yelling at him yet, that stupid
prick.”

“I…” My mind struggled to come up with
anything to say to her. I thought I was helping. Shouldn’t she be
thanking me? Yeah, she hadn’t asked for my help, but she definitely
looked like she needed it. She had been half a second away from a
nasty black eye. Sometimes it was hard to think around Claire, but
I suddenly had a moment of clarity. This road was nowhere near the
way out to the bluffs. Was there a reason she had ended up at the
river. “You’re pretty far away from the bluffs. How did you end up
here?” I asked.

Claire bottled up her irritation in a
flash and replaced it with pure embarrassment. Her mixed Anglo and
Native American heritage gave her lighter skin than any of the
other Tewa Indians on the reservation. I loved the unique look it
gave her, but now I had another reason to love her skin. The light
color made it much easier to see her blushing. It was almost enough
to make me forget that she hadn’t answered my question.

“Did you know I was here?” I asked. The
blush spread from her cheeks to her ears. She turned away to hide
it from me but I had already gotten my answer.

Being around her made my thoughts fray
into straggling bits of thread, and touching her sapped my strength
and made my skin burn. Fate, or some other power, obviously wanted
me to stay away from her. I was having a hard time listening today.
I didn’t know how she knew I would be here, but it was apparent
that she had led Jonny right to me. She seemed determined to avoid
me most of the time, but when she needed protection she thought of
me. Whatever else loving her did to me, I would do anything for
her.

About the Author

DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico
with her husband and two children. She has always been an avid
reader, and started writing fiction as a teenager. In between
teaching yoga or gymnastics, studying dental hygiene, and being a
wife and mother, DelSheree loves spending time working on her next
novel, painting, and reading.

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