Her Teen Dream (8 page)

“Sounds like you’re chicken to me.”

“Am not!” she tossed back.

“Prove it,” Marilyn dared her.

Karin chuckled, refusing to be baited into
doing something she didn’t want to do. She decided to throw her a
fig leaf. “If you make the team, maybe I will give it a try.”

Marilyn seemed to take that for what it was
worth and didn’t say another word on the subject.

* * *

Karin was putting some books in her locker
when she heard some shuffling behind her. She turned and saw Cheryl
Green standing there, hands firmly on her hips. Beside her were
fellow cheerleaders, Amy Flaunders and Jayne Hathaway. Karin met
the steady ebony eyes of Jayne, who was the same height as Cheryl
and every bit as shapely. She was sucking on a lollipop like it was
addictive.

It was her party where Marcus had gotten into
trouble. Under other circumstances, Karin might have thanked Jayne.
After all, the entire situation resulted in her becoming involved
with Reese. But it didn’t exactly seem like she and Jayne were on
friendly terms. Not when Jayne was in Cheryl’s hip pocket.

“Looks like you don’t know how to take
advice,” spat Cheryl with narrowed eyes.

In spite of being outnumbered and unnerved,
Karin responded tartly, “Maybe I just don’t like taking advice from
someone who doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone.”

Cheryl’s brow furrowed with ire. “You bitch!
Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“You tell me!” Karin refused to back down
this time and hoped she didn’t regret it.

Cheryl slapped her. It stung, but not as bad
as it might have had Karin not been filled with adrenalin. She
slapped her back brazenly.

Cheryl looked stunned, as if the thought
never crossed her mind that anyone would dare hit her perfect face.
Least of all Karin Blanch. She grabbed Karin and they began to
wrestle. Before Karin knew it, she had been thrown down to the
floor with some help from Jayne and Amy, who were encouraging
Cheryl.

After Cheryl pounced on her like a feline,
everything pretty much became a blur.

Then Karin heard a deep voice that she
recognized. It was vice principal Jeremiah Atkinson. “Break it up!
Break it up now, girls!”

He pulled Cheryl off her and pushed her away,
then helped Karin to her feet.

“Are you all right?” he asked with something
less than real concern.

Other than being a bit shaken up, Karin was
sure there were no broken bones or other indication of severe
trauma.

“Yeah,” she managed to say, catching her
breath. “I think so.”

He rounded on Cheryl. “Who started this?”

She stood mute, as if at a loss for honest
words.

“How about you?” he asked Karin. “What do you
have to say about it?”

She too chose not to respond, not wanting to
further inflame the situation or rat out Cheryl. Not that she
didn’t deserve to get into trouble. Or possibly be expelled.

The vice principal looked at Jayne and Amy.
“Either of you have anything to say?”

They both stood mute.

He furrowed his brow and said to Amy and
Jayne, “You two get out of here.” To Karin and Cheryl, he said,
“You two, in my office—NOW!”

Karin walked beside Cheryl, feeling the heat
of her glare, but not returning it. She just wanted this to be
over, but had the feeling it wouldn’t be as long as they both pined
for the same boy.

* * *

Karin sat there while Mr. Atkinson tried to
get answers out of them. She felt like she was being attacked twice
and there seemed little defense.

“This isn’t like you, Karin, to get into a
street brawl,” he said unsympathetically. “In fact, we’ve never had
any trouble from you. So why now?”

Karin shot Cheryl an icy glare. “Maybe you
should ask
her
.”

“I’m asking
you
, young lady!”

She sighed and simply lowered her eyes, as if
focused on an ant crawling across the floor.

The vice principal turned to Cheryl. “All
right, out with it, Ms. Green. Since this isn’t your first time
being in this office, I have to assume that you instigated this. If
I’m wrong, say so.”

“You’re
wrong
!” she roared. “If I had
wanted to hurt Karin, I would have taken it outside.”

“And you’d find yourself right where you are
right now,” he said gruffly.

She pursed her lips and met his stare
coldly.

“Since you know that we have a zero tolerance
policy when it comes to fighting on school property, I’m calling
your parents and giving you both the rest of the day off. Consider
yourselves fortunate that you’re not being suspended. I want you
both to know that this sort of conduct will not be tolerated. Do I
make myself perfectly clear?”

Karin got the message. She only hoped that
Cheryl did, too. Now came the hard part—facing her parents.
Meanwhile, she wondered if the news had traveled to Reese that his
ex-girlfriend and current one had come to blows over him.

CHAPTER TWELVE

There was deathly silence as Karin sat beside
her mother during the drive home. She wondered if this meant she
would be grounded for life. Or if she’d be blamed for something she
didn’t start. Or would her mother defer it all to her father for
punishment?

“Will you say something, please?” The words
came out of Karin’s mouth to break the ice. “I know what you’re
thinking.”

“I’m not thinking anything,” Josephine said
tersely. “My mind is a total blank at this point. My daughter does
not get in fights at school and then sent home for her trouble. We
didn’t raise you this way.”

“You raised me to stand up for myself,” Karin
countered. “And that’s what I did.”

Her mother sucked in deep breath. “So why did
Cheryl Green attack you?”

Karin realized she’d been baited and fell for
it. Her mother was smarter than most mothers were and probably
suspected that a boy was the reason for the fight. But to admit it
would technically mean she’d have to name Reese McKenzie—a boy she
was not supposed to be dating.

“Cheryl has never liked me,” Karin said with
a straight face. “I don’t know why. I guess it just boiled over
today when she was trying to impress her friends. She slapped me
and I slapped her back. I probably shouldn’t have, but it seemed
like the right thing to do at the time.”

“The right thing would’ve been to walk away,
Karin, as Dr. King would say.”

“Dr. King was
not
in my situation,”
Karin insisted, and knew that that sounded was pretty lame and
immature, even if true.

Josephine faced her, disappointment clouding
her face. “The next time Cheryl or anyone else decides they want to
fight, you let them fight someone else. Do you understand me?”

Easier said than done, but arguing the point
would only get her into hotter water. “Yes, Momma. I’m sorry.”

And she was sorry that this would get back to
Reese. How would he react? Would it help or hurt their
relationship?

Karin ventured a peek at her mother as they
rounded the corner. “So, does this mean I’m grounded?” she asked
tentatively.

“Do you want to be?” Josephine asked.

“No.”

“Then you’re not,” Karin was surprised to
hear. “This time. But if it ever happens again, I may never let you
out of your room.”

Karin smiled, grateful that her mother had
cut her some slack. It reminded her of when she was young and could
talk to her about anything without judgment or real repercussions.
But in recent years, they had seemed to grow apart as she neared
adulthood. Karin wondered if it had been the same between her
mother and Nana. Or, for that matter, was it true for all mothers
and daughters, no matter the circumstances?

* * *

“Maybe you slapped some sense into Cheryl,”
Lesley told Karin that evening. “It was certainly long
overdue.”

They were in Lesley’s room with plum-colored
walls and a large window.

Karin made a face. “I just hope it doesn’t
come back to haunt me.”

“You mean with Reese?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to mess things up with
us.”

“You won’t,” Lesley said. “He likes you,
Karin. Cheryl already had her chance. She was the one who screwed
things up. I don’t think he’ll fault you for acting in
self-defense.”

“You’re probably right.”

“At least with Marcus, there wasn’t really
one single girl before we started dating. I think he was too shy
and hid behind drinking and just being one of the guys.”

Karin used the opening to quell her
curiosity. “So now that you two are an item, he’s not drinking much
anymore is he?”

“You mean the out of control, destruction of
property type drinking?” Lesley asked.

Karin nodded.

“Not around me. I think Marcus learned his
lesson after Jayne Hathaway’s parents nearly had him brought up on
charges.”

“Let’s hope so. I wouldn’t want you to end up
getting hurt.”

“That makes two of us.” Lesley gazed at her.
“I could say the same for you. Reese is a definite catch, but you
will obviously have to fight to hold onto him.”

Karin considered the prospect, as well as her
promise to her mother to stay out of trouble or face the
consequences. This prompted her to say, “It’s crazy, Lesley, but
just when our lives seemed lifeless, all of a sudden they’re more
complicated than ever. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or
bad.”

“It’s all good,” Lesley assured her. “Been
there, done that with the lifeless thing and it’s not much
fun.”

Karin had to agree. Reese had given her a
whole new reason to come to life. And a reason to fight for what
was hers.

* * *

The following day at school, Karin ran into
Reese outside her English class. She had been waiting for him to
text and say something, but she hadn’t received any messages. It
was as though he didn’t care about the sacrifices she was willing
to make for him.

“You’re here.” Reese looked at her as if
seeing a ghost. “Where should I be?” Karin fluttered her
lashes.

“I don’t know. I thought maybe Atkinson
decided to give you a week’s vacation.”

“That’s so not funny.”

“I know.” He suppressed a smile. “I’m
sorry.”

She turned on him. “Sorry for what—that your
ex-girlfriend and her cheerleader friends attacked me unprovoked?
Or that you never bothered to call or text to see if I was all
right, since I’m sure it was the talk of school.”

Reese ran a hand over his smooth head. “I’m
sorry about everything. I wanted to text or call you, but wasn’t
sure what to say.”

Karin swallowed her indignation and decided
to give him a pass, though his excuse was really lame.

“Did you talk to Cheryl?” Karin could picture
her going to him right away with some sob story.

“Yeah, she called me,” he said guiltily.

Figures.
“What did she say?”

“She said you hit her and she hit you
back.”

Karin rolled her eyes. “And you believed
her?”

Reese hesitated. “Why don’t you tell me your
side of the story?”

After debating it in her mind, Karin decided
that he had a right to know the truth, whether he chose to believe
it or not.

She waited till they were outside. “Cheryl’s
been warning me to stay away from you ever since you first asked me
for advice regarding Marcus.”

“What?”

“She wants you back, Reese. And she thinks
I’m standing in the way,” Karin told him flatly. “Every opportunity
she’s gotten has been about sending me a clear message:
Reese
McKenzie’s still mine.
When she hit me, I reacted and got sent
home for my trouble.”

“I’m sorry, Karin,” he said sincerely.

“So you believe me?” She looked into his
eyes, needing to know for sure.

Reese met her gaze. “Yeah, I do,” he said
firmly. “I thought Cheryl understood that it was over between
us.”

“Apparently she saw it as only a temporary
separation.”

“I’ll talk to her and tell her to lay off
you.”

“I’d rather you told her to lay off
you
!” Karin told him.

“Done,” he promised.

Reese pulled Karin up against his chest, then
leaned down and kissed her. She felt the kiss throughout her body.
Just as quickly, he pulled back.

“I hope that’s enough for now to convince you
that you’re the one I want as my girl—not Cheryl.”

“It’s a good start,” she uttered
breathlessly.

“More later.”

“Promise?”

He chuckled. “Promise!”

Suddenly Karin felt as if a weight had been
lifted off her shoulders, though the real question was would Cheryl
finally get the message? Or would it just go in one ear and right
out the other?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It was the first day of February and the end
of the second full week in which Karin and Reese were an official
couple. Karin still hadn’t told her parents for fear that they
might resort to drastic measures to keep them apart, like taking
away her allowance, keeping her confined to the house after school
and on weekends, or even threatening some kind of legal action
against Reese as an adult. Karin wouldn’t put that past her mother,
if all else failed. But it was her fervent hope that her parents
would eventually embrace their relationship and be happy that she
had found someone she liked and who liked her.

The Pizza Party restaurant was beginning to
fill up fast and Karin was glad that she, Reese, Lesley and Marcus
had gotten there early to get a table. They’d ordered an extra
large deep-fried, double cheese and pepperoni pizza, along with a
round of sodas.

“You’d think these people had nothing better
to do than sit around stuffing their faces with pizza,” Marcus
joked, and proceeded to take a bite from his large slice.

Lesley laughed. “Look who’s talking.” She
grabbed a napkin and wiped the cheese streaming down his chin.