Free So Shall I Reap by Kathy-Lynn Cross Page B

her down because I knew we already had plans to hang with Scott.” He eyed me in his peripheral vision so he could still drive and watch my reactions.
    Tod hadn’t said whose party yet, but he continued, “A lot of people are going tonight, and I hear she has a local band performing.” No name yet. “No parents, just her older brother from college hanging around watching us, so to speak. He’s visiting while on spring break. Picked up a couple of kegs for his sister’s party too, showing he’s cool with it. So, what do you say?”
    A keg or two is good, but I still don’t know who she is yet.
    “Do you still want to go? No pressure. We can hang out for a while and see how it goes. When the night is over, if you still feel the same way, you can hand me back the jacket. I’ll understand.”
    Okay, I was so getting punk’d. The hidden camera had to be in one of the radio knobs or maybe the handle of the glove box. I didn’t want to give the impression I was on TV, or blow my fifteen seconds of fame on a YouTube video titled Girl Freaks out over Commitment . He had sounded too understanding during the last part of his little speech. Tod Ronald Isaac Peston was, after all, captain of the lacrosse team, one of the top twenty heartthrobs at the school, and a first-class jerk jock. Well, the last part I ad-libbed because I was still ticked, sort of. Listening to others was not his strong suit. Our conversation had turned uncomfortable. He knew I was a just wanna have fun girl, not you’re mine and only mine commitment one. I felt the need to start putting my shoes back on. Plus, I was still skeptical about why he hadn’t told me where we were heading.
    “Tod, whose party are we supposedly going to? The beginning of this fight all started because you avoided that one question. I will make this simple for you, and I will say it slow.” The words came out bitchy, but the seriousness of the night had turned carefree party girl into broom up her ass witch . That led me to stir the conversation with sarcasm, “Whose… party… are… we… going… to?” It’s good to know a second language. Actually, I was pretty versed in jockisms. Dated a few football players, two from the basketball team and one wrestler. He hadn’t lasted long, always tried to pin me before he’d kiss me. What can I say? I like variety. When you buy a dozen donuts, you don’t stick with only one flavor? Yeah, I thought so. See? Variety.
    I did have a little secret though, one that none of the boys in school knew, not even Tod. I was still one hundred percent pure, meaning if I were to walk down the aisle, white would adorn this body even though I preferred the look of different colored wedding gowns. Even black would technically work. Virginity still hung on my key ring. No one would unlock that without my say-so. My legs weren’t unhinged in that sense.
    Tod was turning the black beast with slime green roll bars off the freeway. We still needed to stop at a convenience store before reaching our destination, which I was still clueless about. Miffed and squirming, the seat belt kept locking up. Even the truck made sure I didn’t bolt. Agitated, I craved a smoke.
    When he pulled into a Circle K Mini-Mart, Tod revved the truck’s engine at everyone to move or be eaten. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he parked, mulling over a decision to end his standoff with me and surrender. Cutting the monster’s power, the cab light came on, and we fell into silence. Tod unbuckled his seat belt and opened the driver side door. Sliding out, when his feet hit the pavement, he turned to face me but shamefully looked away. He sighed in defeat. “Stellerback invited us.”
    He slammed the door. Hearing her name had sucked all the sarcastic words from my arsenal. The welts immediately began forming at the base of my neck as I tried to rationalize the situation I was being driven into unwillingly. Did I have enough time to place a call and say I’d been