Free Kelly Jo by Linda Opdyke

grow a little brighter,  then avert his face and continue to where bright wildflowers divided the woods from the dirt and grass of the school grounds.  "We can use the auditorium entrance."
    Jack could hear, from the opened rear door, the faint sounds of a band warming up.  Not too bad, overall, although a little tinny at times.  The two story school was all lit up and tall pole lamps scattered throughout the grounds helped visitors find their way to various locations.
    Jack took Kelly Jo's hand in his, to hasten toward where the woods emptied into the school yard, surprised to find her hand ice cold.
    Jack laughed and playfully rubbed her hand with his own.  "I know your feet are dirty and need a good scrubbing before you put those heels on, but I hope they aren't as cold as your hand."
    Kelly Jo stared at him.
    "It was just a joke," Jack said quickly.  "You know, your hands are cold, so did you also get cold feet."  He sighed.  "Okay, so it was a bad joke."
    Still she said nothing.
    "What's wrong?" Jack asked, then looked up to see Wylie running across the grass toward the front of the school.  With a hasty look backward, as he disappeared around the front of the building Wylie gestured for Jack and Kelly Jo to stay where they were.
    Jack did.
    Kelly Jo didn't.
    He clamped his lips together to stop his muttered oath and took off after Kelly Jo as she sprinted barefoot across the grass, the bag carrying her shoes swinging at her side.
    Jack's conscious was annoyed, but his subconscious wondered how anyone could look so sexy running in leather.  This outfit differed from the movie in that Kelly Jo wore leather pants and not the shimmery material Olivia Newton John's movements brought to vivid life for John Travolta and every male who'd ever watched Grease .  This leather jacket looked the same as what 'Sandy' wore,  but Jack couldn't tell if Kelly Jo sported the off-the-shoulder movie top beneath it since she kept the jacket fairly well closed. 
    Jack was panting when he finally caught Kelly Jo at the front corner of the building.  He pushed her against the wall and warned, "Wherever Wylie went, he'll be back and for whatever reason, he didn't want us going out front."
    Cautiously, Jack peeked around the front of the building.  A crowd was lining up to buy tickets from a vendor table.  But what caught his eye was Wylie. He stood between two people, a petite, very pretty blonde and a tall, lanky man of whom he was the spitting image.  They had to be his parents.
    "Oh, no," Jack breathed in dismay.
    "Oh, yes!" Kelly Jo crowed. 
    Startled by her glee that Wylie had been caught by his mom and dad, Jack turned to offer Kelly Jo a harsh word.  But her attention was glued to a gathering further down the street.
    About two dozen motorcycles were parked in front of a barroom, The Shot Glass .
    Before Jack could say a word, Kelly Jo instructed, "Wait for me around back by the auditorium door.  I'll be back in a sec."
    She took off running toward the motorcycles.

 
    Chapter Twenty One
     
    Seething, Jack grabbed the bag holding Kelly Jo's heels just before it hit the ground and glared at her as she made her way down the street - to the adoration of every male eye in the vicinity. 
    What in the world was she up to now?
    But Jack had little time to dwell on Kelly Jo because Wylie had again caught his eye.  Wylie had done a superb job of finagling his parents so their back was to Jack, and, thankfully, to Kelly Jo.  There wasn't a doubt in Jack's mind that any trouble Wylie got into for coming to Covey's Creek when he'd been told to stay home would pale in comparison to his mother's reaction to Kelly Jo wearing her talent show costume.
    Wylie was visibly stunned to see Kelly Jo take off down the street, but then he unexpectedly turned toward Jack.  And waved him over.
    Jack swallowed hard, but knew if there were any way he could extract Wylie from severe punishment, well, he definitely would do so.
    Jack, wearing