Melinda’s Journal
Saturday, December 9
Last year, my CCD class had a “retreat” where we sat in the church basement for four hours with some of the teens getting ready to make their confirmation. One of our leaders asked us to introduce ourselves and share what type of car we wanted to have when we were older. I said a blue one.
I haven’t thought too much about driving yet. Because I’m younger than everyone else in my class, I’m going to be one of the last ones to get my license. Besides, it’s not like students can even have cars at Hartfield. Would be handy, though. Walking around with my crutches hasn’t been all that fun.
Melinda’s Story
The football game was over and a new one had begun by the time Pat found me on the couches. Walter was following right behind him.
“I’m so proud!” He jumped over the back of the couch, swinging an arm around my shoulder. I glanced around. I had been so engrossed in the game, I never noticed Andy leave.
I shrugged. “Didn’t want to go back to my room yet. I was going to read, but the game was kind of mesmerizing.”
On the other side of me, Pat smirked. “Who won?”
“The red team.”
Walter frowned. “Which red team?”
“I dunno. The ones with white numbers on their shirts.”
Walter almost looked horrified. “I may not tell you my surprise.”
“Oh, yeah. My mom said you guys called her. And got your mom to call.”
“Did she ruin my surprise?” Walter was almost whining.
“No. She wouldn’t tell me anything other than she gave me permission. For what?”
Walter smiled. “I am the most awesomest mentor. Just remember that it was my idea. I’ll let Pat explain the details.”
I turned to Pat. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
He kissed the top of my head. “I will. I promise. But, I want dinner first. Let’s go upstairs.”
Pat helped me to my feet, escorting me to the elevator, while Walter stayed behind to watch the next game. The MAC Attack took up most of the loft, with the grill being in the center of the room. I went to the counter and ordered a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milkshake. After passing Pat my receipt, I went to save us a booth, propping my foot on the seat across from me.
Pat slid across from me with our meals a short time later. “So, how was the game?” He passed me my basket.
“I wanna know Walter’s surprise.”
“I promise I’ll tell you. But I want to wait until after we eat.”
I sighed. “The game was good. It’s hard being scorekeeper, but I think I got the hang of it. Bethany showed me what to do, and reminded me when I missed a couple of things, but I think I’ll be okay for the next game.”
“Prefect Bethany?”
“Yup. She mentioned you were in physics together.”
“Why was she there? I thought she played varsity.”
“Clarissa asked her to show me the ropes. Her game was later.” I checked the time. “They’re probably still playing. I didn’t think to stay and watch. Sounded like a good game.”
“She and Jelani Roach, he’s on the varsity boys’ team? They spent most of our physics lab the other day arguing over which team was going to win today. I think there’s an ice cream at stake.”
“She seems to bet a lot of ice creams. Apparently, she and her boyfriend owe each other ice creams over bets they made about you.”
“What?”
I smiled. “She lost the bet that you were Walter’s brother. She won the bet I was your girlfriend. She said you talk about me in class. In a good way.”
Pat reached out to place his hand on mine.
I nodded to him. “So, what did you do this afternoon?”
“Walter and I went to town to have lunch with Uncle Vinny and Aunt Margaret.”
“That was nice. What are they doing here?”
Pat stole one of my fries. “They’re heading up to Boston for the weekend and came the long way so they could have a visit.”
“What’s in Boston?”
He shrugged. “No idea. Hey, you done?”
I held up my cup. “I’m still drinking my milkshake.”
“If I carry it, will you go for a walk with me?”
“Sure.”
We took the elevator to the basement, exiting past the mailroom and taking the path towards the VAPAC.
Pat smiled at me. “This is where I’d be holding your hand right now.”
“Please don’t try. You might spill my milkshake.”
He laughed. As we walked, he told me about his classes this morning before suddenly stopping and turning to me.
“How’s your ankle?”
“Not too bad.”
“Why don’t we rest a few minutes?”
I glanced around. “Where? It’s freezing and we’re in the middle of the parking lot.”
“Oh. Here.” Pat opened the passenger door of a small all-wheel drive car. “This car’s unlocked. Let’s sit for a few minutes.”
“I’m not sitting in someone’s car!”
“Okay. Suit yourself.” Pat shrugged, leaving the door open and going around to the driver’s side. He sat behind the wheel and sent me a pointed look.
I could feel my eyes grow wide as I stared at him. “You’re crazy! You’ve lost your mind!”
“Will you get in the car? I’m freezing.”
“No. I’m gonna go to the infirmary. Get some help. You’re scaring me.”
“Here. Why don’t I drive you there?” Pat grinned as the engine roared to life.
I narrowed my eyes. “How’d you do that?”
“I pressed this button.”
“But don’t you still need a key to do that?”
“You mean this one?” Pat dangled a key over the console.
“Where’d you get that?”
“My pocket.”
“What you mean, your pocket? I meant, where’d you get the key?”
“Will you get in the car already? It’s my car. I’ll tell you the entire story. But I’m freezing and you’re letting out all the warm air!”
I could feel my jaw drop. It took a moment to find my voice. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Pat sighed and reached for the glove box, taking out the registration and passing it to me. I read it carefully before handing it back.
“It’s not your car. It’s your dad’s. And, I don’t think I’m allowed in it. For so many reasons.”
“You are. Your mom gave you permission. This is part of Walter’s surprise. Daphne, I’m sorry. You were just so cute. I had to tease you. Can you please get in the car?”
I wasn’t about to admit it to Pat, but I was grateful to sit down. Pat jumped out of the car to take my crutches, which he put in the trunk on his way to the driver’s seat.
I frowned at him. “You should’ve just thrown them in back.”
“I’m on call tonight. Wanted to keep the seat clear.”
“On call for what? And where are YOU GOING?”
Pat pulled out of the parking space and began heading towards the main road.
“That depends. Do you still want to go to the infirmary?”
“No.”
“Good. Cuz, I thought we’d wait at the high school. I’ll explain when we get there.”
I frowned. “But you’re not supposed to have a car on campus. And you can’t have passengers until March.”
“Walter found some loopholes. Buckle up!”
I did, remaining quiet as Pat drove off campus, through parts of town I had never seen, until we arrived at the local high school. There were many cars in the parking lot, people hanging out in small groups near the building, and lights on in what appeared to be the gymnasium.
Pat parked in an area designated student parking, then turned off the car and turned to me.
“Okay. First of all, I really am sorry. Have you forgiven me yet?”
Pat looked so pitiful, how could I not? “Maybe.”
“Good enough. Now, it’s time for the really long story. The high school here started a program in town called Drive Me Home. Do you know about it?”
When I shook my head, Pat continued. “I’m not surprised. It wouldn’t apply much to you. So, the premise is basically teens driving teens home.”
“But you’re not allowed. You haven’t had your license long enough.”
“And that’s one of Walter’s loopholes. See, if you volunteer for a program like this, you can drive people home. They’d rather have teens as designated drivers than have them get into a car with a drunk driver because they haven’t had their license long enough.”
I shook my head. “I’m confused.”
“Okay. Say you go to a party with me and some friends and, I dunno, my sister is supposed to drive us home. But Meghan ends up having a few drinks and shouldn’t drive.”
“Meghan doesn’t drink. She’s not old enough.”
“Just pretend.”
I sighed. “Fine. Meghan, who doesn’t drink, is drunk.”
“How you gonna get home?”
“Call my mom?”
“Your mom doesn’t know you’re at the party.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why would I go to a party, especially one with alcohol, without my mom’s permission?”
Pat stole a quick kiss. “Never lose that innocence. Okay. Maybe this is a bad scenario, but can you see how maybe someone could get stranded at a party and not have a ride home?”
“Oh. Totally. I just don’t see it happening to me.”
Pat shook his head with a smile. “So, the person can call a cab, but maybe they don’t have the money. I mean, if I were to leave you here right now, do you have cab fare on you?”
“Nope. Why are you leaving me here?”
“So, the person can text Drive Me Home. It’s free.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Still confused. It’s a free taxi for teens?”
“Pretty much. For stranded teens, really. Well, it started that way, but it grew. So, back to the party scenario. You need a ride home, so you text Drive Me Home. I’m on call, so I get your text. You tell me where to pick you up, and I bring you home.”
“Do I get a goodnight kiss?”
“I’m sorry. I have a girlfriend and I think she’d get jealous.”
I smirked. “Good answer. But I still don’t get what it has to do with you driving. Students aren’t supposed to have cars, right?”
“Walter found out about this program Wednesday night after he talked to you. He told me about it during our Thursday morning run.”
“You talk when you run?”
“Yeah. It’s our bonding time.”
“You’re not out of breath?”
Pat sent me an incredulous look. “We’re jogging, not sprinting. Anyway, Thursday afternoon, I went to the community service office during lunch and made an appointment to talk to the director after school. She was aware of the program, but said she could never find students interested in volunteering. She explained how the program had grown and now they also help elderly and disabled members of the community. Grandma needs a ride to the grocery store. That kind of thing.”
“So, you volunteered.”
Pat nodded. “I did. I went through a bunch of training after school yesterday. Then, Uncle Vinny and Aunt Margaret brought me my car today on their way to Boston. I volunteered for this weekend, since most of the rest of the volunteers are at this dance.”
“So, why am I here? You could have told me all this over dinner.”
“One requirement is that there are always two volunteers in the car. So, I asked if I could show you around tonight, even though you’re not signed up for the program. And maybe if you like it enough, you would join it and keep me company when I’m on call.”
“And Walter thought of all this?”
Pat shrugged. “Well, Walter wanted me to volunteer so I could have a car on campus. You were stranded, so I could take you to church. It was my idea to have you volunteer with me.”
“And what exactly did my mom give me permission for? I’m gonna ask when I talk to her tomorrow, but I just want to know.”
“Well, she said she would file a release form with the deans, giving you permission to be in my car. She told me I could drive you to church. I told her about the program and how I wanted you to volunteer with me. She’s not sure about it, but she gave me permission to take you out tonight. I’m not allowed to leave town with you unless we’re driving someone home.”
“So, you went out and joined this program just for me?” I traced my finger along the back of Pat’s hand.
He sent me a sheepish look. “Well, no. I looked into it because of you. But it sounded like a really cool program. And I’m going to try to get in the rotation to drive you to CCD when you don’t have games.”
“I forgot about CCD! I don’t think I can go!”
“I just said I can drive you.”
“No. Because of basketball. I’ll have to check my game schedule.” I pulled out my phone.
“Not right now.” Pat ran his hand through my hair.
I pursed my lips. “I’m not making out with you in your car.”
“Wanna go over by that rock?”
Pat’s phone started honking as if an eighteen-wheeler were trying to get through the speaker. I sent it a curious look. “What’s that?”
He glanced at it before passing it to me. “My DMH app. We’re in business.”
“Where’s the pickup?”
“Here. There’s a big party tonight. I figured someone would need a ride.”
Pat pulled up to the entrance, where we found a guy singing show tunes while walking along the curb. Pat rolled my window.
“D-man?”
“That’s right! I’m D man!” The guy laughed hysterically at his own joke.
“Hop on in. I’m Pat. This is Melinda.”
“Cool. My date disappeared. Said she didn’t want to be near me.”
Since the guy smelled like the recycling bin where my father kept his empty beer cans, I could sympathize with D-man’s date.
Pat nodded to him. “Where we going?”
D-man relayed an address. I entered it into the GPS on Pat’s phone before securing it to the dash mount. D-man continued singing show tunes to the opposite side of town.
Pat swore as he pulled out of the driveway, opening the back windows. “I’m gonna need to fumigate the car now.”
When we returned to the high school, I noticed some of the cars had left. “I think the party’s over soon.”
“Yeah, me too. We’ll stay here for a few minutes. We don’t have to be back until curfew. So, I wanna talk about Wednesday.”
“What about Wednesday?”
“I was walking with you to—”
I giggled. “Oh, I thought you meant next week. Yeah. That’s when I broke my ankle.”
Pat smiled, playing with my hair. “Well, if you hadn’t’ve fallen, I was about to ask you to the Snowflake Ball. Now, Walter told me you don’t wanna go.”
“What would I do there? I can’t dance with you. I don’t know that I want to spend the entire time on my feet. I’d rather just curl up in comfy clothes and read a book.”
“Would you like to be on call with me? Maybe we can go out for dinner or something? Nothing fancy.”
I thought about it. I loved the idea. I was just surprised that Pat would rather spend time volunteering than going to the dance. I leaned a little closer to him. “You’re okay missing the Snowflake Ball?”
When he nodded, I kissed him softly. “I’m proud of you. This is a good program.”
“Walter found it.”
“Yeah, and I’m proud of him, too. But you could have said no.”
When I couldn’t stifle a yawn, Pat decided it was time to return home. “Since I’m on call tonight, I get to park at the dorm. I’m driving to church tomorrow, so we can just meet by the car. I’ll even drop you at the dining hall on my way to park the car at the TRAC.”
I glanced at him. “Are you on call all night? Like, if you get a text at two in the morning, you have to go?”
“Yup.”
“Do I?”
Pat smiled. “No. You get your beauty sleep. The community service director made up some of her own rules. If I get called after curfew, I have to call her and pick her up before going out.”
“You know what my mom told me? She said you’re a good boy. I think she’s proud of you, too.”
Pat’s Story
I couldn’t wait for Saturday afternoon. Dad had convinced his brother to drop off my car on his way to Boston for the weekend. Uncle Vinny picked up Walter and me, bringing us to one of his favorite Chinese restaurants just outside of town. Aunt Margaret was already saving us a table.
Uncle Vinny passed me the key as we sat down. “In my day, boarders weren’t allowed to have cars on campus.”
Walter smirked. “They’re still not. Pat’s special.”
Over dinner, Walter and I explained about DMH. Uncle Vinny and Aunt Margaret seemed impressed, but Uncle Vinny kept eyeing me suspiciously. He waved an egg roll between us.
“Something like this, I don’t see you volunteering unless there’s a girl involved.”
“My best friend broke her ankle.” Walter shrugged just before eating a huge mouthful of lo mein.
“Yeah, I get why you’re interested. But how did you get him interested?” Uncle Vinny pointed the egg roll towards me.
Walter had an annoying habit of speaking with food in his mouth. To the best of my knowledge, Melinda and I were the only ones who could understand him when he did this. For once in his life, however, Walter had the decency to swallow before responding to the question.
“It wasn’t hard. She’s his girlfriend.”
My uncle smirked. “Like mother, like son.”
Walter choked on his noodles. I stared at my chow mein, feeling my face grow warm as Aunt Margaret thumped him on the back. Thankfully, once Walter could breathe again, she changed the subject.
Luckily, lunch didn’t last very long, and we said our goodbyes in the parking lot. Uncle Vinny and Aunt Margaret drove away in a little red two-seater while Walter and I climbed into Pendex.
At the red light, I turned to him. “I want to take Melinda out tonight.”
“I thought you were only supposed to drive for the program.”
“I’m working tonight. I want to take Melinda around and tell her about it while we’re out.”
“But it was my idea!” Walter didn’t quite hide the whine.
“Yeah, but it was my idea to ask her to volunteer.”
“Will you at least tell her it was my idea?”
When I got back to campus, I had to register the car with the security office. It took a long time because the guard was being ridiculously slow. I had to listen to a list of rules about who I could and could not have in my car. And where I could and could not park. Mrs. Lindgren had already reviewed these with me, overriding some of what the security guard was telling me.
But I didn’t dare try to interrupt. I didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize me having my car. At least Walter kept me company instead of heading off to look for his friends.
When we were finally done, I texted Melinda asking her if we could have dinner at the MAC Attack, the snack shop in the student activities center. She replied that she was already there. When Walter and I arrived, I glanced at the couches out of reflex. There was a football game on one of the two televisions. I was shocked to see Melinda staring at it intensely, her foot propped on her crutch.
Walter jumped over the back of the couch and put his arm around his best friend. “I’m so proud!”
Melinda shrugged. “I didn’t want to go back to my room yet. I was going to read.” She gestured to her bag absently. “But the game was kind of mesmerizing.”
I was willing to bet Melinda had no idea what she was watching. Since I knew she had been there a while and the game had only just begun, I was pretty sure she had already watched a different one. I smiled at her as I sat on the arm of the couch beside her. “Who won?”
“The red team.”
I saw Walter cringe. “Which red team?”
Melinda shrugged. “I dunno. The ones with white numbers on their shirt.”
Walter looked as if I had just told him he wouldn’t be allowed to eat for the rest of his life. “I may not tell you my surprise.”
“Oh, yeah. My mom said you guys called her. And got your mom to call.”
“Did she ruin my surprise?” My brother really needed to stop whining. How did he ever expect to get a girlfriend if he kept acting like a baby?
“No. She wouldn’t tell me anything other than she gave me permission. For what?”
Walter smiled. “I am the most awesomest mentor.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Just remember that it was my idea. I’ll let Pat explain the details.”
He let go of her and she turned to me. She had the most pathetic look in her eyes. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
Leaning closer, I kissed the top of her head. “I will. I promise. But, I want dinner first. Let’s go upstairs.”
I wasn’t all that hungry after my large lunch, but I had enough room for onion rings. I helped Melinda to her feet, and we took the elevator to the loft. After we ordered, Melinda handed me her receipt and went to find us a place to sit. I joined her a few minutes later, stealing a couple of fries as payment for delivery service.
I slid into the booth across from her, careful not to hit the ankle propped on my seat. “So, how was the scrimmage?” When Melinda could no longer dance this term, she had elected to manage Sarah’s thirds basketball team, which was coached by their advisor. Today was their first game, a scrimmage against the JV team.
Melinda evaded my question. “I wanna know Walter’s surprise.”
“I promise I’ll tell you. But I want to wait until after we eat.”
Melinda sighed and explained how one of her prefects, my lab partner Bethany, helped teach her how to keep score. When she asked me about my afternoon, I was vague.
As soon as she put her last fry into her mouth, I nodded to her empty basket. “Hey, you done?”
“I’m still drinking my milkshake.”
“If I carry it, will you go for a walk with me?”
Melinda shrugged. “Sure.”
We took the elevator to the basement, exiting through the mail room. As I led her down the road towards the VAPAC, I got the impression Melinda thought we were walking aimlessly. To keep her distracted, I babbled on about my classes that morning until we reached my car. I stopped, turning to face her.
“How’s your ankle?”
“Not too bad.”
“Why don’t we rest a few minutes?”
“Where? It’s freezing and we’re in the middle of the parking lot.”
“Oh. Here.” I opened the passenger door on Pendex. “This car’s unlocked. Let’s sit for a few minutes.”
“I’m not sitting in someone’s car!”
I shrugged. “Okay. Suit yourself.” I left the door open and went to sit behind the wheel.
She moved to the passenger door, staring at me with wide eyes. “You’re crazy! You’ve lost your mind!” Her concern was absolutely adorable.
“Will you get in the car? I’m freezing.”
“No. I’m gonna go to the infirmary. Get some help. You’re scaring me.”
“Here. Why don’t I drive you there?” I pushed the button to start the car.
“How’d you do that?”
“I pressed this button.”
“But don’t you still need a key to do that?”
“You mean this one?” I pulled my key out of my pocket and showed it to her.
“Where’d you get that?”
“My pocket.”
“What you mean, your pocket? I meant, where’d you get the key?”
Wow. She really hadn’t caught on? I figured I had teased her enough. “Will you get in the car already? It’s my car. I’ll tell you the entire story. But I’m freezing and you’re letting out all the warm air!”
I watched Melinda stare at me open-mouthed for a moment. I think she really thought I had lost my mind. When she finally did speak, she her words were slow, distrust clear in her tone. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Okay. I had taken the joke too far. With a sigh, I pulled the registration from the glove box and passed it through the open door to Melinda. She read it carefully before handing it back with a frown.
“It’s not your car. It’s your dad’s. And, I don’t think I’m allowed in it. For so many reasons.”
“You are. Your mom gave you permission. This is part of Walter’s surprise. Daphne, I’m sorry. You were just so cute, I had to tease you. Can you please get in the car?”
She gave me another look of distrust, but turned to sit. I hopped out and ran to her side, grabbing the crutches as she pulled herself onto the seat. I put them in the trunk on my way back.
She pursed her lips as I shut my door. “You should’ve just thrown them in back.”
“I’m on call tonight. Wanted to keep the seat clear.”
“On call for what? And where are YOU GOING?”
I started heading out of the parking lot, towards the main road. “That depends. Do you still want to go to the infirmary?”
“No.”
“Good. Cuz, I thought we’d wait at the high school. I’ll explain when we get there.”
Melinda sent me a wary look. “But you’re not supposed to have a car on campus. And you can’t have passengers until March.”
“Walter found some loopholes. Buckle up!”
Melinda was silent as I drove to the local high school, which was hopping for a Saturday night. I parked in the student lot and turned off the car. When I faced Melinda, I could see a mixture of fear and concern and I tried to figure out how much trouble I was in.
“Okay. First of all, I really am sorry. Have you forgiven me yet?”
I saw a smile on the corner of her lips. “Maybe.”
My girlfriend was so amazing! “Good enough. Now time for the really long story.”
I did my best to explain about DMH, although she was so innocent, she had a hard time imagining being stranded somewhere where she would need a ride and couldn’t call her parents. I told her about how Walter had found the program, how I had spoken with Mrs. Lindgren, how I had completed the orientation yesterday, and how my aunt and uncle brought me my car. Then, I explained how I had volunteered to be on call tonight because most of the volunteers were at the school dance.
When my mother originally called Melinda’s mother about the idea, Melinda’s mother had a lot of reservations. Walter and I both spoke with her before she would give Melinda permission. While I didn’t bother telling Melinda the details of that phone call, I explained how her mother had said I could take her for a drive tonight to tell her about the program. I could also drive her to and from the church until she was off the crutches.
Melinda played with my hair. “So, you went out and joined this program just for me?”
I knew I had to be completely honest. “Well, no. I looked into it because of you. But it sounded like a really cool program. And I’m going to try to get in the rotation to drive you to CCD when you don’t have games.”
“I forgot about CCD! I don’t think I can go!”
“I just said I can drive you.” Was she not listening?
“No. Because of basketball. I’ll have to check my game schedule.” Melinda pulled out her phone.
“Not right now.” Seriously? We were alone in my car and she wanted to check her calendar? I reached out to play with her hair to remind her what was more important.
The look she gave me was absolutely adorable. “I’m not making out with you in your car.”
I smiled. “Wanna go over by that rock?” I was only half serious.
My phone started blaring like the horn on a semi. Melinda eyed it suspiciously.
“What’s that?”
“My DMH app. We’re in business.”
“Where’s the pickup?”
“Here. There’s a big party tonight. I figured someone would need a ride.”
I turned on the car and drove around to the main entrance. A guy about my age was balancing along the curb, singing the theme song to a horrible animated sitcom. I rolled down Melinda’s window and shouted over her.
“D-man?” That was the name provided in the text.
“That’s right! I’m D man!” The guy laughed hysterically at his own joke.
“Hop on in. I’m Pat. This is Melinda.”
“Cool. My date disappeared. Said she didn’t want to be near me.”
Even though I don’t drink, I’ve been around beer. This guy smelled like he had swum in a keg. I didn’t want to be near him either. But, I had volunteered for this.
“Where we going?” The guy stopped singing long enough to tell me his address. Melinda put it into the GPS on my phone, which she stuck onto the dash mount. We had to listen to this guy’s off-key singing the entire twenty-minute drive to the opposite side of town.
I stayed in the driveway long enough to make sure D-man entered the house. Swearing, I opened the back windows as I pulled back onto the road. “I’m gonna need to fumigate the car now.”
When we returned to the high school, there were fewer cars than there had been when we had first arrived.
Melinda nodded out the window. “I think the party’s over soon.”
“Yeah, me too. We’ll stay here a few minutes. We don’t have to be back until curfew. So, I wanna talk about Wednesday.”
“What about Wednesday?”
Had she already forgotten one of the most traumatic events of my life? Okay, well, maybe it wasn’t so bad, but it had to be for her. “I was walking with you to—”
Melinda giggled. “Oh, I thought you meant next week. Yeah. That’s when I broke my ankle.”
Okay. She was still adorable. I reached out to play with her hair. “Well, if you hadn’t’ve fallen, I was about to ask you to the Snowflake Ball. Now, Walter told me you don’t wanna go.”
“What would I do there? I can’t dance with you. I don’t know that I want to spend the entire time on my feet. I’d rather just curl up in comfy clothes and read a book.”
“Would you like to be on call with me? Maybe we can go out for dinner or something? Nothing fancy.”
Melinda was silent long enough for me to wonder if maybe she wouldn’t want to join me. When she finally spoke, she leaned a little closer to me. “You’re okay missing the Snowflake Ball?”
I nodded. She kissed me. I felt an electric charge and my heart tried to leap out of my chest.
She sat back. “I’m proud of you. This is a good program.”
I could have said a million things. I could have just kissed her again. It’s what I wanted to do. Instead, a little voice in my head told me I needed to remind her this was not my idea alone. “Walter found it.”
“Yeah, and I’m proud of him, too. But you could have said no.”
Melinda yawned, and I checked the time. It wasn’t quite time for curfew, but it was getting late. I turned the car back on and began heading back to campus. On the way, I told Melinda to come to my dorm in the morning and I would drive her to church.
I parked behind my dorm and stole one last quick kiss before helping Melinda out of the car. I watched her hobble back to her neighboring dorm before going to bed.
Attention Hammerheads
Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.
Hartfield Chronicles 