Dani's head reeled and every fiber of her being tingled. Jon had kissed her most of the drive here. She was surprised he'd managed to keep his car on the road.
I shouldn't be here with him—not alone. What was it Kari said about girls and guys being alone? Dani glanced at the purity ring Kari handed out after that youth group meeting and tried to remember how she'd put it. She couldn't recall exactly, but she remembered the game they'd played to illustrate whatever the point was and how she and Shelly had giggled hysterically while trying to stuff toothpaste back into the tube. The whole youth group had gone home messy that night.
I'm not going to let it get too far. Just kissing, nothing else. She knew neither Kari nor Vic would approve of even that, to say nothing of Daddy, even if Jon did need this time alone with her. She was his safe haven. He kept saying so. No one, not even Daddy, had ever said anything like that to her before. She'd never felt so scared and excited at the same time, as if someone had sucked all the oxygen out of the world.
"Won't your brother come looking for you here?" Jon walked up behind her, putting his hands on her hips as Dani fumbled with the lock.
"We never work Sundays." Dani leaned back into him as she pushed the door, turning around to kiss him, suddenly not minding the rain. "We're safe."
Jon gawked like a kid in a candy store when Dani turned on the lights.
"Like classics?" she said.
He ran his hand along the fins of a '61 Cadillac DeVille that must have come in over the weekend. "My dad had one like this when I was little," Jon said, his mood sobering.
He seemed to have a hard time talking about his parents, especially his dad. He had mentioned them kicking him out of the house six or seven times starting when he was fifteen—almost six years ago. By the time he was seventeen, he'd said, he just stayed gone.
"Hope it had a better paint job than this one," Dani said, holding his hand as she looked the car over, sizing up what needed to be done. Whoever owned it last apparently couldn't decide what color they wanted. At least it didn't have much rust, but the chrome would need to be completely redone.
"Blue," he said. He sounded blue all of a sudden.
Bet I can make him feel better. She gave him her best smile as he turned her around, picked her up, and set her on the edge of the Cadillac's long trunk. He looked past her, almost like he was sizing up the potential of laying down on the car. Dani sat up straight, looking into his eyes and hooking her thumbs in his belt loops. She twisted away when his hands started to explore, smiling when he moved them back to her shoulders and moved in, kissing her deeply. By the time his hands started roaming again, she was practically gasping for breath.
Is it really that big a deal as long as the clothes stay on?
Looking him directly in the eye, she took his hands in hers and redirected them safely to her waist. Holding out her hand, afraid she was chasing him away, she showed him the purity ring and explained what it stood for. "So, watch your hands, mister."
***
Vic had worried, prayed, cried, paced, stared outside into the thunderstorm, called the police, screamed, and worried some more. On top of that, it was almost three hours past time for him to be asleep. By the time he heard the back door creek, he was spoiling for a fight.
Dani looked like a deer in the headlights when he flipped on the light switch, her hair a tangled mess like it always used to be when they'd gone swimming as kids. Her blouse was crumpled, but wherever she'd been, she'd managed to drip dry.
"Button up. You look like a streetwalker." He shook his head. "Who were you with?"
Dani pulled the top of her blouse closed, biting her bottom lip like she always did when she was nervous. Vic almost smiled, remembering her making that same face when she was two years old. No time for that, Vic did his best to make his face look like Dad's when he was preparing a tongue-lashing. Teddy Bear ambled in from the living room and plopped between them, nuzzling Dani's hand.
"We were just talking." Her voice quavered, and she fidgeted with her feet. Mom and Dad always knew Dani was stretching the truth when she did that. Back then, the stories were harmless enough. Vic saw her stiffen, tears starting to well. "Oh my gosh, you don't believe me?"
Teddy Bear let out a half-hearted growl.
"No."
She groaned, storming to her room, her dog at her heels. "If I'm going to get blamed anyway, I might as well actually do something."
Vic shoved his foot into the doorway before Dani could slam it. Bad idea. He screamed.
Slamming the door open instead, Dani retreated to her bed, throwing herself on the pillows. "Go away."
"Love to. Not an option." Not for a couple more months, anyway.
***
Dani sat in the school commons the next day, yawning and doodling on her book cover. Between the flowers and guitars she'd drawn, she'd tried out a dozen ways to sign Dani Ryder. Dani Ryder. Danielle Ryder. Nah, Dani Ryder.
She covered her handiwork when Cal approached, heat rising in her cheeks.
"So, you're playing with us again?" he said.
"News to me."
"It's all Jon's talked about."
"Funny, we've talked about everything but." Like how much he loves his little brother even though Mom always favored him. And how fine he thinks I am. She caught herself smiling and looked away.
"Maybe he's waiting till Bobby cools down," Cal said.
Dani suppressed a scowl at the mention of that name.
"He wasn't happy about being demoted to rhythm guitar, but Basil insisted."
Another name she could do without hearing again.
"Listen, sooner or later, he's going to ask you to play lead for us. Basil said he could get us some good gigs. Maybe even a record deal if you're part of the package."
"I can't. Sneaking out for a night's one thing. There's no way I can hide regular rehearsals and gigs. And I think I might be missed if we spent a week in the studio recording."
"Trust me, Jon wants this more than anything."
A sinking feeling pinched her stomach. "Hey, wait, that's not the only reason he likes me?"
"Nah, he likes brunettes," Cal said, looking like he was considering whether to say more. "Be careful around my brother."
She could feel herself turning pink. "If I'd known everyone would be so interested in my love life, I'd have got one a lot sooner."
"Probably not my business." Cal leaned in, close enough so no one else could hear and waited for her to make eye contact. "He goes through girls fast."
"Maybe they just didn't understand him." I do. He says so. Says he's never felt happy before like he does when he's with me. Says I'm different. "Maybe you don't, either."
As she stomped off, she heard him mutter, "Don't understand my brother? Ooooooo-kay."
Dani crossed the campus, stopping short as she approached the locker she shared with Shelly. All the makeup in the world couldn't cover the bruise on Shelly's cheek.
"What happened?" She didn't need an answer.
Klutz, my hind end.
***
Stoner and one of his friends sat against the garage wall at Marc Stark's house, where Inferno typically rehearsed.
I still don't know Stoner's name.
The friend had introduced himself on the way over. Not that it mattered. His name wasn't important. His car was. Even if it was a rusted out Chevette. Stoner jumped at the opportunity to supply transportation when he'd heard Dani talking to herself about needing to get away from school early. Neither of the boys had bothered to ask why Dani wanted them to park the car out of sight.
Dani paced, madder with every step. An hour in, the hunk of junk pulled into the driveway.
Bobby had the nerve to ignore her, taking his sweet time getting out and unloading his gear, lighting a cigarette and pretending she wasn't scowling at him, hands on hips. She seethed, balled her fists, and waited until he tried to squeeze himself sideways through the door, guitar in one hand and amp in the other.
Stoner and his friend scrambled out of the way as she closed the gap between her and Bobby in three running steps, putting all that momentum and every ounce of her frame behind the fist that knocked him on his backside, cigarette smashed across his face, gear tumbling beside.
Bobby wiped blood from his split lip as Dani stood over him, pointed a finger in his face, and yelled, "My Daddy's a U.S. Marine, and he taught me lots more than that."
He curled into a ball as she kicked him in the ribs.
"Lay another hand on Shelly, and I'll show you more of it."
Bobby lay there in the fetal position as she spun on her heel.
"You two coming? Need you to help me find Jon so I can tell him we've fired our rhythm guitar player."