Burning Down the House (7 page)

I texted
Dana:
Can u come over tomorrow?

She replied almost immediately:
What time?

Me:
Whenever. I’m sitting for Peyton at 2.

Her:
Will after lunch work?

Me:
Yes! Bring ur swimsuit.

Her:
OK! So glad ur back. Smoochies!

Once the credits were rolling I asked my dad, “Is Rob allowed to drive the Tahoe?”
I didn’t see another car in the driveway so I guessed he must not own one. Dad bought the SUV for me after I got my license so I’d have something to drive while I was here. It was looking like now I’d be sharing it with the jerkoff.

“Yes, I’ve added him to my insurance. And he’s been given the same set of rules I set for you. I assume you still remember them.”

“Keep it inside the city limits…in by ten on school nights…absolutely no drinking…and if I get a ticket for any reason my ass is grass. Yeah, I remember.”

“
Rob sees his therapist on Tuesdays right after school so keep that in mind.”

Yeesh. I know my father is the complacent type, but he must
really have a lot of faith in Rob Kensington to trust him with the keys to his house and car. Not to mention his only daughter.

And sharing the house with someone whose
attitude needed a complete overhaul wasn’t exactly something to look forward to. He was so darn cute too - why couldn’t he be easier to get along with? Of course, I knew that was too much to ask for. The hot ones never turn out to be nice. Take Chase Wright, for example. Last year I was head over heels crazy for him and he wound up cheating on me with the school slut. Seriously, I’m not kidding - that girl would straddle anything with a pulse and even
that
was debatable.

It’s not
as if I was putting him off on purpose. The thing is, I’ve always wanted my first time to be…well, at least memorable, if not romance-novel perfect. Losing it in the back of a Range Rover really doesn’t appeal to me. Besides, the timing was just never right. Or maybe it was him, because I wasn’t nearly as heartbroken over it as I should have been. I was more pissed than anything.

I learned from him what was truly important to
most guys. And believe me, it ain’t personality. It’s a skanky ho in a pushup bra with her shirt unbuttoned to the waist and butt cheeks hanging out the bottom of a miniskirt three sizes too small. Yep, apparently that’s what matters. Easy access vajayjay. Here’s to hoping he contracted an STD from that bitch.

“
Sara?”

I looked over at my dad in his recliner. “Hm?”

“I feel like I should apologize for not telling you about Rob sooner. You might have made a different decision, had you been aware of the situation.” He was looking at the remote in his hand instead of at me. “Actually, I think maybe that’s what I was afraid of. I didn’t want you to change your mind about moving back. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.”

“It wouldn’t have made any difference,” I reassured him.
“Don’t worry about it.”

“Then you’re not upset with me?”

“Of course I’m not upset with you!” I couldn’t be mad at him if I tried. “I think it’s great, what you did. I mean, maybe he’s never been my favorite person or anything but I still think you made the right decision. What else were you supposed to do?”

“I’m glad you understand.”
He reached over and dropped the remote on the coffee table. “Me and Buck may have lost touch over the years, but we were two peas in a pod growing up. I remember how proud he was the day his son was born. He was on top of the world.” His voice had grown pensive and somewhat sad.

“Don’t take this the wrong way
, but doesn’t Rob have any other relatives?” It seemed strange that he wouldn’t go stay with his grandparents or maybe an aunt or uncle.

“
None to speak of. I already told you Buck’s mother passed away when he was six. Then a few years ago his father’s drinking finally caught up to him and he died of cirrhosis of the liver. Rita’s parents disowned her completely after she married Buck. Rob says his mother rarely spoke of them, but two years ago he found their address and tried to contact them. From what he told me, they were not happy to hear from him. They refused to even talk to him.”

“Wow
. Now that is harsh.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

“So he didn’t have any aunts or uncles on either side?”

“No
pe.”

“
I don’t get it. Why did his mom’s parents disown her for marrying his dad?”

“I couldn’t tell you that.
Buck never told me the reason, and I never asked. Didn’t feel it was any of my business. I do know that she was very young, and there was a bit of age difference there. That might have had something to do with it.”

“Weird. I can’t believe they wouldn’t want to meet their own grandson.”

“People are hard to figure sometimes.” He stood up and stretched. “Well, I think I’m about ready to turn in. I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

“Okay. ’Night, Dad.”

“’Night, ladybug. Sleep tight.”

And I tried, but my mind was busy trying to process all this new information. It was hard to fathom. Not only had
Rob lost his parents, but for some reason he’d been rejected by his maternal grandparents. Now his only alternative, unless he wanted to drop out of school and find a full time job, was to stay here and put up with me. And I hadn’t exactly gone out of my way to make him feel welcome. I’d been a snippy little bitch just because he wanted some well-deserved privacy.

I couldn’t sleep with
my guilty conscience nagging me. Climbing out of bed, I tiptoed out of my room and down the hallway. The faint sound of the Saturday Night Live theme reached me through his door. So he did have a television in there, and he must still be awake.

After some hesitation, I tapped lightly. When he didn’t answer, I quietly opened the door and peeked in. He was sitting upright in bed watching TV and judging from the look on his face, he couldn’t believe I had the unmitigated gall to
infiltrate his domain again.

“What do you want?” He kept his voice low, even though my dad’s bedroom
is at the opposite end of the house.

I
concentrated hard on keeping my eyes on his face and not his uncovered pecs. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“About what?” He sounded suspicious.

Tentatively I took a few steps closer to him. “Um, I just wanted…well, I kind of wanted to apologize.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know. I guess because I really haven’t been that nice to you. And I didn’t want you to think I was a total bitch. Because I’m not really like that. I didn’t mean to be inconsiderate or anything but I know I came off that way and I’m sorry.”

He just stared at me. I
twisted my hands behind my back nervously. Suddenly I realized how stupid I must look standing there in a nightshirt with a glow-in-the-dark Spongebob Squarepants on it.

“
So, you know…I guess that’s about it.”

He
cocked his head slightly to one side but still said nothing. I was running out of things to say myself. Maybe I should’ve rehearsed something first. I knew I should turn around and leave at that point but somehow I couldn’t. Something still felt unfinished.

“
I’m sorry about your parents,” I added softly.

Those soul-searching eyes studied me carefully before his
lips curved into something too cold to be a smile.

“I’m not.”

3

“Are you sure you heard him right?”

Dana
shot me a skeptical look while pulling her pale blonde hair up into a sloppy bun. I’ve always wanted hair that color. It’s like shiny corn silk. She has bangs too, which isn’t a good look for most girls but somehow she pulls it off. Another thing I envy about her is the way she eats like a pig but stays thin as a wisp. Then again, at seventeen she’s got the body of a twelve-year-old so maybe I don’t envy it all
that
much.

“Positive.”
I pulled the inflatable pool float through the water and grinned at Peyton’s high-pitched giggle. She loves playing in the pool. Only five years old and she can already swim like a mermaid.

“He was probably just trying to get a rise out of you.”
Dana splashed down the steps into the shallow end. “Guy’s a jerk.”

“I feel sorry for him though.
Look at everything he’s been through.”

“I hate to tell you this, but he had that craptastic attitude long before his parents got killed. That ha
s nothing to do with the way he’s acting now.”

“Really?”
I swirled the float around me in a circle to make Peyton laugh again. Her giggles are so cute. “So then what’s his problem?”

The bony shoulders shrugged. “
Like I said - he’s a jerk.”

“Great.” And I was the one who was going to have to put up with hi
m all year long. Maybe I’d get lucky and we wouldn’t have any classes together so at least I could avoid dealing with him during school hours.

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know. In his room, I guess. I haven’t seen him all day.”

Dana
glanced in the direction of the house while wading closer to me. “I’d watch my back if I were you,” she murmured.

“Why?”

“I just would. There’s been talk.”

“What do you mean? Talk about what?”

“About what started that fire.” She was practically whispering now.

My eyes widened. “Are you saying it wasn’t an accident?”

“I’m not saying anything. I’m just telling you what I’ve heard
other
people say.”

“My dad told me it was faulty wiring.”

“And
my
dad questioned Rob along with the fire marshal after it happened. Why would he do that if they didn’t suspect something?” Dana’s father was the Chief of Police so I knew she couldn’t be mistaken about that part.

“What did your dad say about it?”

“Um. He said the fire marshal didn’t believe it was set intentionally.”

I gave her an exasperated look. Leave it to
Dana to overdramatize nothing. “Then why are you telling me to watch my back!”

“Well
…don’t you think what he said was a little creepy?” she pointed out defensively. “Even if he was just messing with you. I’m just saying, if it was me, I wouldn’t want to live in the same house with him. I don’t think I’d trust him. You better lock your door at night.”

“Lock my door?” I laughed. “Why?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to be alone in that house together for days at a time. You’re a girl…he’s a guy…do I have to spell it out for you?”

Peyton tumbled off the float into the water and I reached for her automatically, even though she was
dogpaddling like a pro. “You’re swimming so good!” I praised her, then to Dana said, “That’s the last thing I’m worried about. He can’t even stand to be in the same room with me.”

“Just the same…”

“And my dad trusts him.”

“Your dad trusts
you
with a platinum credit card!”

“Isn’t
Dana a silly goose?” I asked Peyton, who had climbed onto my back and was wrapping her chubby little arms around my neck in a stranglehold.

“Yeah!
Silly goose!” she enthusiastically agreed.

“
You’re
a silly goose!” Dana teased, tickling her until she kicked me sharply in the ribs with her squirming.

“You don’t think he’s kind of cute?” I asked, rubbing my side.

“Who? Rob? Are you serious?” She wrinkled her nose.

“You can’t tell me you don’t think he’s
hot!” I protested. Anyone with halfway functioning eyeballs in their head could see that on a scale of one to ten, he was at least a fifteen.

“
Okay, he’s hot I guess, but his attitude turns me off.”

“Well, me too, but
-” I clammed up when I heard the patio door open. Looking over, I saw the very object of our debate approaching us.

“Your dad wants to know if you’d rather order pizza or go out to dinner tonight.” He didn’t bother acknowledging
Dana’s presence. From the tone of his voice, coming outside to question me ranked right up there with having his wisdom teeth removed.

“What would you rather do?” I asked diplomatically.

“If it was up to me, I’d just as soon stay in.”

Big surprise. “
Let’s just order pizza then,” I conceded.

Just as he turned to walk away, Peyton screeched, “Hi,
Robbie-face!” Dana and I exchanged surprised looks.

Even
more
surprising, he called back to her, “Hi, Peyton-face!” It was the first time I’d detected any genuine friendliness from him. Apparently he and Peyton had already established a rapport. Unbelievable. He could joke around with a five-year-old but I was like a contagious disease.

“
Uck…you should put a snake in his bed or something,” Dana suggested half-seriously.

“Wouldn’t that be animal cruelty?” I laughed.

“Yeah, probably!”

“You wanna stay for dinner
tonight?”

“I can’t. I have too much to do to get ready for tomorrow.”

It sounded like a flimsy excuse to me, but I let it pass. Who could blame her for not wanting to hang around here with Donnie Darko lurking about? “Did you bring your schedule with you?”

“No, but I have it memorized.” She rattled off her classes to me. I was
happy to discover that we’d be sharing the same lunch period in addition to two classes.

I could only hope we didn’t share any of them with
him
.

The next morning I got up extra early so I’d have plenty of time to coax my hair into
submission. First impressions are important, and since most of my peers hadn’t seen me in going on three years I wanted to look perfect. Or as close to perfect as someone who’s hopelessly imperfect can get. Not that I’m Quasimodo or anything, it’s just that most people tend to refer to me as cute rather than hot or sexy. Cute was not what I was going for today.

I studied my reflection in the bathroom mirror while taming
the bedhead with a flat iron. My freshly washed hair looked clean and healthy, caramel highlights blending in nicely with the chocolate brown. The makeup I kept light and simple, with a pale pink lip gloss and a hint of bronze eye shadow to emphasize my dark eyes. Add into the mix a green plaid skirt paired with a white top and altogether I didn’t think I looked half bad. Not bad at all.

Rob
was pouring Lucky Charms into a bowl when I breezed confidently into the kitchen. He didn’t even look up. Dad was sitting at the table pulling on his shoes. He always looks so handsome and official in his pilot’s uniform. “Well hello, ladybug. Aren’t you just a vision of loveliness this morning?”

S
couring through the pantry for a box of Pop Tarts, I pulled out a chair and plopped down beside him. “Did you eat anything?”

“I’ll pick up something at the drive thru. I
need to get going - I’m running late. You both have your house keys, right?”

“Right,” I said while
Rob nodded.

“Make
damn sure you keep the back gate locked,” he reminded me sternly. This was specifically for Peyton’s protection, to keep her from wandering into the pool area.

“I will
, I promise.”

“Don’t forget your appointment tomorrow.”
He directed this at Rob, who responded with, “I won’t.”

Dad stood up. “Okay
then, I better be on my way. If you need anything you know how to reach me. Any emergencies, get up with Mr. Weston next door. Have a good week at school and I’ll see you both on Thursday.”

“Bye, Dad.
Fly safe.”

With a
wink and a grin he was gone. After the front door slammed shut the kitchen suddenly seemed ominously quiet. I could almost swear I could hear the mantel clock ticking all the way from the living room. Even my chewing seemed way too loud so I abandoned the rest of my Pop Tart. I wasn’t really hungry anyway.

Clearing his throat,
Rob finally broke the awkward silence. “You about ready?”

“
Yep. I’m ready.” I stood up and brushed the crumbs off my skirt. Driving back and forth to school every day with him - I hadn’t even factored that into the equation. It was like we were joined at the hip and there was no way to break free from one another.

The Tahoe
was also parked in the driveway since the garage was cluttered with boxes of Dad’s junk. I think he’s a pack rat, but Mom always said he was just too lazy to organize any of it. I’m not sure there’s a difference.

“I’ll drive,”
Rob dictated, opening the driver side door before I could voice any objections. Not that I would have. I didn’t give a crap who drove as long as we got there in one piece. I climbed in on the passenger side and arranged my backpack on the floorboard in front of me while my chauffeur flung his carelessly into the back seat. After starting the engine, he scanned quickly through the radio stations. The one he selected specialized in hard rock. That was fine with me - it was a vast improvement over the uncomfortable silence.

But even with the music I still felt
the tension. He didn’t speak, didn’t look my way once, just acted as if I wasn’t even there. Was he like this with everyone or was it just me? God, that therapist he was seeing better have some impressive credentials.

When we pulled into the senior parking lot I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. As soon as I slammed the door
I heard an unfamiliar voice shout, “Sara Marsh! Look at you!” Turning my head, I saw this huge, brawny guy that I didn’t recognize at first. To my astonishment, he snatched me off my feet in a bear hug that nearly squeezed the life out of me. Good thing I didn’t have a big breakfast.

“Damn, girl!” Tarzan said, dropping me back to
the ground. “Good to see you back!”

I couldn’t believe it.
It was one of the former goths, the short, chubby one with the purple hair. Only he wasn’t short or chubby anymore - he’d expanded into a huge, beefy jock type, and his hair was its natural shade of brown instead of magenta. “Doug Price! Is that really you?”

“Hell yeah
, it’s me!” He impatiently waved over another guy who was already approaching us. “Look at what I got here! You remember this little girl?”

The other
one I recognized right away. Trent Myers didn’t look all that different, just taller and his ash blond hair no longer hung over his brown eyes. “Is that Sara?” He made no bones about looking me up and down. “Damn, Rob. You didn’t tell us she turned into a stone cold fox. What’s up with that?”