Attracting Trouble

Chapter 7: You, Me, and the Stars

"What are you wanting to show me?" I ask as I cross my arms over my chest.

I'm having flashbacks of the first "date" we went on. I still don't consider it a date. We both shoved hamburgers down our throats for a bet and he called it a date.

"I guess you'll have to find out," he tells me, a grin on his face. He sets his board down and makes room for another person to put their feet there. "If you're the same Jessa I remember, you're gonna have to find out because it'll kill you if you don't know."

I narrow my eyes at him and look between the board and his challenging face.

Why does he always do this to me?

"Fine," I say. My Friday night fell into the gutter with the that last bowling ball I bowled. What else could go wrong?

"But I'm walking." I add as I start to walk aimlessly down the sidewalk.

Will shrugs his shoulders and pushes off to catch up with me. The conversation is limited to where we're going, how it's going to be a surprise, and how I've gotten tired of surprises over the years.

Like the surprise of walking in on your boyfriend kissing another girl.

Especially those surprises.

"You know," Will says. "You thanked me for helping you the other day, but I didn't thank you."

"For what?" I ask him.

"Mom doesn't know I've already had detention. Now she thinks you and I were just hanging out." He kicks off with his foot again and glides beside me. "Thanks for saving my butt. She didn't have enough time to ask me where I was before she rushed me out of the house to come to yours."

"Oh, um, you're welcome," I tell him. "Why do you care now, though?"

He doesn't seem offended by what I said. "Liahona wasn't my favorite place, but it taught me a lot of things. I was a really bad kid, for starters."

I let out a laugh. "That's an understatement."

Will chuckles at the memories. He was arrested at least six times, most of them for vandalism or trespassing. Bad is an understatement.

"Anyway, I guess I just don't want to disappoint my mom again. She was so mad at me when she had make the choice to send me away. She didn't know the extent of my behavior until then, I guess." He finishes.

"Looks like you and I are in the same predicament," I say the words I never wanted to say.

"How's that?"

"You don't want your weird attraction to trouble getting around to your mom to avoid disappointment," I say and he confirms it with a nod. "And I don't want my mom finding out I'm not on the cheerleading team."

"Is that because she'll be disappointed in you? Why did you do something you hate so much for so long-"

I shake my hand to get him to stop. "It's not about that. I just want to make you a deal."

He nods. "I'm listening."

"We keep each other's secrets."

"What if I don't get into any trouble?"

"We all know you will. Besides, you still have to help cover for me."

He finally agrees with me a second later. I feel a little bit of relief that I won't have to tell Mom. Maybe I'll be at college on the other side of the country by the time she finds out.

By the time I feel as if I've walked about thirty miles, I look to Will and stop walking. He rolls to a stop just ahead of me and watches me.

"What?" He asks.