Page 32 of Study Buddies

14

JAYDEN

“Hey,can you help me take this stuff upstairs?” I asked Tori, indicating a stack of old boxes and a large burlap sack on top. It was Sunday afternoon. We’d put in a couple of hours down in the basement for three days in a row now.

“Sure.” Tori hopped off a metal stool and set down a rose-colored vase she’d just wiped clean. She followed me over to the stack by the stairs. “This stuff?”

“No, just grab the trash bag. I can handle this.” I hefted the boxes up, letting the burlap sack press against my chest so it wouldn’t slide off. Once I reached the top of the stairs, I deposited everything just inside the entrance to the living room.

Tori set the trash bag down and surveyed the boxes. “Where does that stuff go?”

“Who cares? Guess what I found?”

She smiled, perhaps in response to my playful tone. “What?”

I gave her a mock frown. “You’re not a very good guesser. But I’ll give you a hint. It’s a magical device that will transport us far away from bickering stepbrothers.”

“I like this thing already.” She grinned. “What is it?”

I flipped the large sack over, grimacing from the cloud of dust that launched into the air. Then I smoothed out the label on the bag. The print was faded but readable.

She sucked in a quick breath of air. “Do you think it still works?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Twenty minutes later,we were out in the woods behind the house, examining the results of our labor.

“Um… how do we get on it?” Tori asked.

I surveyed the hammock we’d strung between two trees. It was an old-school kind—just a crisscross of thick rope, held together by two wooden spreader bars. The wood was rough and grayed, but it still felt strong enough. Some of the ropes were stiff with age, but overall, they were in surprisingly good shape. “Very carefully.”

Tori giggled. “I was hoping for a more detailed plan.”

“Okay…” I thought for a minute. “How about I hold it steady, and you climb on? And then if you don’t get dumped on your ass, I’ll try to get on, too.”

She shook her head sternly. “That’s a terrible plan.” Her soft lips were curved in a smile, though.

“We could always just go back down to the basement,” I threatened.

“Never mind, it’s a great plan.” Tori gave me a wry look. “Let’s never go back there.”

Except for the fact that the house was sorely lacking in bedrooms, I agreed with her. “It’s like living with a couple who have broken up but have to live together until their lease runs out.”

“Exactly. Except they own the home.” Her forehead wrinkled, and guilt crossed her face.

“Come on, let’s try this,” I said before she could start in again on how she shouldn’t stay here. I moved to one end of the hammock, gesturing for her to stand by the middle. Then I grasped the wooden bar in two different spots and held it as steady as I could.

Tentatively, Tori lowered herself down, the ropes shifting as she perched on the edge. When it didn’t immediately buck her off, she smiled at me and scooted back a few inches—and immediately toppled over backwards. Hastily, I let go of the crossbar and reached for her, managing to grab one thigh and one wrist.

Carefully, I pulled her up until she was back on her feet. My hands were still on her arms, and it dawned on me how often I’d touched her lately. On Friday, when she tumbled off the bathroom counter. The scalp massage before that. Maybe that kind of thing went with the territory for roommates, but I couldn’t remember being in that close contact with Lucas or Kyle.

“Well that didn’t work,” she said, sounding a bit shaky. Then she managed a smile for me. “Thank you. That’s twice this weekend that you’ve caught me.”

“Want to go for three times?” I grinned at her, but I was only half kidding. She was light and easy to carry. I’d liked the way she’d felt cradled to my chest last time.

“No thank you. What’s our next strategy?”

Honestly, I had no clue, but I needed to come up with one because the alternative was to head back to the basement. And I’d about had my fill of hanging out in a cluttered claustrophobic basement with two stepbrothers who were constantly bickering.

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