Page 19 of A Vicious Rumor

We walked a few more minutes in comfortable silence before finally approaching a cute little house. It needed a little work, but overall, I could see the potential in it. A big Jeep Wrangler was parked in front of it, and Tyson finally let go of my hand and hopped into the driver's side. The place where he'd held on suddenly felt so cold, despite the warmth of the day.

"Hop in," he said, as he revved the engine. I climbed in on my side and buckled up.

"Where's the door?" I asked him, feeling super exposed to the world around me.

He backed the car out of the driveway and gave me a smile. "I take them off for the summer."

"What happens when it rains?"

"I got a cover for her if we're expecting it, but she's pretty tough."

"Like you," I said.

Something glinted in his eye as he looked at me before he turned to face the road. "Maybe," he finally responded. "Where to?" he asked, changing the subject. "I need someone to show me around."

"Are you hungry?" I asked, realizing it was around lunchtime.

"Always," he replied.

"Great! This way, then," I said, pointing to the right.

"How can you drink this?" Tyson asked me, referring to my cotton-candy milkshake. "It's pure sugar," he said, handing it back to me.

I laughed. "That coke is pure sugar too," I said, pointing to his drink. "Just in a different form."

"Smart girl," he said again, and I blushed. "So, what's your life been like, Tiger Lily?"

"Okay, I guess," I said, shoving a french fry into my mouth.

"Tell me about it," Tyson encouraged.

"Not much to tell," I said. "I go to school, I go to work, I go home, I sleep."

"You got a job?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Doing what?" he asked.

"I'm a barista at a Starbucks," I said.

"How come?"

"Whatcha mean?"

"How come you got a job?" he asked.

"Oh," I replied. "To help mom out. It's still just me and her."

Tyson was quiet for a minute. "How much you make?"

I smiled and took a bite of my wrap. "Not a lot. A hundred bucks a week or so, but it still helps."

"Damn," he said under his breath. "Not enough."

"What's not enough?" I asked, confused.

"Nevermind," he replied, taking a bite of his burger.

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