All Night Long, chapter 9

Elizabeth caught sight of a group of girls she knew heading toward her, and she ducked out a side exit so she wouldn't have to talk to them. She just wanted to be alone-to think, to sort out her feelings. Wrapped in her misery, she drifted off toward the deserted baseball diamond.

She sank down on the empty bleachers, staring blankly at the long, rolling stretches of green. It was quiet except for the distant thwanging of balls hitting the hurricane fences of the tennis courts. The air smelled faintly of the sawdust that had been sprinkled over the diamond. Elizabeth recalled the time she'd sat here, on these bleachers, watching the baseball tryouts. What a day it had been! When Brad Summers hit that fly ball over the bleachers, Todd had seemed simply to reach up and pluck it out of thin air. Everyone had cheered, and she'd been so proud. Later, when he'd kissed her, she'd felt herself soaring up, up, just like that fly ball.

Elizabeth was so caught up in her thoughts, that she didn't notice how late it had gotten. Long shadows crosshatched the field as the sun melted below the horizon. She shivered, hugging her chest, the thin T-shirt she wore no protection against the chill that had crept into the air. Her cheeks were wet and cold with tears she didn't even know she'd shed.

She was startled from her reverie by someone slipping a sweater over her shoulders from behind. She whipped about to find Todd standing over her, looking down at her with a strange, lopsided smile.

"Don't say a word," he ordered in a voice gruff with emotion. "Just shut up and listen, OK?"

Elizabeth nodded, too stunned to argue.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few days, and I've come to the conclusion that we're both a couple of class-A jerks. Since neither of us had the guts to say anything, we probably would've gone on being miserable for the next hundred years. Now don't get any ideas." He held up a hand. "I'm not apologizing. I think we both said some pretty dumb things. Let's just say I'm calling for a truce. OK?"

"OK." Elizabeth's reply emerged as a squeak.

"Hey, silly, what are you crying for?"

Gently he brushed his forefinger along her cheek. His expression softened to one of open tenderness, his dark eyes taking on a liquid gleam in the fading light.

"Look who's calling who silly," she said, her voice catching a little. But suddenly she couldn't seem to stop grinning.

"I missed you," he said.

"Me, too."

"I'm sorry I-"

"No apologies, remember?"

"OK. So I'm not sorry."

“Me neither."

They were both grinning. A soft breeze nudged a lock of hair over Todd's eye. She reached up and brushed it back.

"You're a mess," he said, digging into his pocket and handing her a crumpled tissue.

"Todd?"

"Yeah?"

"I really can't believe I said all those awful things to you."

"Yeah, well, maybe I deserved some of them. Even if I'm not too crazy about your sister, I should've kept my mouth shut. I'm not too crazy about my own sister half the time, but I'd probably waste someone else for badmouthing her."

"I'm not wild about Jessica myself at the moment, if you want to know the truth," Elizabeth confessed.

"I figured that's how it would come down. I saw the test scores. Well, congratulations-at least one of you passed."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said sullenly.

"That bad, huh?"

"She was pretty upset. She really blew up."

"Must run in the family."

He cupped his hands about her face, tipping it up to meet his gaze.

"You were right, Todd," Elizabeth said. "I never should have cheated on that test. I knew it was wrong. That's why I got so angry when you told me off."

"Sure it was wrong, but you did it for the right reasons. You were only trying to protect Jessica. She's your sister, and you love her, no matter what."

"Love does funny things to people."

"Yeah, I happen to have firsthand knowledge of that." He kissed her softly on the forehead, following it with another kiss on the tip of her nose before finally arriving at her mouth.

"What kind of kiss do you call that?" Elizabeth asked when she'd caught her breath.

"A connect-the-dots kiss," he breathed.

"Mmmm, nice."

"This is a shut-up-and-enjoy-it kiss," he continued, brushing his lips against hers.

Wrapped in Todd's arms, surrounded by his clean, warm scent, Elizabeth almost forgot she'd ever been miserable. She snuggled her head against his shoulder, feeling the lean hardness of his muscles beneath his sweat shirt.

"I love you," she murmured.

"Some truce, huh?"

"More like out-and-out surrender."

"On both sides," he was quick to add. "Liz?"

"What?"

"I love you, too."

"I know. Shut up and kiss me, silly."

Elizabeth felt as if she were floating two feet off the ground as she and Todd strolled hand in hand back toward the school building. In her blissful fog, she didn't notice they were being pursued until someone snatched her arm from behind, plummeting her abruptly back to earth.

"Liz! Didn't you hear me calling you?" Jessica gasped, out of breath from running. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes shining with excitement.

Elizabeth stared at her in bewilderment. She was familiar with Jessica's quicksilver mood changes, but this was unbelievable. She felt as if she were on a roller coaster whenever she was around her sister.

"Well?" Elizabeth eyed her with stony coolness. "What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" She glanced toward Todd, who was eyeing Jessica with suspicion. "I haven't got all day."

"Oh, come off it, Liz," Jessica wheedled. "Don't be like that. Look, I'm sorry I blew up at you. I didn't mean it. You know how I get sometimes."

"Do I ever!"

"I said I was sorry. You don't have to get nasty."

"Is that what you ran after me for?" Elizabeth asked impatiently. "To tell me you're sorry?"

"Uh, well, not exactly. Oh, Liz, you'll never guess!" She grabbed her sister by the shoulders, swinging her around. "They're going to give me another chance on the test! Mr. Sandalow called me in and told me he could see how sick I was on Monday and figured that was the reason I did so badly."

Elizabeth felt her anger draining. "Gosh! That's great, Jess." Funny, she thought, how things had a way of working out.

"Great? It's unbelievably fantastic! Isn't it fantastic, Todd?" Jessica gave him a broad smile.

"Fantastic," he echoed, with slightly less enthusiasm.

"I'm really happy for you, Jess," Elizabeth said, hugging her sister back. "And I forgive you-even if you don't really deserve it."

"Oh, you know I never mean any of the things I say when I get mad. It's just my way of letting off steam. Honestly, I never really thought you were jealous about Scott."

"Scott who?" Todd asked, frowning.

"Nobody, silly," Elizabeth reassured him, turning back to Jessica with a scowl. "You'd better quit while you're ahead, or you're really going to get me in trouble this time."

Jessica grinned. "My lips are sealed, dear sister."

"I hope your brain isn't. Remember, you haven't passed the test yet. You still have to study."

"Yes, sir." Jessica directed a mock salute at her twin.

"I think all this reconciliation calls for a celebration," put in Todd. "How does a double-decker mocha almond chip at Casey's sound? My treat."

"Great!" Elizabeth responded.

"Sounds delicious," Jessica chimed in enthusiastically. "I'm starved. I've hardly eaten anything today. Not to mention last night-"

"Gee, it's too bad you can't come with us," Todd interrupted, feigning disappointment. But Elizabeth noted the mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "But then I know how it is when you've got a lot of studying to do. Life is full of sacrifices."

Elizabeth giggled. "We'll bring you back something," she promised. "If it doesn't melt on the way."

"Thanks a lot, you two." Jessica glowered at them. She knew when she'd been out maneuvered.

"Don't mention it!" Elizabeth sang out over her shoulder as she sailed off on Todd's arm.