It didn't help matters that I was shy and wore glasses. I was never one to stand out in the crowd. I liked to stay in corners. And I was happiest when I was alone reading. That and the good grades I got in school had doomed any chance of being popular with my peers. So it was a foregone conclusion that boys like Hardy were never going to take notice of me.
"Come on," he urged, leading the way to a tan single-wide with concrete steps at the back. A hint of a strut livened Hardy's walk, giving him the jauntiness of a junkyard dog.
I followed cautiously, wondering how mad Mama would be if she found out I'd wandered off with a stranger. "Is this yours?" I asked, my feet sinking into the crackling beige grass as we went toward the trailer.
Hardy replied over his shoulder. "I live here with my mom. two brothers, and a sister."
"That's a lot of people for a single-wide." I commented.
"Yeah, it is. I've got to move soon—there's no room for me in there. Mom says I'm growing so fast I'm like to bust the walls of the trailer out."
The notion that this creature still had some growing to do was almost alarming. "How big are you going to get?" I asked.
He chuckled and went to a spigot attached to a dusty gray garden hose. Turning it with a few deft twists, he started the flow of water and went to find the end of the hose. "Don't know. I'm already taller than most of my kin. Sit on that bottom step and stretch your legs out."
I obeyed, looking down at my scrawny calves, the skin covered with childish dark fuzz.
I had experimented a few times with shaving my legs, but it hadn't yet become an established routine. I couldn't help comparing them to the smooth tanned legs of the blond girl, and the heat of embarrassment rose inside me.
Approaching me with the hose, Hardy sank to his haunches and warned. "This'll probably sting a little, Liberty."
"That's all right. I—" I stopped, my eyes widening in amazement. "How did you know my name?"
A smile lurked in one corner of his mouth. "It's written on the back of your belt."
Name belts had been popular that year. I had begged Mama to order one for me. We'd chosen pale pink leather with my name tooled in red letters.
I inhaled sharply as Hardy rinsed my knees with a stream of tepid water, washing off the blood and grit. It hurt more than I expected, especially when he passed his thumb over a few stubborn particles of rock to loosen them from my swollen skin.
He made a soothing sound as I flinched, and talked to distract me. "How old are you? Twelve?"
"Fourteen and three quarters."
His blue eyes sparkled. "You're kind of little for fourteen and three quarters."
"Am not." I replied indignantly. "I'm a sophomore this year. How old are you?"
"Seventeen and two fifths."
I stiffened at the gentle mockery, but as I met his gaze, I saw a flicker of playfulness. I had never felt the allure of another human being this strongly, warmth and curiosity mixing to form an unspoken question in the air.
A couple of times in your life, it happens like that. You meet a stranger, and all you know is that you need to know everything about him.
"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" he asked.
"None. It's just me and Mama and her boyfriend."
"Tomorrow if I get a chance, I'll bring my sister. Hannah, to meet you. She can introduce you to some of the kids around here and point out the ones to stay clear of" Hardy took the water off my raw knees, which were now pink and clean.
"What about the one you were just talking to? Is she someone I should stay clear of?"
A flash of a smile. "That's Tamryn. Yeah, stay away from her. She doesn't like other girls much." He went to turn the water off and came back to stand over me as I sat on the doorstep, his dark brown hair spilling over his forehead. I wanted to push it back. I wanted to touch him, not with sensuality but in wonder.
"Are you going home now?" Hardy asked, reaching down for me. Our palms locked. He pulled me to my feet and made certain I was steady before letting go.
"Not yet. I have an errand. A check for Mr. Sadlek." I felt for my back pocket to make sure it was still there.
The name caused a frown to tug between his straight dark brows. "I'll go with you."
"You don't have to," I said, although I felt a surge of shy delight at the offer.
"Yes I do. Your mama should know better than to send you to the front office by yourself."
"I don't understand."
"You will after you meet him." Hardy took my shoulders in his hands and said firmly, "If you ever need to visit Louis Sadlek for any reason, you come get me first."
The grip of his hands was electrifying. My voice sounded breathless as I said, "I wouldn't want to put you to trouble."