Blind Loyalty - M J Marlow (i am reading a book .txt) 📗

in delight. They were both so perfect she was nearly tempted to guess wrong, but she had made her choice. She laid her hand on Patrick’s shoulder as she came back around. “This one,” she smiled over at Sarah; who nodded and clapped her hands. “This is Patrick.” “What was that all about?” Patrick asked as Glory walked away, golden hair bouncing. He certainly liked the view, he thought as he turned to see his cousin laughing up at him. “Midget?” “She’s just laid her claim to you, Patrick,” Sarah smiled at her cousin. “Glory has decided that you are taking her to the Homecoming Dance.” She saw him choke and she laughed in delight. “Lucky you!” She looked at Ryan. “Now we just have to find you a date…” “You really think I can’t get my own date, Midget?” Ryan laughed and ruffled her hair. “For your information, pest, I asked Sabrina Wong last week.” She looked at him expectantly. “She said yes.” He chucked her under the chin. “Who are you going with, cousin?” “Trance Danvers,” Sarah said firmly. They laughed at her and she hit them in the arm. “Don’t laugh. He is every bit as good-looking as you are, and he is brilliant! He’s just a little bit awkward in social situations.” “Awkward?” Ryan teased her. “He turns scarlet when he sees a girl coming his way!” “He’ll have a heart attack if you talk to him.” Patrick laughed. “You’ll be arrested for involuntary manslaughter.” He frowned as she hit him. “Ow! That hurt!” He saw the coach glaring at them. “We have to get back to practice, cousin. If you’re serious about the mutton head, go for it.” Sarah hit him one more time for effect and went back to the squad. As she continued to warm up she noticed that Trance Danvers was seated in the bleachers with the Chess Team. That was different; they never came outside for their meetings. She caught him watching her and she smiled at him. He reddened but returned her smile. He said something to his friends and got to his feet. Sarah continued warming up as he approached her, trying hard not to squeal as he stopped and crouched down so they were eye-to-eye. “You’re not playing games with me,” he asked her bluntly; “are you Sarah Winbourne?" “That’s not who I am, Trance Danvers,” Sarah replied seriously. She pulled her leg up over her head and saw him gulp. “I like you,” she said honestly as she did the same with her other leg, “and if you were to ask me to the Homecoming Dance,” she continued as she went into a back arch; “I would not say no.” “You wouldn’t?” Trance said in a small voice filled with wonder. He seemed to grow then and Sarah was impressed. “Then would you be my date, Sarah?” “I would love to, Trance,” Sarah beamed up at him as she went into the splits. He turned bright red and turned away from her. “Pick me up at my house after the game.” She watched him nod and return to his friends in a trance. He told them what she had said and they looked at her in shock. Sarah waved and smiled at them and they all went red. She laughed and got up to join the rest of the squad. George laughed as he saw her looking at Trance. “I fail to see what there is about that nerd that appeals to you,” George said as he put out his hands for her foot. “He has a brain,” Sarah laughed as the whistle blew and she stepped backwards into his hold and went into the pose the routine called for as he lifted her up. “Unlike certain jocks I could name.” She hissed as his hand shifted. “That is not where your hand goes, Jensen,” she said sweetly as she dropped back down to the ground, “unless you want to lose it!” Aidan and Joanna went into the tumbling run and she was impressed with how graceful their movements were. They moved in perfect unison as if they were bound to each other and everyone was clapping when they were through. Sarah noted a man sitting in the bleachers watching and he opened a notebook and wrote something down, smiling. A scout? He was there through the entire routine but the pen only moved when Aidan and Joanna were front and center. She frowned as she saw how it moved. The man was taking photographs! “Let’s try it with the music this time,” Glory said after they got through the routine without an error. She nodded to the coach and everyone took their positions. The music started and they moved through the routine effortlessly. “You guys are awesome!” Trance said as he came up to them afterwards. “You should be entering competitions with routines like that.” He turned to Sarah. It was amazing to her how confident he suddenly was. She liked this Trance a lot. “I thought you might like to join me at the ice cream parlor, Sarah.” “I’d love to, Trance,” Sarah smiled. “Just let me shower and change and I’ll meet you back here.” She looked over at Joanna and Aidan. “Do you mind if my cousin joins us?” Trance shook his head. “Joey?” Joanna looked over and nodded. “Ice cream parlor? You, me, Trance, Aidan?” Joanna looked at Aidan and he nodded. Joanna nodded and Sarah smiled at Trance. “Fifteen minutes?” “Fifteen minutes,” Trance nodded. He saw George Jensen glaring at him and, for once, he did not cower. Sarah liked him! That thought made him feel ten feet tall and he liked the feeling. He was waiting alone on the bleachers when George came out of the locker room with his three cronies. They walked up and sat down around him. “You’re looking where you shouldn’t be, nerd,” George said coldly as he glared at Trance. “You’re a smart guy. You know she’s only playing with you.” “Not true,” Sarah’s voice cut through the air like a knife. George and his friends turned to see her, Joanna, and Aidan standing behind them. “If you’re through being a complete idiot, Jensen, why don’t you and your boyfriends go find someone else to annoy?” They moved off and Sarah linked arms with Trance. “Could he be any more infantile?” “I wouldn’t needle him too much, Sarah,” Trance warned her. “George can be really cruel when he’s not getting his way.” “Are you saying you would let a no-brain like George Jensen,” Sarah asked him bluntly; “keep you from being my friend, Trance?” She looked at him closely and then shook her head. “I don’t believe you would.” “I’m more worried about what he might pull with you, Sarah,” Trance told her as they moved towards the parking lot. She looked at him in disbelief. “He could drop you during that routine ‘accidentally’ and hurt you…” “Then he would end up being hurt himself,” Sarah broke in firmly; “because if I didn’t hurt him…” “I would,” Joanna and Aidan said together. They looked at each other and laughed. “So don’t you go worrying about Jensen,” Aidan told Trance. “He’s a bully, but we are not the kind of people he can victimize.” They were at the ice cream parlor when Joanna remembered she had a meeting with her father and Aidan had to come along. Sarah caught her cousin’s wink and reminded herself to thank Joanna for that. She spent the next two hours getting to know her new friend. At the end of it she was certain she had made a good choice. He was shy, but funny and quite brilliant. There wasn’t anything that Trance did not know about. When she got home, Joanna was waiting for her in their room. “I take it the date went well?” Joey smiled as she saw Sarah’s eyes dancing with joy.” “Thank you, Joey,” Sarah beamed as she threw her arms around her cousin’s neck. “He is wonderful! I think I’ve found my heart-mate.” Joanna looked up from her mother’s photo album dubiously and Sarah smiled. “He’s not like any other boy I have ever known, Joey,” Sarah sighed. “He’s good looking and brilliant and funny. He makes me feel happy just being near him.” She clasped her hands to her breast. “I tell you, cousin. This is it! I am in love with Trance Danvers!” “Then I suppose you want to know he’s on the phone?” Patrick laughed as he stuck his head in the door. Sarah squealed and ran downstairs to the phone. He sat down on her bed and shook his head. “She’s got it bad, doesn’t she?” He looked at Joanna. “What about you, little sister?” “Aidan?” Joanna shrugged. “I like him,” she said after a few moments thought. “He is very thoughtful and gentle. But I’m not ready for more than friendship; not at sixteen.” “You’re like Ryan,” Patrick nodded. “Quiet and cautious; you’ll always feel things intensely and deeply.” He patted her knee as she smiled at him. “Aidan is a good guy, Joey. He will treat you right and if you aren’t meant to be more than friends, he won’t push it.” He quieted a moment and Joanna paid attention. Patrick serious was serious. “I saw you two during your tumbling run. You both should be on the gymnastics team, not the cheerleading squad.” “I like the cheerleading squad,” Joanna replied. “I’m not ready for anything as intense as the gymnastics team.” But she felt happy at his compliment. She had been hearing from several people that she was very good at what she considered fun. “The coach came up to me a few days ago and talked to me about joining.” “And you turned him down?” Patrick was amazed. “Mr. Turner is a former Olympian, Joey. If he thinks you have talent, he will not rest until he sees you fulfilling your potential.” He watched her bite her lip, the sign she was upset about something. “What’s wrong, Joey?” “The trial starts next week, Patrick,” Joanna said sadly. “What if my Father is acquitted? I’ll be going back to him then and he says he’ll be taking me to London.” She could feel the tears starting and bit her lip. “I won’t be here anymore.” “That’s – nice,” Patrick frowned. He saw the clock. “It’s getting late, Joey. We should be asleep.” He got up and kissed her on the cheek. “Goodnight, little sister.” Joanna smiled at him warmly. She really did love having a family all her own, she thought as she went to get ready for bed. She was going to miss them when she left. She hoped her father would let her return to school and spend time with them when they came back from England. She had made a lot of really good friends here in Maverick and she hated the thought of being cut off from them. “Are you certain that’s what she said, Patrick?” Rachel asked as she and her siblings sat at the kitchen table with Judge Winbourne sharing tea before bed. “Word for word,” Patrick replied as he went to get himself some juice. “It’s spooky the way she’s turned 180 degrees from the way she felt before. She’s acting like he is a good person who can do no wrong, instead of the bastard who hurt her.” He frowned. “I don’t like it.” “None of us do,” Adam nodded. He looked at the clock. “Bedtime, son. We’ll take this on now.” He saw Patrick’s frown. “We’ll let you know if there is anything you can do to help, Patrick.” He frowned at his son, as Patrick remained rooted to the spot. “Bed,” he snapped and brought Patrick to attention. “Now.” “Yes, sir,” Patrick nodded. He went to the tower chamber he shared with his brother without another word. “He’s a good boy,” Lora smiled as she put some