Chapter 1
September 1983
Lexie sat in the front seat of her mom’s car with her arms crossed staring at the front gate of yet another new school. This school is some kind of magnate school instead of a “traditional” school. " It’s really small for a school that has kindergarten through 12th grade.” She grumbled. ”
"Your brother goes here, the principal thought it would help him this year if you were here too.” Her mom explained. "Oh and you call your teachers by their firsts names.” She added hoping that might interest her daughter. “That’s just totally weird.” Lexie rolled her eyes. Ok so new school 7th grade, here we go again. Lexie sighed getting out of the blue Nissan Sentra.
Her first period was Health her teachers name was Sue. Lexie had to admit Sue was totally awesome. Tall, thin, long dark hair, fair skin- all the guys like her she looks like a model. Lexie found a seat near the back of the class because she felt safer being close to the door and also no one pays much attention to the quiet kid that way. Didn’t happen today.
As soon as the bell rang she was bombarded by some jerk throwing spit balls and waded up paper at the back of her head. Every once in a while she heard a remark about her hair and freckles, oh and the mouth full of metal… she’d heard them all before. At least no one was calling her Carrie-yet- or throwing things at her. Why did Stephen Kings lead character have to have long red hair and freckles? Give her a mouth full of braces and that would be me in a nut shell.
She did her best to keep her head down and ignore the person behind her, trying to concentrate on the assignment on self-esteem of all the topics one could cover in health today its self-esteem….really? When the enormous shoes appeared on either side of my head resting on the back of my chair she turned around to see who was tormenting her. Lexie found herself looking into sky blue eyes. Lexie gasped in surprise oh my god! He had the most beautiful eyes, and blonde hair. He was wearing a red Jacket over a white t shirt and blue jeans, and the most mischievous grin on his face! Lexie’s heart skipped a beat then started beating again wildly! And then it happened, her face turned beet red. “Dylan Brennan! Stop disrupting class or you’re going to see Terri in the councilor’s office.” Sue warned him. Dylan smiled and removed his shoes from Lexie’s chair. Who was this girl? He wondered. Dylan couldn’t help but notice her beautiful auburn hair with its blond high lights, it reminded him of flames. And those freckles across the bridge of her nose were cute as hell too, but her eyes! Her eyes were dark green.
Dylan sat behind Lexie all day long in every single class throwing paper balls at her and teasing her about her red hair and freckles. Lexie’s only breaks were during lunch and P.E. Lexie had a lunch pass to go off campus. Dylan, it seemed, did not. All throughout lunch Lexie couldn’t stop thinking about Dylan. His blue eyes were the color of a clear bright summer sky and they were so filled with mischief whenever she caught herself looking back at him in class. After Lunch she had gymnastics for P.E. and Dylan had football practice so he had to go to the field and she got to go to the small bungalow that was designated gymnastics.
This school didn’t have a gymnasium or auditorium like most Jr high and High Schools do so Lexie gratefully changed into her tumbling clothes in the girls bathroom and didn’t think twice about the fact that the bathroom had to two doors one faced the gymnastics bungalow the other faced the P.E field. She could feel him looking at her from the middle of the field. Feeling slightly braver with distance between them she looked up briefly and the dark haired guy next to Dylan yells “Hey red! Did you know you make the walls jealous?” Dylan and the rest of the team seemed to think his friend was pretty funny they all laughed when they walked back to the flag football team huddle. Leave it to me to pick the wrong door to exit out of. And now the football team knew she was a very small B cup. If she was the size of Dolly Parton there would be no way she could participate in gymnastics or even tie her shoes for that matter.
Dylan slapped his dark haired friend on the back of his head as soon as Lexie was out of sight. “Thanks a lot shit head now she thinks I’m an asshole too.” Josh shoved his friend playfully. “Well if you like her so much try talking to her instead of throwing paper at her.”
Lexie was late to gymnastics and had to do extra push-ups for being late. There wasn’t much to that class room either. There was a balance beam and pummel horse that was also used for vaulting practice and there were tumbling mats on the floor. Naturally there were no uneven bars because there wasn’t any place to put them. She sucked suck at floor exercises so she passed the time going over old routines on the balance beam. The only other girl who used the balance beam was a pretty blonde girl with big brown eyes named Sherri. Lexie couldn’t help noticing Sherri was good at everything.
Lexie waited for her brother by the elementary yard gate. She had to walk with him to the school bus now that mom wouldn’t be picking him up anymore since Lexie was there to ride the bus home with him. Garret handed her a yellow slip, “Don’t tell mom and dad ok?” Lexie studied her 6 year old brother carefully before reading the yellow paper. She knew it was a bad behavior slip because Dylan had been sent to the Councilors office twice that day with one for cracking jokes in class. Lexie’s younger brother looked like an angel with his full head of light brown curls and dark brown eyes. But she knew better. According to the slip her brother wouldn’t stay in his seat and left class twice to play on the jungle gym. “Ok, this time I won’t tell them but you have to promise me you will try harder to stay focused and do not leave your classroom.” Garret nodded solemnly at his big sister, then smiled when she looked away to put the paper in her back pack.
The bus ride home seemed to take forever. It didn’t help any that Garret kept bouncing in the seat next to her. “Stop it.” She ordered “Or I will tell mom and dad about your slip.” She warned him. Garret immediately stopped bouncing just as the bus came to a stop at their corner. “Finally!” Lexie huffed rushing out of the bus pulling her brother behind her. “Slow down sissy you’re walking to fast.” Garret pleaded. Lexie kept walking holding tightly to Garrets hand. “It’s only 4 blocks run if you have to.” She replied. Three blocks later Lexie was carrying her worn out brother home.“Mom!” Lexie yelled, “Mom guess what! I know who I’m going to marry.”
The days at school blended together every day it was the same routine. Only now Lexie dreamed about Dylan. All she had to do was concentrate on his face and she fall asleep and dreamt about him. Her mom says guys pick on girls when they like them. Dad says guys at this age are just assholes with wild hormones. Lexie was starting to think her dad was right about the asshole part. How does making someone cry every day translate into I like you? Granny Roo said there was a charm she could make so that he would stop tormenting her. She was supposed to mix the herbs with the ashes of the letter she wrote stating her wishes and place them in an envelope and bury it in his front yard. Lexie didn’t know where he lived, they all rode different busses to school for all she knew he didn’t even live in the valley. Lexie was seriously considering cutting off her hair if it would get him to stop. At least no one has called her Carrie yet here which is nice for once. She didn’t mind being called Sissy Spacek especially after seeing Coal Miners Daughter, but Carrie bothered her.
All you can do is keep lighting my candles for now and repeat the chants Granny Roo told her. Lexie wished she had telekinesis so she could throw things back at Dylan without getting caught. What she could do though was get images and feelings from holding things like keys and sometimes someone’s hand. Granny Roo calls it psychometry maybe if she could hold something of Dylan’s she might get a glimpse into his thoughts and feelings. It would be nice to know what she did wrong for him to pick on her every day.
The paper balls finally stopped but Dylan won’t quit putting his shoes on the back of her chair! This shits getting old. Granny Roo says keep lighting white and purple candles but no black ones. She says Lexie is not disciplined enough to handle the energy from the black candles yet and no more witches ladders either. Granny Roo was totally pissed off when she found out Lexie said the chant and tied the knots that gave Dylan’s friend Josh cramps. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Whatever the reason he stopped making boob jokes for two days.
Dylan wasn’t exactly sure what made him tease Lexie so much, all he knew was that she was pretty damn cute when she blushed. The pink flush in her cheeks made her green eyes glow. Lexie no longer responded when he tossed the wadded up notes at her. In fact she never once picked up any of the papers her threw at her to read the questions he asked her so he finally gave up. He knew the comments about her hair and freckles still got to her attention so he continued daily to call her names like carrot top and alfalfa’s sister.
Everyday Dylan watched Lexie from a distance, his teammates teased him relentlessly for being a coward and not so much as saying hi to her. Josh just didn’t get why Dylan even liked Lexie he pointed out numerous times how tiny her boobs were. They looked just fine to Dylan, after all more than a handfuls a waste. Besides, Lexie was so petite she’d look weird with big boobs like her friends Heather and Franki. Lexie did have one thing they didn’t- a nice round firm ass. Today Dylan watched Lexie on the field during lunch. She was doing front flips and cart wheels with Sherri. Dylan didn’t know Sherri very well but he did know Sherri’s sister, Shannon and Shannon’s boyfriend john. Shannon was pretty hot, especially since she had dark red hair and brown eyes. Dylan made a mental note to start asking Sherri questions about Lexie. Maybe Sherri knew why Lexie Gilbreath wouldn’t give him the time of day.
By the end of the school year Dylan knew Lexie didn’t have a boyfriend, she liked gymnastics even though she wasn’t very graceful on the floor exercises according to Sherri. Lexie was pretty good on the balance beam, but she wished they had uneven bars because that she was very good at and loved according to what she told Sherri. Lexie also liked reading, she wrote poetry, and she was awesome at drawing things, she had a horse, she was in girl scouts. And best of all Sherri said Lexie liked his eyes. She said he was rude too, but she liked his eyes!
