The Crystal's Curse by Vicky de Leo Page A

cleaned up and changed shirts. He looked in the mirror. His lip was split on the inside. The ache in his side told him he probably had a bruised rib. However, once the swelling went down, no one would be able to tell anything had happened. He felt sure Frank and his friends wouldn’t be telling anyone about this fight.
    Joshua went to the music room and sat down at the piano. Somehow, his fingers played the notes while his mind reviewed the fight. He hadn’t been in that many fights himself, and yet he’d felt confident that he would have no trouble defeating them, even though they were significantly outnumbered. Where had all this newfound strength and confidence come from? Joshua’s right hand strayed to his pocket, searching for the crystal. He fingered it while he wondered if Frank would dare to confront him again. Joshua was certain of only one thing, Frank or no Frank, he intended to go on seeing Sara.
    The next day at school Joshua made a point of meeting Nathan coming out of the class he shared with Sara. They all went to lunch.
    Unwrapping her sandwich, Sara said, “You know, I kind of feel sorry for Frank.”
    “Why,” they both asked.
    “Well, I saw him this morning. No, don’t worry, he didn’t come anywhere near me,” she said when they both visibly tensed. “But I noticed that he had a split lip and a black eye. I didn’t really mean to hit him that hard.”
    Nathan choked on his coke. Joshua stifled a chuckle with a cough. He turned away to reach over and slap Nathan on the back. When Joshua was more in control of his face, he turned back to Sara and said, “Seriously, you really should watch that temper.”
    She looked confused, but let it go.
    The three of them had lunch together for the next couple of days. After that, Nathan made sure he had other plans, leaving Joshua and Sara alone. Frank kept his distance, but Joshua and Nathan knew that it wasn’t over.

Chapter Eight
     
    Sara and Joshua continued to lunch together. So far, most of their conversations had centered on their classes, schoolwork, and a critique of the teachers. When Sara asked Joshua where he grew up, he’d given her a brief description of his nomadic childhood. When he’d asked, she’d replied simply, Arizona, and then changed the subject. Joshua felt a growing need to know this fascinating, yet contradictory woman. He’d felt the softness of her touch, seen the ferocity of her temper. He’d watched her confidently debate a science theory with Nathan, and in the next instant recede into shyness when surrounded by people she didn’t know.
    One day at lunch, after exhausting the usual topics, he asked, “Most of the students here live in the dorms. I’m living with my grandfather because I transferred in at the last minute. You chose not to live in the dorm. Why?”
    Concentrating on picking apart the remains of her sandwich, she answered, “I guess you could say I’ve never been very social. I’m not into drinking or partying. I chose to major in Physics because I wanted to do research alone in a lab. I’m hoping that if my grades are good enough, I won’t need to network or build a political base to get a job. I needed a quiet place to study away from distractions.” She looked up at him. “Living with my grandmother is easy. There’s no pressure from her to make sure I have a balanced life, make friends and date, like there was at home. My grandmother’s a doctor; actually, she’s one of the foremost authorities on Neurology in the country, so she’s gone a lot. I like being alone.”
    “Why Harvard?”
    “I got a full scholarship. It’ll look good on my resume and I get to live with my grandmother.”
    “One of the reasons I wanted to go to college was so that I could have a social life. I’ve traveled with my parents my whole life. I’ve never really had a chance to make friends or date. You don’t date?” he asked.
    She bristled. Her eyes flashed. “I’ve been on dates.”
    Joshua smiled and