Unfaded by Sarah Ripley Page B

phone and mixing in with the toothpaste in my sink.
                 
                                                            *              *              *
     
    Kian drove up to my house at exactly noon. Fortunately, Dad and Marley were gone with Granny and there was no one around to witness my crime. I was out the door the second his car pulled to a stop: no need for horn blowing or coming up to the porch. I still had neighbours to think about.
                  “Hi,” I said, sitting down in the passenger seat and putting on my belt.
                  “Ready for action?” he asked. Glancing at me, he nodded as if he approved. “I’m glad you listened to me and dressed warm. I’ve noticed that most of the girls here seem to dress as if they’re ready for the beach. I saw a girl in shorts earlier. I kid you not.”
                  I was wearing my thickest winter jacket and a pair of boots. In my lap I held my fuzzy hat and a pair of matching mittens. I knew what he was talking about. I lot of kids my age seemed to believe that dressing warm was something that wimps did. It wasn’t uncommon to see a lot of girls at the mall dressed in summer clothing this time of year. Half the time their knees were knocking together and their lips were turning blue but if you asked them, they’d deny being cold. I never quite understood that. I liked not having frostbite.
                  “So where are we going?” I asked.
                  “It’s a secret.”
                  “Do I get a hint?”
                  “Nope.”
                  Putting the car in gear, he pulled out into the street. It didn’t take me long to realise we were heading out of town. There were only two ways out, one was past my Dad’s shop and the other was by taking the low road that circled around the town that only the locals used. It was a longer but more private. I was surprised that Kian knew about it and thrilled that he chose that route because it meant we were less likely to be spotted by anyone I knew.
                  “You’re really getting to know your way around,” I said to him.
                  “I like to know my exits,” was his response. Mysterious. Just like him.
                  We headed west on Route Seven which was away from the ski mountain. There was nothing out in that direction, the closest city was at least three hours away. The ocean was along the same route but I couldn’t imagine going there either. I had to admit, my curiosity was piqued. I leaned back in the seat and stole glances at him and tried not to look obvious. He seemed to watch everything at once. One second he’d study the road in front of him, the next he’d check the rear view mirror. Often he’d glance out into the trees as we zoomed by. He was very alert. But he didn’t say a word. I found myself wondering when he was going to talk. I raked my mind trying to come up with some conversation. It had been so much easier to talk in Ms. Gray’s class in front of all those students. Out on the road, being alone made it harder. The car filled with a thick air that I knew wasn’t coming out of the heating vent.
                  This wasn’t like me. Normally I could talk the ear off an elephant.
                  “You got a new car,” I finally said after a few minutes. It was the best I could come up.
                  “Yeah, the old one was kinda written off,” he said with a grin.
                  “This one’s much nicer,” I said. “I think it was even built during this century. It has a heater that works and everything!”
                  “Ha-ha. Keep it up and I’ll put you in the trunk.” He gave me a very wicked smile that warmed my