Read Heart Strings for Free Online Page B

said, wheeling away.
    Glancing upward, he prayed silently. Please. Let Rosa get a heart in time.
    Turning, she called back over her shoulder, “Next time you come, see if you can pack someone in your bag who can talk 'girl talk' with me.”
    He was the youngest HAH member, and none of the female volunteers were under forty. “If I can't find one, I'll wear my curly wig,” he called.
    She shook her head and kept moving. “You can do better than that, Trippo.”
    Could he? Driving home, he had his doubts, until driving by J's, it hit him that romantic Keely would be very good at “girl talk.”
     
    *****
     

 
     
     
    CHAPTER 5
     
     
    How would it feel to have Tripp's arms around her? If they danced together, her head would probably just reach his shoulder. She'd promised to dance with him, so it wasn't if they danced, but when . When and where?
    Today was the last day of school and the room was so hot you could fry bologna on the hardwood floor. With five minutes until last period ended, Mr. Cranbrook was actually lecturing. The man was unreal.
    Maybe she should have asked Tripp to join them at J's today. It wasn't the weekend so they couldn't dance, but he might have liked meeting some of the kids. But what if someone gave it away that she dated Mark? She'd decided it would be silly to tell him days after they met. But if someone else told him, he'd think she was dishonest. She should have brought it up that first day, when he was looking for the Jefferson house.
    “Miss Johannsen?” Mr. Cranbrook loomed over her. Sweat stained the pits of his shirt. At least, he'd had sense enough to take off his moth-ball-smelling jacket. “What's your opinion?”
    “Uh … I'm afraid I wasn't listening.” Might as well admit it. In five minutes she was out of there for the year. She really should have asked Tripp.
    “Miss Johannsen,” Cranbrook bellowed, just as Megan kicked Keely's chair, “if you can't remain in this world for even a minute during class, you'll have to stay after school.”
    The bell rang and the class burst out of the room, cheering and hollering. Last period, last day. He couldn't mean stay. She stood up.
    “Sit down,” Cranbrook growled.
    She looked around for Megan, who shrugged and mouthed the words, “See you at J's.” In seconds, everyone else was gone. The noise of feet and voices faded in the distance, out the doors. A few lockers clanged. Silence.
    Cranbrook wagged a finger in her face. “You have to snap out of it, young lady.”
    She opened her mouth to ask what, but he shook his head. “You listen to me. You were a bright, alert girl before Mark's unfortunate accident.”
    Keely swallowed hard. She didn't want to hear this.
    “I know it was hard for you, and we're all sorry. Even those of us whom Mark conned and connived against.” Cranbrook managed a tight little smile. “But daydreaming won't bring him back, Keely.” She looked up sharply. Old Cranbrook had never used her first name before. His expression softened. “Do yourself a favor and join the living.”
     
    *****
     
    Bummed, Keely cried in one of the bathroom stalls, then splashed cold water on her face and left Branburg High. She didn't feel like going to J's now. The weird thing was, she hadn't been thinking about Mark when Cranbrook caught her. She'd been thinking about Tripp, which meant she was even more messed up than her history teacher thought.
    “Hey, Red.” Will Laughlin stepped out from beneath a shade tree on the corner of the school lawn. “How about a Monster Dog? I've got the cash.”
    “I don't think so, Will. I'm not in the mood.”
    “It'll make you feel better,” he said, tapping her on the head. “Unless you'd rather go to J's. The rest of your crowd is probably there.”
    Her crowd. Megan, Devon, his buddy Lyle and his girl Susie, and probably her friend Linda and boyfriend David. Keely didn't care that much about any of them except Megan. She'd never been a “crowd” person, but she had