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responded, and
suddenly felt like an underachiever. “But for fun I like to run,
play volleyball, tennis, bowl, and swim.”
    He tugged at his chin. “Sounds like you’re
definitely into sports.”
    “Except basketball,” Karin said almost
guiltily. “I was never very good at it. Maybe I would have been if
I’d had an older brother or if my Dad hadn’t given up the sport
after hurting himself in college.”
    “Your father shot hoops in college, huh?”
    “Yeah. He wasn’t on the team or anything, but
played intramural ball.”
    “That’s cool. So did mine. But his main thing
was baseball. He got as far as the minor leagues before realizing
he wasn’t good enough to make it to the pros.”
    Karin tasted the beer. It wasn’t the first
time she had beer. It was definitely an acquired taste, and one
that she had yet to embrace.
    “Is it your dream to play in the NBA?” she
asked. She wondered if his father was living vicariously through
him.
    Reese put the cup to his mouth. “No, not
really. I mean, I probably wouldn’t turn my back on it if they
wanted to offer me a zillion dollars to play. But that’s probably a
long shot. Right now, I just want to graduate, go to college, and
maybe even law school. But I’m more interested in corporate law
than criminal law.”
    Karin was impressed and liked him even more
as she got to know him.
    “What about you?” he asked. “You plan to go
to college?”
    Before she could answer, they were
interrupted by a group of people led by Cheryl Green. They
surrounded the gazebo like a posse, with Cheryl stepping
inside.
    “We wondered where you had disappeared to,
Reese,” she murmured in a disappointed voice.
    “Just getting some fresh air,” he said, and
sucked in a deep breath as if to illustrate his point.
    “Well, the party is pretty much dead without
you,” she whined.
    “Oh, yeah?”
    “Yeah.” She looked at the others surrounding
the gazebo. “Am I lying, or what?”
    “She’s right on time,” said one boy with a
big Afro.
    Another bellowed, “C’mon, man, let’s take the par-tee back inside.”
    Reese furrowed his brow at Cheryl and then
turned to Karin. “Guess we’d better rejoin the party.”
    She could hardly argue the point, all things
considered. Karin saw the smug look of satisfaction on Cheryl’s
face and tried to ignore it. As if that were possible, since it was
exactly what Cheryl had wanted to happen.
    Karin stood up, and followed Reese out of the
gazebo. She wondered how Lesley was doing with Marcus. Or had
Cheryl tried to sabotage their burgeoning relationship, too?
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Karin ran alongside Lesley on a well-worn
path through the park that was filled with numerous trees of all
shapes and sizes. It was a chilly afternoon and some other runners
were out as well; along with a few dogs that the owners had the
decency to have on leashes.
    “Can you believe Cheryl?” Karin asked, still
fuming over her antics last night when she was alone with Reese and
Cheryl had ended it prematurely. “She’ll obviously stop at nothing
to keep Reese from me or apparently any other girl.”
    “He’s not that dense, Karin,” Lesley said,
panting. “Maybe he likes having her around. Like an insurance
policy, in case things don’t work out with someone better.”
    “Or maybe Reese just doesn’t know how to tell
Cheryl that it’s all over for good between them,” Karin suggested,
though she hoped he had made it clear when they broke up.
    Lesley scoffed at the notion. “It doesn’t
really matter what he tells her or who she chooses to believe.
Reese obviously likes you now and you like him. Sooner or
later Cheryl will get tired of the boring chase and go after
someone else, but it better not be Marcus. Not that he’s in to
me—not yet, anyway. But talking last night was a first step. I also
agreed to tutor him with his geometry.”
    “It’s always a bonus when you happen to be
smart,” Karin said, starting to get a bit winded