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happening, Dick had torn the page free and ripped it in two. Even my mom looked surprised. Dick folded the scraps of paper in half and tore them again.
    â€œIf you didn’t draw the picture, then you won’t miss it,” Dick said with a smile. He dropped the scraps into the trash can, where they fluttered to the bottom like broken butterflies. I stared at Dick, wondering if he’d lost his mind. “There’s no sense in getting everyone riled up over something silly like a picture. Now there won’t be any more nightmares.” Dick patted my shoulder like he was getting ready to tuck me in. He smiled at my mom. “Now, don’t you get riled up either. She wouldn’t be a normal teenager if she wasn’t doing something to upset you.”
    â€œI think we’ve had enough excitement for one day,” my mom said. She took Dick’s hand and they left. I knew once they got back to their bedroom she was going to talk to him about how important it was to have a united front against my art. It made me want to scream.
    But I couldn’t. Nathaniel was still standing there awkwardly, looking as though he had just realized we were alone and that he was only wearing boxers. I could tell Nathaniel was one of those people who liked to be in control, and being stranded half naked in my room wasn’t exactly in his comfort zone. I couldn’t help enjoying the moment. It was nice to have him as the one who felt out of place for a change.
    â€œWhy did you come up to my room?” I asked.
    â€œYou were screaming.”
    â€œI meant before, when you turned out the lights.”
    â€œI came up to apologize.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I was out of line earlier. Being mad at you for any of this doesn’t make sense.”
    I hadn’t been sure what he was going to say, but I hadn’t been expecting an apology.
    â€œIt’s okay. It’s a weird situation.”
    â€œDid you …” Nathaniel broke off what he was going to say. He chewed on his lower lip while he looked out the window. It was unbelievably sexy.
    God, I would kill for him to chew on my lower lip like that. Yeah, right. That was about as likely as my mom gushing over my artwork. Still, I couldn’t help admiring the muscles in his arms and chest while he was temporarily preoccupied. He was definitely hot enough to be a model, and the brooding look on his face didn’t hurt a bit. I wondered what he was thinking about, staring off into the rainy night like that.
    â€œDid I what?” I prompted.
    He looked back at me as if he was surprised to see I was still there. Somehow, I doubted he’d been lost in a lip nibbling fantasy.
    â€œNever mind. Good night.” He slipped out the doorway, and I could hear his bare feet slapping against the wooden stairs.
    I was alone again.
    Well, not completely alone. I still had Mr. Stripes, everyone’s favorite zebra. He was sitting on the window seat, sort of flopped over like he was also exhausted by the events of the day.
    I sat up straight. The last time I had seen Mr. Stripes was when I’d put him under the bed. What was he doing on the window seat? I swallowed and then leaned over slowly. I took a deep breath and yanked up the bed skirt. Nothing. Just a couple of dust bunnies. I must have moved him before I fell asleep. I looked back over at the zebra.
    â€œMr. Stripes?” The zebra just lay there. He didn’t look like the kind of stuffed animal that would move across the room by himself. But then I remembered the picture.
    I crossed the room and fished the scraps of the drawing out of the trash. I assembled them like puzzle pieces on the desktop until they were back in order. It was as I remembered it, Mr. Stripes in the same position on the window seat. Only in the picture he was leaning on a book. I looked around slowly. If the book suddenly appeared, I was fully preparedto leave the house and sleep in the