Christy took a deep breath. She thought about the way Rick had treated her so tenderly when she p.r.i.c.ked her finger in the car. Todd never would have responded that way. Todd had never said the things to her that Rick said tonight. Rick wanted her to be his girlfriend, and yes, maybe deep down she liked the thought of him being her boyfriend.

"I don't know, Heather. You could be right."

"It's just hard because you probably feel bad about Todd finding out this way. That's not your fault. You didn't try to make it happen like this. Besides, I've known Todd a long time, and I hope I don't hurt your feelings when I say this, but Todd will probably get over you a lot quicker than you'll get over him. He's that way."

"You could be right."

They both were silent for a moment, and then Heather said, "Come on. Everyone's anxious to see you. Let's go join the party and let whatever is going to happen, happen."

Christy rummaged in her purse for her cosmetic bag and did a quick fix on her makeup. Then with Heather nudging her out the door, she walked slowly down the hallway.

When they entered the living room, Christy saw Rick but not Todd. Rick had wasted no time in becoming the center of attention in a circle of six girls.

"Look, you guys!" Heather broke Rick's spell on them. "Christy's here!"

"Hi!"

"How you doing, Christy?"

"You look great!"

Each girl had a warm greeting, but none of them moved from her spot. Turning back to Rick, they urged him to continue his story.

Rick looked up briefly, shrugged his shoulders, and gave Christy a wink.

"Come on," Heather said. "Tracy's in the kitchen. Let's go in there."

Yeah, and Todd's probably in there too. Am I ready to face him? What am I so nervous about? Everything Heather said made sense when she said it. Why don't I feel convinced now?

Tracy had her back to them, pulling out soft drink cans from the refrigerator. Turning around, she closed the door with her foot.

That's when Christy caught a glimpse of Todd, sitting in a kitchen chair, talking to Doug.

"Christy!" Tracy threw her arm around Christy's neck in a hug, almost knocking her in the head with a soda can. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She laughed. "I'm so glad you're here. Todd said you'd be at your aunt and uncle's tomorrow, but I didn't think you could come tonight."

Doug jumped into the conversation from his chair next to Todd. "Yeah, I told them how I found you and Rick going through the trash cans at my restaurant and how I felt sorry for you and brought you here."

"Very funny," said Heather. "Just because you guys don't know the meaning of taking a girl out for a nice dinner doesn't give you the right to make fun of those who do."

Christy suddenly remembered the last time she had been with these friends for a party. It was last New Year's, and she had worn this same black dress. Only that night she had come with Todd. And that was the night Todd had given her the bracelet. Right now, it all seemed like a lifetime ago.

She couldn't look at Todd. To make sure their eyes didn't meet, she kept looking down at her wound, pretending that her finger needed much more attention than it did.

Tracy followed her line of sight. "Do you want a Band-Aid for that? We have one right here." She pulled one out of a drawer.

I think I might need a Band-Aid for my heart. If I look at Todd, my heart will start bleeding all over the floor.

As soon as the Band-Aid was in place, Tracy handed Christy a soft drink. "Come in my room. I want to show you something."

Christy gladly turned her back on Todd and followed Heather and Tracy. Tracy shut the door, flipped on the light, and turned to Christy with huge eyes. "Where did you find him?"

"Rick?"

"That's Rick? The one you told me about from your school? I couldn't believe it when Doug said you guys were having dinner at the Villa Nova. And look at you. You're so dressed up! Tell me everything."

Christy began the story again for Tracy while Heather willingly filled in any missing details. Tracy listened carefully, and Heather concluded with the part about how Christy must have really wanted to be Rick's girlfriend or else she wouldn't have said yes when he asked her.

"Is that how you feel?" Tracy asked.

"I think so. Everything has happened so fast, I'm not sure what I feel."

"He seems like a really nice guy and a perfect gentleman," Tracy said. "I didn't realize you liked him this much though."

"It's weird. We were friends for so long because I wasn't old enough to date, so it never became anything more."

"Isn't that the best way for relationships to be?" Heather said. "Friends first, then boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I guess. I've never been in this situation before."

"I think you're in the best situation possible. You're good friends, he's older than you, he's totally gorgeous, and he's a Christian too! What else could you ask for?"

When Heather said that, something melted inside of Christy. Heather was right. What more could she ask for? Why was she holding back? She should feel honored that Rick had picked her and waited so long to date her. It would be foolish to let her crush on Todd keep her from experiencing a real relationship with a guy who wanted to be her boyfriend and had already proved, more than once, how much he cared for her.

With her heart beginning to fill with excitement, Christy explained, "He's going to San Diego State, so we'll see each other only on weekends. He's got all these fun ideas of things for us to do. He said he started to make lists of ideas for dates more than six months ago, since he had to wait so long for me to be old enough to date."

"I ask you," Heather said with her eyes all sparkling, "what other guy on this planet would do that? He sounds like a dream come true. I'm glad you woke up quickly enough to realize it! And see how much better you feel about everything now that you've thought it through? You should have heard her in the bathroom, Tracy. Rambling on about how roses have thorns. I thought she was going to pa.s.s out on me!"

Christy laughed. "I wasn't used to the idea of having a boyfriend, I guess. You know what I was thinking, don't you? Rick is like the rose, but having to see Todd and everything was like the thorn."

Tracy's heart-shaped face took on a serious expression. "You were right, Christy. That's exactly how going steady is. It's a rose with a thorn, because when you break up, either you get hurt or the other person gets hurt. There's no way around it." Then she added thoughtfully, "Most of the time, you both get hurt."

Heather cheerfully interrupted, "That's why I said you shouldn't think it's a problem with Todd. I mean, how can you break up when you two were never really going together? It's not the same thing as what you've got with Rick."

Just then someone tapped softly on the door. "I hate to break it up in there." Rick's voice came through the closed door and filled Tracy's bedroom. "But I need to get my girlfriend home."

"Girlfriend," Heather whispered, and the three of them made gleeful faces and squeezed each others' arms.

"I'll be right there, Rick," Christy answered.

"You'll be at your aunt and uncle's tomorrow, right?" Tracy asked.

Christy nodded, pushing away the thought that she was supposed to meet Todd at noon tomorrow.

"Do you want to try to get together?"

"Sure. I'll be around, and I don't have anything else going on." Now that I've shown up here with Rick, I'm sure Todd won't be calling me tomorrow.

"I'll give you a call, then," Tracy promised and opened her bedroom door.

Rick stood in the hallway with his arms folded across his chest, comically looking up at the ceiling and whistling. "Oh, Christy, the invisible party girl."

"I'm sorry. We were just talking."

Rick took her by the hand and led the way to the front door. "Bye, everyone. Nice meeting you. We'll see you later!" he called out as they made their exit.

Doug surfaced from the kitchen, but Todd stayed behind. Something in the back of Christy's mind said, See? If Todd really cared about me, he'd try to talk to me before I left. If he really wanted a relationship with me the way Rick does, he'd fight for me. But he's letting me go. He doesn't really care, and he'll never care for me the way Rick does.

Doug shook hands with Rick. "Hey, we'll see you on campus next week. Christy, you didn't tell me your boyfriend was going to my school."

"You let me know if that other guy drops out of your apartment," Rick said. "I'd much rather live there than in the dorms."

"I will," Doug promised. "He has until Monday to turn in his money, and if he doesn't, he's out of there. It'd be great to have another Christian in our apartment.

This is too bizarre. It's like Rick is stepping in instantly to take Todd's place in my life, even by buddying up with Doug.

Rick waved to all the girls, then whisked Christy out the door and to the car. "Now tell me how to get to your aunt and uncle's."

Christy directed, and Rick drove the few blocks to the beachfront house.

"We only have a few more minutes before you have to go in," Rick said. "How about a quick walk on the beach?"

"You're sure we have time?"

"Positive. Come on!" Rick opened her door and, taking her hand, led her down the pavement to where the sand began.

They slipped off their shoes, and Rick put them on top of a concrete-block wall. "Remind me where I'm leaving these." He grabbed Christy's hand again and pulled her onto the sand.

"Come on!" He began to run, tugging Christy along beside him.

"Wait! Wait!" Christy cried out, coming to a halt next to a fire pit. "I'm getting sand in my nylons!"

Rick laughed as she tried to brush off the sand. Christy cautiously sat on the rim of a fire pit and wiggled her toes to get rid of the particles. She looked up at Rick then, noticing her surroundings, jumped up from the edge of the fire pit as if it had suddenly turned hot.

I can't believe it! Of all the fire pits on the beach, why did I stop by this one? I shouldn't be here with Rick. This is where Todd and I had breakfast on Christmas morning!

"Come on." Christy sprinted toward the water. "I'll race you!"

They ran through the sand together until they were a few yards from the water's edge. Rick, with a spurt of energy, sprinted ahead of her. Turning at the sh.o.r.eline, he opened his arms and caught her.

"No fair," Christy said breathlessly. "The sand in my nylons slowed me down."

"So, what do you want? Best two out of three?"

The lacy edge of a wave crawled up and without warning grabbed their feet with its cold fingers.

Christy let out a tiny squeal of surprise and scampered up to higher ground.

"Look," Rick said, following her and pointing up to the sky, "it's a wishing moon."

Christy looked at the tiny sliver of bright alabaster. "A wishing moon?"

"Yeah," Rick said, "there's so little of it left you have to quickly make a wish on it before it completely disappears."

Christy smiled. "When my brother was little, he used to call that kind of moon 'G.o.d's fingernail' because it kind of looks like a fingernail when you bite it off. I remember the first time he saw it like that, and he said, 'Hey, G.o.d bit off His fingernail and left it in the sky.'"

Apparently not too amused by her story, Rick said, "Come on. Close your eyes and make a wish."

Christy played along, tilting her head toward the moon and closing her eyes. Before she could think of what to wish for, Rick kissed her.

She opened her eyes and saw Rick grinning.

"I got my wish!" he said.

"We'd better get back," Christy said quickly. Everything was going too fast again, and she wanted to retreat to the safety of her room at Bob and Marti's so she could think it all through.

"I'm sure we have more time." Rick reached over and held Christy. "Come here and tell me what you wished."

Christy nervously pulled away. "I don't want to be late. You know how strict my dad is. I really don't want to get in trouble."

"Okay, okay," Rick said, letting go. They turned to walk back, and he slipped his arm around her shoulders. "You cold?"

"Not really." The truth was, she was burning up. After running and being kissed like that and now meshing her feet through the sand with Rick's arm around her, how could she possibly be cold?

Christy wrapped her arm around Rick's middle. She had always felt tall and awkward because of her height. At this moment, with her arm around Rick and his strong arm around her, she felt pet.i.te and secure.

"How are you getting back to Escondido tomorrow?" Rick asked.

"My uncle is going to take me."

"You tell him to save his gas money. I'll come get you."

"But Rick, it's an hour-and-a-half drive."

"So?"

"You don't have to come back for me." Christy could feel his arm tighten around her shoulders, and she knew it was pointless to object.

"What time do you want me to come?"

"I don't know. What's convenient for you?"

"I'll be here at five o'clock," Rick said as they arrived at the pavement and he retrieved their shoes.

Christy noticed someone standing on the sidewalk by Rick's car, looking down the street. They walked a few feet closer, and she realized it was her uncle.

"Good evening," Bob said in his dry way as they met him at the car. "Nice night, isn't it?"

"It's not eleven yet, is it?" Christy asked, hiding her embarra.s.sment that her uncle was outside looking for her.