Lucas smiled and shifted back into first, driving away from her
house. ?Who told you the gods were holy?? he asked with a sinister
glint in his eyes. Helen punched him on the arm.
?You just did that to see me freak out, didn?t you?? she asked
indignantly.
?Hey, you?re the one embarrassed by her own father. You?re
pretty cute when you panic,? he said with a huge smile.
Helen tried to smile back at him, but it came out all mangled on
her lips. She had no idea what to think. The use of the word cute
could either encourage her hopes, or eulogize them.
Every person who recognized them honked and waved with big
smiles on their faces. Honking at passing friends was customary on
the island, and it was something that Helen had grown up with,
but it seemed to her as if everyone was leaning on their horns for
an extra-long time this morning.
?So, listen,? Lucas said, changing the tone from playful to
something a little more serious. ?Hector told me you found him on
your roof.?
?Yeah,? Helen replied, trying to scrunch down in her seat so no
one could see her. ?About that . . .?
?I wanted to explain why we didn?t tell you before. I asked to be
the one to tell you, and I meant to,? he said. He glanced over at her
as if to check how Helen felt about what he was saying. ?I just
didn?t figure out how to tell you in time. I didn?t want you to think
I was some shady stalker hiding out on your roof.?
?I?m not going to lie?well, I can?t lie to you, can I?? Helen said
with a grin. ?I was a little upset, but I?m fine about it now. If your
family is willing to protect mine, I guess I can put up with a little
shadiness.?
Helen was forced to stop talking because someone was honking