Windmill Windup by Matt Christopher

feeble joke, but she was pleased at the compliment.
    “You know,” he went on, “like I told you before, I think I could help you with your hitting….”
    Kelly looked at him sharply. “No thanks,” she told him.
    “It wouldn’t take much of an adjustment, you know,” he said.
    “I said, ‘No thanks,’” she repeated. “What part ofthat don’t you understand?” In spite of her best efforts, she knew she was being rude to him. Somehow, he just brought out
     the worst in her.
    “Look, I’ve tried to be nice to you,” he said, his voice taking on a chilly tone. “But you’ve frustrated me at every turn.
     Now we’re going to be living together. So if you can’t find a way to be pleasant, you’d better not say anything to me at all.”
    “Fine!” she said, but she was already talking to his back, because he’d turned and walked away from her.
    What’s the use of trying to be nice to a guy like that
? she asked herself.
He wouldn’t appreciate it, anyway
. She could see now that there was no way they would ever get along.
    “Hey, Kelly!”
    Kelly turned around and saw Ryan beckoning to her from the stairway. She had just emerged from her English class and had only
     four minutes to get to Spanish, so she jogged quickly over to meet him.
    “Hey, what’s up?” she said, brushing back a stray lock of hair that had fallen over her face.
    “You got a minute?” he asked.
    “Um, yeah, I’ve got study hall next,” she lied.
    “Cool. I’ve, um, been wanting to talk to you….”
    “What about?”
    “Um, well …you know the May dance?”
    Kelly felt a sharp thrill surge inside her. “Yeah?”
    “Well …I was thinking of asking you to go to it?”
    Yes!
she thought. “Uh-huh?”
    “But, um, like, well, I figured, with our parents going out and all, it would be too weird for us to start dating.”
    No!
she thought, crestfallen. “Yeah, I guess it would be kind of weird…,” she agreed, not really meaning a word she was saying.
    “So, I, um, kind of thought I’d ask that girl Allie instead.”
    “Allie? Allie Warheit?”
    “Um, yeah.”
    “She’s in sixth grade, Ryan!”
    “I know, but —”
    “Whatever,” Kelly said, shaking her head in exasperation.
    “I hope you aren’t too upset about it….”
    “Why should I be upset?” she asked, trying to keep a lid on her emotions. “I’m just, I don’t know, grossed out, is all.”
    “Why?”
    “Cuz she’s in sixth grade! It’s like,
eeuw!
”
    “She doesn’t look like a sixth-grader.”
    “Whatever. Like I said, it’s your call. But talk about weird —
that’s
weird.”
    “If you say so. I just thought I’d let you know….”
    “Why should I care? You don’t need my permission.”
    “I know. Even so, just thought I’d give you a heads up.”
    “Yeah, well, thanks.”
    Thanks for nothing!
she thought bitterly.
That stupid Allie Warheit — I could kill her for this!
    “Oh, by the way,” Ryan said, stopping her as she was about to run off to Spanish class — late, thanks to him. “My dad asked
     me to talk to you about —”
    “What, was he complaining about me?” she asked, openly hostile now.
    “Well, not exactly …but —”
    “I don’t care what he thinks,” she said, turning to go again.
    “He’s not a bad guy, my dad,” Ryan said, stopping her. “He really isn’t, whatever you think. I mean, he has his flaws, sure.
     He’s a little too strict —”
    “You can say that again.”
    “But he’s got his good side, too.”
    “Yeah, right.”
    “He does, believe me. Like, for instance, he was always there for me, growing up.”
    “Oh, please — bring out the violins,” Kelly said sarcastically.
    “Okay, make fun of me,” Ryan said, “but it’s true. For instance, he’s never, ever missed one of my ball games.”
    That got Kelly where she lived. She felt a pang in her gut as she thought of all the times her dad hadn’t shown up for one
     of
her
games, even though he’d promised to be