There is one slice of pizza and my dad pushes it towards me. "It's all yours."

"Thanks," I say and as I'm reaching for the piece, I see a girl from school walking in.

Not just any girl, no sir. This is THE GIRL from school. Her name is Cassie Willows and she is the most beautiful girl alive. She must feel me staring at her because she looks over and waves at me.

Of course, my dad catches it and he gives her a creepy once over.

He turns to me and grins. "Close your mouth, Rory. You're drooling."

"Hush."

"So, who is she?"

I sigh. Just thinking about her makes me feel weird. "Cassie. Cassie Willows."

He won't stop looking over at her. "Who's that she's with?"

For the first time I notice the others who are with her at the table. A lady with a n orange tan and weird colored hair is wedged in the booth. She is actually oozing out of her shirt. The man is balding and looks grumpy.

"I guess it's her mom and dad."

My dad is frowning and won't quit looking over at Cassie's table. "Damned if she doesn't look familiar," he says more to himself than to me.

"Dad!" I hiss.

Cassie looks over and sees my dad staring so she gets up and starts heading to our table.

"Stop staring, Dad," I whisper, hunching down so she won't see me talking to him. I sit up just before she gets to us. I try to feign surprise but know she isn't buying it.

"Oh, hey, Cassie, how's it gong?"

"Fine," she says. She's so pretty with this thick dark hair that is shinier than anything I've ever seen. I sit right behind her in Biology and every time she moves I get this whiff of her perfume. "Is this your dad?"

"Uh, yes," I say, shooting him with a warning glance that says 'don't embarrass me'. "Dad, this is Cassie Willows."

"Nice to meet you, Cassie." He nods and for some odd reason, he doesn't seem as impressed with her as he should be. He looks past her and studies her parents again. "Those your folks?"

"Yes sir."

"They look familiar. What are their names?"

Cassie smiles with her impossibly white teeth and I feel my knees go weak. "Heather and Dolan."

"Heather. She a local girl?"

Cassie smiles. "Born and raised here in Patterson. Her dad used to own Fuller's Drug Store."

I don't know if Cassie saw it, but I sure did. My dad's eyes went wide for a split second, then the surprise was replaced by a troublesome gleam. "Heather Fuller is your momma?"

What happens next is abrupt. He digs out his wallet, slaps two twenties on the table and stands up. "Time to go, Rory."

He smiles a Cassie and inclines his head toward her curious parents. He does this horrible whistle thing to get the waitress's attention.

"I guess we're leaving," I say.

"That's too bad. I was hoping to go see a movie and my parents don't want to go."

Is she asking me out? Oh my gosh, I think she's asking me out. Cassie Willows wants to go to the movies and she wants to go with me. I don't know what's playing, nor do I give a crap. The thought of sitting in the dark theater with her is unreal.

"Rory, grab your jacket."

"But I'm not finished." How could he not have heard that little exchange between Cassie and me.

"Too much cheese will make you constipated," he snaps.

Cassie bites her lip and gets this little pouty look on her face. Her thick hair all slides forward.

Dad nods impatiently toward the door.

"See you at school, Rory," she says, then walks back to her table.


I fume in silence all the way to the truck. When Dad doesn't take notice I decide to clue him in.

"Are you kidding me, Dad?"

"What?"

"She was asking me out."

He unlocks the truck and slips behind the wheel. "Maybe next time."

I have to keep myself from slamming my head against the dashboard. He couldn't be that thick, could he? Did he not see her? Girls like Cassie are rare. Did he have any idea how many times I came close to reaching out with my unworthy fingertips to touch her hair?

"This was the girl of my dreams, Dad."

He starts the truck and puts it in reverse. "I thought the same thing about her mother."

When the image of the woman at Cassie's table finally materializes in my mind I wonder just how desperate my dad was.