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Ethan Carlson? she asked.
I don t know, I said, I just saw him working in the garden on Saturday.
He s like only the hottest guy at school, said Megan, I think half the girls are in love with
him. Those surfer chicks are always trailing around behind him.
We used to be friends when we were kids, said Cruz, We stopped hanging out in junior
high. He got into surfing and girls and I got into fashion design. He s alright he s probably the
only surfer that isn t a total jerk to me, he said with a shrug. He usually surfs down by the pier
after school.
Megan smiled at me knowingly, You like him, don t you?
I only asked because I met him at the farmers market this morning, I said defensively.
Methinks the lady doth protest too much... Megan added slyly.
Oh, let her be, Shakespeare, said Cruz, noticing my bright red face.
Megan changed the subject by urging Cruz to show me some of his designs. When he
opened his armoire I was truly surprised. His clothes were mainly dark and Edwardian looking,
but each item had a unique romantic twist. The styling was intriguing, and very edgy. A series of
pieces embellished with zippers and contrast stitching were feminine but bold, with hard edged
tailoring and amazing attention to detail. Because of Evie, I knew a lot about well-made clothes
and these were superbly crafted.
Cruz watched nervously for my reaction. Oh my God! I exclaimed, These are exquisite!
Told you so! Megan said to Cruz, He didn t think you d like them.
I love them! You re incredibly talented! Why didn t you show me before now? I held up a
beautifully structured black lace blouse.
I thought you d think it was weird, he said, You know, a guy sewing girl s stuff.
Weird? I snorted, You should meet Evie!
Would you try it on? he asked, I ve only ever seen it on the dress form.
Sure, I replied, and hurried off to my room. I slipped out of my dress and wriggled into
some jeans. The blouse was sheer, so I threw on a black camisole and slipped it on over top. It
had lots of tiny little black buttons all the way up the high neck. The waist was fitted, and there
was a peplum that flared out longer in the back. The long sleeves puffed out a little at the
shoulder and were tight at the wrist with another row of tiny buttons. I stood back and checked
my reflection. I looked pale and fierce, like a Gothic rock and roll vampire. I kinda liked it.
Ta Da! I said as I burst into Cruz s room. His eyes flew open wide and he gasped.
I think you have a new muse, said Megan.
CHAPTER FOUR
SLEEPER
Megan, Cruz I ended up hanging out a lot in the final days before school schedules would
start to regiment our lives, and I got to know both of them much better. We walked into town for
coffee or just lounged around listening to music. They introduced me to the area, taking me
around Aptos and into nearby Santa Cruz. One beautiful late summer day we drove to The
Boardwalk, pulling up to a seaside amusement park dominated by a giant wooden track poking
high into the sky.
You ve never been on a roller coaster? asked Cruz incredulously.
There s not a lot of call for thrill rides where I used to live, I said, looking up suspiciously,
It looks dangerous.
The Giant Dipper s a classic! enthused Megan, It s been here nearly a hundred years.
That s comforting, I said as I inspected the structure. From my vantage point it looked like
it was made from toothpicks.
We waited in a short line, winding through a rattling wooden tunnel that vibrated each time
the cars ran on the track. Listening to the muffled screams was unnerving, but every time I
glanced over at Cruz he just grinned. Our turn came much too soon, and the three of us loaded
onto a small car that jerked forward, immediately plunging us into a black tunnel. It made me
claustrophobic, and so happily relieved to emerge into the light that I didn t even fret about the
nearly vertical ascent that followed.
We crested the top of the tracks and were treated to a beautiful view of the sandy beach
bordering an endless expanse of teal-blue ocean. The old wood creaked and swayed in protest,
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