Her face told me the news before she said a word. "Let him talk to you about it."

I shook my head. "No way. The suspense would kill me and I wouldn't be able to get it outta my head during judo."

"Out of," she corrected and I stared at her until she responded.

"There's been a snag."

I raised an eyebrow, like elaborate.

"Since she's sixteen and this is a permanent order, she has to have five character witnesses." I opened my mouth to protest and she held up her hand. "No, it can't be you and the gang. It has to be others that are also sixteen and over."

"The J's, Mom. And me in about two weeks," I said, giving an unconscious glance at the set of wheels that hung in the driveway. Impatiently waiting for my driving greatness. Yeah, that.

She nodded. "Yes, that makes some sense but it's not as clearcut as all that. Your father can elaborate on the specifics, sweet pea," she said, stepping to ruffle my hair and I did the lean.

"Thanks for the banana bread, Mom," I said, seeing the hurt riding her eyes. I just wasn't up to the daily maul anymore. I was older now, I didn't want the Mom love-fest anymore. She wasn't getting it though. I felt a stab of guilt and said, "Gotta get to judo or my sensei is going to ride my butt."

That was an understatement, I thought, grabbing my gear pack and shoving my pulse into it. I gave Onyx a pat and another crumb I'd stolen and slammed the door closed behind me.

As I sailed past my car on the way to my bike I was tempted to stroke its sleek sides (sleek to me) as I hunkered down on old faithful. This bike had gotten me to more yard jobs than I cared to admit. Of course, that'd been on the days Bry couldn't pick me up. It had been our group. Pimped out for the rich folks all summer, to landscape their yards.

It had been sucky to get assigned the Hamilton residence. Big time. Dad had needed to give me The Lecture that I remembered as I rode:

*

"Caleb, you understand that you're sometimes going to have to work for people that you don't like, right?"

I nodded, responding, "Like Carson's stupid dad. Yeah, I gotcha on that one."

Dad frowned. "I didn't say anything about IQ son."

My brows sailed up and he did a small chortle, covertly looking around for Mom. "Alright, alright," he held up a palm to ward off the inevitable, "he isn't going to win any chess matches."

I barked out a laugh and he continued, "This will be a real challenge but as long as he doesn't require anything illegal from you, it will be a terrific way to prove that you have the internal fortitude to see a task through to completion. Regardless of the personal undertone."

Personal undertone!

I folded my arms over my chest. "K, but I don't know if I can do it."

"Just keep us abreast of whatever transpires, are we clear?"

"Yeah, Dad. Crystal."

"Caleb, swivel your hips, move with fluidity. Too jerky," Sensei Anderson said.

I wanted to kick his ass. Sweat was dripping all over the mat and he was drilling me on turns. I was completely past that.

He saw my look and smiled. "Think you can take me?"

I looked down at my instructor and knew I couldn't. Maybe he was five-nine. But he was two hundred pounds of muscle. What Gramps would've called a brick shithouse.

"No, sensei," I said through my teeth.

"Then you better hustle your ass on the mat... " he folded his arms across his chest and got beside me, mirroring my moves, both of us moving together, side-by-side in synchronicity. "What do I have to do to make you passionate about this? Do you need some incentive, Hart?"

I nearly growled, my stomach on fire, my nerve endings raw. He'd really been riding me lately. Bleating like a sheep about excellence and all that happy crap. I was tired. Couldn't he see I was trying?

"Keep going," he said, stopping beside me.

As I moved I saw with each turn his grin growing wider. Finally he let up on the suspense of his thoughts. "Heard you got a girlfriend."

My step faltered and I jammed it back into place with an effort.

"Yes, sensei." Where was this going?

"Hear she's a real hottie," he said with feeling.

Without thinking, I swiveled into sensei, taking my forward momentum and jabbing my hand like a plank into the soft tissue of his throat. Not a death blow, no. But a nice, sharp jab.

He came at me in a flurry of defensive jabs, the breath locked in his throat. Even without breathing-

He came.

I blocked what I could but he was faster, stronger, older. He foot-swept me and I landed flat on my back with a resounding smack that echoed in the dojo. The other kids stepped back.

Sensei Anderson sucked in a lungful. "Take a break, students." His hand palmed the tender part of his esophagus where a red welt had blossomed. He'd have a mark I thought with some satisfaction.

He reached a hand out to me and I hesitated, then took a cautious grip. He jerked me to my feet.

"Now that's what I've been talking about, Hart."

I got right in his grill, a flavor of pissed off beating in my brain with a steady rhythm.

He smiled again. "That was just to show you what kind of intensity I'm wanting out of you," he pointed to his head. "It's mental with you, Hart. You've got the physique." He walked a circle around me, looking at me from head to toe. "How tall are you now, kid?"

I shrugged. "Six foot something..."

He cocked a brow. "You're sixteen?"

I shook my head, embarrassed a little as I thought about my hottie girlfriend picking me up today because she was that month older than me, license already in hand.

He studied my expression. "Soon, though?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Halloween."

"Really," he said on a chuckle. "That's the height of irony."

"Yeah, hilarious," I said, scowling at him.

"Listen Hart. I am sure your girlfriend is hot," I felt my hands clench into fists. His eyes flicked down, catching the subtle tightening. "But I'm not interested. I was poking at you, proving a point."

"Yeah, what?" I thought him bringing in Jade like that had been low.

"That you need to move that one hundred and ninety pounds with purpose. Don't shuffle around like some old broad. Get your ass in gear. I'm not going to advance you until I see some moves at that level. Period. You got me?"

I got him.

"You can't get your first dan until you're sixteen. But if I don't see you bring a pair to the mat, it's not happening."

Huh, I was gonna have to bring it.

A soft honk sounded and I looked outside the glass doors.

I saw Jade was there in the driver's seat of Andrea's beat up pickup truck and could taste my birthday on my tongue.

Autonomy.

It was a great feeling. Soon, I'd be picking her up.

"That the girlfriend?"

I turned, giving him steady eyes. He stared back. "Yeah," I answered shortly.

He gave me a speculative look. "Remember this: she's your weakness. You have her around and you'll never keep your focus." Then he smiled like sun coming from behind clouds.

"And God help the poor sucker that lays hands on her," he said, only half-joking.

Yeah, no shit Sherlock.

I bowed to Sensei Anderson, our gazes locked, taking the measure of each other. Then turning, I slipped on my flip flops and flung open the door, feeling the last of the late afternoon warmth on my face. The sweat on my body chilled with the temperature change. The first kiss of true autumn was in the air.

I covered my brow with my hands to see Jade better and a hoop of silver twinkled in the light that hit her face, her green eyes sitting like jewels in the face that I loved.

Her face.

CHAPTER 3

Three cars stood outside Kent Refuse now. Mia's, Bry's (I know, can we say-unbelievable?) and Alex's. The J's were sixteen, Jade too. It was just Tiff and I that were the holdouts. Even Sophie had turned sixteen last week.

I watched Alex get out of his car. It was hilarious, really. He'd been a scrawny nothing with the Body ability and it had been a shocker, built like he was. But now that ability had grown fangs and here he was before us, larger-than-life. The pain of his growth spurt was on him now as he moved with rigidity. The doctors said it was normal for a teen with this ability but even though all us guys would love to be his size, there was no way we'd want to go through the growing pains that were kickin' his ass to pieces.

He stomped over to our group and Jonesy gave him a clap on the back. Alex flinched. "Hey Jones, can you lighten up on the greetings?"

John narrowed his eyes on Jonesy. "He's hyper-sensitive right now. I explained that pretty thoroughly on like... a hundred different occasions, right?

He had, actually.

"Okay, so, I can't give you a love tap without you going all girl on me?" Jonesy quizzed.

"Hey, ya clown, speak for yourself," Tiff muttered, kicking a stone with her shoe, her tie dye hoodie a screaming nightmare to the eye.

Bry sorta hid a smile and Mia looked between Jonesy and Tiff with keen interest. After all, half the fun of the group was Jonesy trying not offend and doing it anyway.

"Speaking of clowns..." I began and both Tiff and Jade gave me quick looks. "I forgot to mention that there's a boatload of gnomes at one of the houses we landscaped this summer." My eyebrows lifted and Tiff repressed a shudder.

Jade wrapped her arms around herself. "Where?" she asked unwillingly as I sucked her in against me.

"I've got a guess," Sophie said, walking up with Buddy.

The whole group fell silent. The biggest damn question in the universe was WHY would Sophie bring a proven spawn of the enemy to the hideaway?

Jonesy's face fell into angry lines and before he could rant Buddy chimed in, "Carson's dad has a whole herd of gnomes in his yard." He looked expectantly at everyone and Tiff snapped a bomb-worthy bubble that made Jade jump a foot.

Jonesy turned accusing eyes to Sophie. "Listen Soph, this is for the group. Our group. You've obviously moved on so why don't you go away. Don't go away mad, just go away," he said rudely, folding his arms across his chest.

Sophie's face crumpled and he caught the expression, regret etched where anger had been. He'd let his ego mouth overload his canary ass again, as Gramps would have said. John dumped his forehead into his hands. Alex and Bry looked around anywhere but at the two of them and Buddy moved toward Jonesy, Sophie on the verge of tears.

"Stop slingin' mud, Jones," Buddy said, his fists clenching.

Jonesy was like a locomotive without a handbrake, he skidded to a reluctant stop in front of Buddy, their toes touching, their chests a millimeter apart.

Replay, I thought, despairing.

Alex walked over there and separated the two of them with a finger on each chest. Just that touch threw them four feet back.

Jonesy rubbed his chest and Buddy gave Alex a considering look.

I watched his wheels turn sluggishly and decide against taking Alex on. Good thinking.

Alex used a finger to shove his glasses up on his nose and looked down at Buddy from his considerable six-four and said, "We're not all warm and fuzzy about a Carson associate so no offense," he shrugged his massive shoulders, the muscles cording and flexing.

Us guys watched him move with fascination.

Buddy glared and Sophie huffed. Alex turned to Jonesy. "You could do better with treating a female nicer. Get over yourself and maybe Buddy can go away and Sophie can stay." Alex lifted an eyebrow at his equitable solution skills.

Jones dropped his hand from his chest and gave Sophie a glare, unrepentant.

Jade stepped forward. "Listen... Jonesy, Sophie, let's call a truce. This is the place we've been hanging out at for almost two years. You guys can move past your," she paused here significantly, "stuff, to get along with the group, right?"

Sophie and Jonesy looked at each other and finally Sophie gave a stiff nod and her Rock-with-Lips boyfriend sighed in frustration. He whispered something in her ear and she responded, arms moving a mile a minute.

"Fine," Buddy seethed. "As long as I know it's 'cuz the girls are the priority. Not him," he pointed at Jonesy.

"Don't worry, baby. He totally isn't," Sophie said with a look and a smirk.

Baby?

Even I could see that was for Jonesy's benefit.

Jade sighed against me. They were too stubborn for their own good by far.

Buddy leaned down and kissed Sophie on the lips and all us guys saw Jonesy tense.

Brother.

Buddy gave a mock salute at the group that looked like its focus was all for Jonesy.