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pleasantly surprised him. She was almost human.
    “Well,” she said before turning to leave, “you’d better get some rest.”
    Nate walked her to the door and opened it for her. As she walked out, Celeste made it clear that it was back to business by the way she reverted back to the stern expression Nate was so familiar with. She made it all the way to the end of the sidewalk before she turned again and spoke to him one more time.
    “By the way, get some gloves. You don’t seem to be able to keep your hands to yourself,” she commanded.
    Nate smirked. “Sure thing, boss,” he called out.
    Nate didn’t wait to see her disappear into the dark. Instead, he retreated to his bedroom and climbed into bed. As he lay there looking at the bland white ceiling above him, he thought about the night’s events. In his perfect memory, he relived the way it felt to save Jennie’s life, the way her hand felt wrapped securely in his as she struggled for breath. Then his thoughts turned to Celeste and the surprising words she’d spoken to him. His churning memories only served to burden him with a heavy reminder of the critical nature of his assignment. He would be more careful, giving Jennie his undivided attention in the future. No more slip ups, he promised himself, for Jennie’s sake.
    Finally, after hours of quiet reflection, he began to see the light of the sun peeking over the horizon. Beneath his tangled covers, he stretched, letting his feet touch the footboard of his bed before releasing the pent up tension in his muscles and throwing off his blankets. It was time to put his new resolve to the test and begin another day.

Chapter 9
    Saving Jennie’s life did two things. First, it cemented his friendship with Jennie in a way that he could never have anticipated. He realized from the moment they saw one another on Monday morning that he would never have to prove his loyalty or bravery again. It was done. The respect between them was nearly impenetrable now. As long as he didn’t do anything major to screw it up, he would be welcome in her life. This was a great relief to him on so many levels.
    The second thing to change in the wake of Saturday night’s events caught Nate off guard. He showed up Monday morning to find that the cells phones had been burning up with the story of his courageous and, according to the rumors, nearly superhuman rescue. Suddenly, people he had never met and some he’d never seen were patting him on the back and giving him high fives in the halls. Everywhere he went the whispering seemed to follow him. It wasn’t that he hadn’t protected teenagers before. He knew gossip would follow the near drowning; it was just surprising what a force the gossip was. Nate tried to ignore his newfound recognition, but it got in the way. Stories of him moving faster than lightning prompted an invitation to play football and try out for basketball. The soccer team was interested and, of course, the swim team was drooling.
    In the end, Nate decided to try out for basketball to stay near Braiden. He figured where Braiden was, Marissa would follow, and likely Jennie would be there too. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that he liked all the attention. Who wouldn’t? Most of the time he was such a screw up; a few accolades felt nice for a change.
    Still, his favorite change was the way Jennie looked at him with her eyes full of admiration. Jennie kept him focused. Seeing her was a constant reminder of his solemn responsibility to both her and Celeste.
    Days slipped by, turning effortlessly into weeks. Even though the gossip soon died down, his friendship with Jennie only grew stronger. Every day they would find each other in the parking lot before school. Every day Nate would ask her, “How are you doing today, beautiful?”
    In the wake of the quickly developing friendship, Jennie was surprised to discover that it was easy for her to share her innermost thoughts with Nate. They talked about