Under the Same Sky

Paula was dead tired as she shuffled her way back to the mall’s food court. She’d been on a marathon shopping spree with her two younger girls for the past four hours. Kate, the youngest, was on a mission to outshine everyone in her sophomore class. This 16-year-old was all about being the fashion queen, dragging Paula through endless racks of clothes for the last three hours.

In the midst of this shopping extravaganza, Paula couldn’t help but wonder, “Why’s Kate such a fashionista while Gwen couldn’t care less?” Gwen, the older one, barely took half an hour to sort out her senior year wardrobe. It was a breeze, given Gwen’s love for baggy pants, loose jeans, and oversized tops. Fashion and boys just didn’t seem to be her thing.

As Paula and Kate turned a corner near the Radio Shack store, Kate suddenly froze, gasping audibly. Paula glanced at her daughter, now standing like a statue with wide-open eyes and a shocked expression.

“Mom! Look at Gwen! She’s got a guy at her table. And he’s hot!” Kate exclaimed. “This makes no sense unless she’s tutoring him or something.”

Curious, Paula turned to check out the scene. There was Gwen, sitting in the food court with a medium drink and a novel she insisted on bringing. Across from her sat a seriously good-looking dude. Paula had to admit, the guy was ruggedly handsome.

As far as Paula knew, Gwen had never been on a real date before. Heck, she didn’t seem to have much interest in guys at all. Paula was taken aback, just as much as Kate was. What in the world was happening?

Kate shook off her initial shock and made her way toward her sister, with her mom tagging along. Curiosity was eating at her, and she was on a mission to get the lowdown on the hottie chatting with Gwen. Seriously, Kate would have been less surprised to stumble upon aliens at Victoria’s Secret across the mall than to find Gwen with what seemed like a real catch. She needed the deets on this mystery friend.

Paula and Kate approached Gwen’s table from behind, catching Gwen totally off guard. Gwen had no clue her family was creeping up on her. Meanwhile, Paula couldn’t peel her eyes away from the boy deep in conversation with her daughter.

The guy had broad shoulders, a killer smile, and his brown hair was cut short, almost military style. Sure, long hair was the trend, but Paula had to admit this dude made a strong case for the shorter look. But the real kicker? Those steel grey eyes that seemed to suck Paula in when he glanced her way. The young man stood up as Paula and Kate got closer.

“You two must be Gwen’s sisters,” the guy grinned, flashing an impressive smile. “Gwen mentioned she had two sisters, but she forgot to mention how gorgeous you both are. I’m Steve Hammer. You must be Kate, and you’re Lisa?”

Kate just stared at the dude while shaking his hand. Paula blushed a bit, realizing the guy thought she was Gwen’s older sister. Was he for real, or just trying to charm the mom of the girl he was into? Then he extended his hand to Paula, and she gave it a firm shake.

“Haha! That’s the way to score points with my mom,” Gwen laughed. “When you see my sister, Lisa, you’ll never mistake my mom for her again. Mom still looks great, but Lisa is supermodel material.”

“Well, I gotta admit, that quality seems to be a family thing, Gwen. Never seen prettier girls, or a younger, more attractive mother,” Steve said, smiling casually as he shook Paula’s hand. “Nice meeting you, Kate. You too, Mrs. Anderson.”

Kate and Paula just stood there, watching Steve Hammer walk away through the bustling mall. It wasn’t until he was out of sight that Kate finally found her voice.

“Where the heck did you find that guy, sis? How’d you meet him? Where’d you meet him? I had no idea you had good-looking pals like him!” Kate exclaimed.

“I was just hanging out, trying to tackle ‘Lord of the Flies’ for my English class when he dropped into the seat across from me. Asked if I was tackling it for Ms. Summer’s honors English at Sparta High,” Gwen chuckled. “I gotta admit, I was kinda caught off guard. His eyes felt like they were staring straight into my soul. Eventually, I got over the shock and asked him how he knew about Ms. Summer’s reading list at Sparta. Turns out, he’s a Sparta student too and halfway through the same darn book.”

“So he strikes up a convo with you about some English book? Not hitting on you or anything?” Kate questioned. “I advised you to trust me with your wardrobe, sis. You missed a golden opportunity to snag this guy before the cheerleaders and the class crowd swoop in.”

“He talked to me for like fifteen or twenty minutes, Kate. Threw all sorts of questions about the school, classes, other kids, and even our family. That’s how he knew about you. No clue why he asked Mom if she was Lisa. I just told him how stunning Lisa is, no offense, Mom.”

“You nailed it, Gwen, when you said he was winning me over by suggesting I’m your sister. Dude was buttering me up to win you over,” Paula reasoned. “I think you’ve got an admirer, and a seriously good-looking one at that!”

“Mom, you’re overthinking it,” insisted Kate. “Maybe his vision’s not great, or perhaps he’s into more mature women. Can you see a guy like him going out of his way to chat up a girl in a baggy sweatshirt reading some dumb book? The mall’s crawling with top-tier females. He was probably just fishing for info about his new school.”

“Thanks for the ego boost, Kate,” Gwen responded with a hint of irritation. “But guess what? He asked me to go with him to the dance this Saturday at the VFW hall. It’s that benefit for Tim Archer after his nasty motorcycle crash. The whole school, maybe the whole town, is gonna be there. You know how popular Tim is around here. His brother, Jim, is a senior and plays football.”

“Wait, that’s this Saturday!” Paula exclaimed. “We better start hunting for a killer dress for you, Gwen. He seemed like a good guy, and let’s face it, he’s not hurting in the looks department. You’re gonna have a blast!”