Dallas couldn’t find his brother. Rico was literally standing next him a minute ago – Dallas had a vivid memory of pulling the five-year-old’s sticky hand off a roll of cookie dough in the refrigerated section.

“That’s not what Rosalie asked us to get,” he’d told the kid. “We need to find the sour cream.”

But now there was an empty space where Rico ought to be. The teenager glanced up and down the dairy aisle, but Rico wasn’t there either.

“Shit,” he swore. “Not again!”

Abandoning his search for sour cream and eggs, Dallas carried his basket up and down the aisles in the hunt for his brother instead. Other shoppers avoided him, but Dallas didn’t blame them; his face was one of those that looked pissed off even on a good day and when he was in a bad mood, he looked just as foul-tempered as his reputation said he was. Not that he helped matters with his torn jeans and the dark t-shirts that always had some sort of stain on them.

“Rico!” he hissed. “Rico, where the hell are you? This isn’t funny!”

But there was no sign of Rico anywhere in the grocery store and Dallas started to weigh his options: he could call his stepmom and face Rosalie’s wrath for losing her son, or he could ask the store manager to use the intercom and lure Rico to the customer service desk.

“At least with Rosalie there’s the chance she’ll kill me and I won’t have to face any rumors about child abandonment,” Dallas thought. “Dad won’t like THAT added on top of our family’s reputation in Cooper’s Creek.”

Fortunately, as Dallas stood deliberating in front of the store’s glass windows, he glanced outside and spotted Rico sitting on the curb in the parking lot. Muttering one of Rosalie’s favorite Spanish profanities under his breath, Dallas abandoned his half-full basket and raced out of the store. However, he stopped short of squeezing the little jerk in a hug when he spotted the teen who was sitting next to Rico on the curb and laughing at whatever story his brother was telling him. 

Nathaniel Westerson was the son of THE Reverend Thomas Westerson, pastor of the New Life Church that dominated the social life of their little town. Nathaniel was as close to royalty as you got in Cooper’s Creek – he even looked like a prince, with his neat strawberry-blonde curls, straight nose, slim figure, and well-tailored shirt which was buttoned up all the way to the collar despite the afternoon heat. Only the reflective jacket he wore over his long-sleeve shirt betrayed Nathaniel Smith’s earthly existence, otherwise he might’ve been an angel come down from one of the murals on the church’s walls.

Dallas paused as Nathaniel’s clear blue eyes glanced up and the smile died from his face. Rico, sensing something, turned around and his smile grew wider when he spotted Dallas.

“There he is!” Rico declared. “Dallas, I told Nathaniel about the squirrel you pulled out of Mr. Espinoza’s birdfeeder and he said…”

Dallas ignored his brother as he eyed Nathaniel.

“Have you been trying to convert him?” he asked coldly.

Funnily enough, Nathaniel smiled at this and gently shook his head.

“Nope,” he said. “We’ve just been discussing Ninja Turtles and squirrels. I didn’t even mention Jesus once.”

“My mom talks about Jesus a lot,” Rico piped up. “Every time something goes wrong, she says ‘Jesus Christ!’ and then…”

“It’s not the same, Rico,” Dallas interrupted. “Come on, we have to finish shopping so we can go home.”

He held out his hand to Rico, who rolled his eyes but stood up and went to his brother.

“Why can’t I stay out here with Nathaniel?” he asked. “Shopping is boring.”

“No,” Dallas said firmly, taking his brother’s hand. “Nathaniel’s got things to do. What are you doing here, anyways? And why are you wearing that?”

He directed these last questions to Nathaniel, who had gotten up and was brushing off his tidy khakis. 

“This?” Nathaniel plucked at the reflective vest. “Oh, I work here after school sometimes. I collect carts and carry groceries out to cars…that sort of stuff.”

“But isn’t your family, like, rich?” Dallas asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Nathaniel smiled again and for some reason this time it made Dallas angry. It wasn't a real smile.

“My father wants me to learn the value of hard labor,” Nathaniel answered primly, as if it was a line from a well-rehearsed play.

“OUR dad wants us to learn how to stop using the computer in his office to look up gross bugs or at least close the internet window when we’re done,” Rico said. “And my mom wants us to learn how to put the damn toilet seat down.”

Dallas felt his face flush with embarrassment. 

“For fuck’s sake, Rico, you can’t say things like that in front of other people!” he hissed at his brother before he could stop himself.

But instead of giving them a disapproving glare or a pitying smile, Nathaniel Westerson burst into laughter. Dallas stared at the other teen in amazement as he laughed so hard there were tears his eyes.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind!” Nathaniel managed to say as he wiped his eyes. “It’s actually kind of refreshing!”

These words further astounded Dallas, but he didn’t get to think too much about them because he was having other troubles; his heart was pounding uncomfortably in his chest and he had to fight the urge to say more swear words so he could make Nathaniel laugh again. However, his mouth had gone so dry that even forming swear words would’ve been difficult. So he grunted.

“Right,” he got out. “Bye then.”

He turned to head back into the store, dragging Rico with him.

“Bye Nathaniel!” Rico called. “We’ll see you later!”

It wasn’t until much later, long after they’d gotten home and Dallas was lying on his bed with his headphones on, that he realized it was the longest conversation he’d ever had with someone from school…much less with the beautiful Nathaniel Westerson.