Teaser Tuesday!

In celebration of my NaNo win, I thought I'd post a NaNo teaser from BANISH. Last for awhile, I'm thinking, while I work on this ms.

It's a bit longer than what I usually post - just over 400 words - but it's mostly dialogue and moves quickly. I think the only set up you need is that prior to this scene, Bridget's been unsuccessfully trying to figure out a series of anagrams which hold a secret message...

With her eyes still closed, Bridget felt Matt slip a tentative hand around her waist. Her eyes flew open and she felt him hold his breath, waiting she guessed for a quick elbow in the ribs.

"Smile!" Bridget's mom said and snapped off a half dozen photos.

After a second or two with no violent reaction from her, Matt's grip on her waist strengthened and he pulled her into his body while her mom continued to snap away.

Bridget's heart raced. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn't even like Matt. Not that he wasn't cute in the sort of conventional American high school way, but he was just so vanilla. Not edgy. Not fun. She stole a glance as his retro outfit. Was he?

"Ew," Sammy said and wrinkled his nose.

"Shut up, Sammy." Really? Did they share the same DNA?

"Go to your room, Sammy," Bridget's mom said. She was still clicking pictures even as Matt removed his hand from around Bridget's waist. Sammy didn't, of course. Just plopped down on the floor with a pencil and a piece of paper and started working on a puzzle or something.

"We should go," Matt said, heading for the door.

Panic set in. She was going to a dance, a friggin lame ass school dance. And other than Matt she wasn't going to know a single person there.

"Bridget," he said when she hadn't moved an inch. "Are you ready?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess." Ready was about the least appropriate word to describe Bridget at that moment.

"Home by midnight," her mom said from the door and Bridget picked her way down the stairs in her ridiculous silver heels.

Bridget was just stepping into Matt's truck when Sammy came tearing down the stairs.
"I solved it, Bridge. I solved it."

She glanced an apology at Matt. Yep, that was her semi-autistic little freak of a brother. "Solved what?"

Sammy waved the piece of notebook paper he'd been fiddling with upstairs. "Your puzzle. The one you left me in the bathroom."

Bridget snatched the paper away from him. "That wasn't for you."

"Sammy, get inside," Mrs. Liu called from the doorway. "Now!"

Sammy was so pleased with himself he did a little pirouette then pranced up the stairs.

"Sorry," Bridget said as Matt got in the truck.

"That's okay. I always wanted a brother."

"Not that brother," she said. "Trust me."

Matt smiled as he backed out of the driveway. As they drove away, Bridget glanced down at the paper of anagrams still clasped in her hand. At the very bottom, in a deliberate all caps scrawl, was Sammy's solution:

Don't Trust the Priest.