The Boy With the Toy Sword

Chapter 1: Naughty Love

Betty first noticed the sword before she noticed the boy wearing it.

It hung from his belt at an awkward angle, tapping against his leg as he walked through the crowded 4-H fair. It was obviously a toy—light-colored plastic with a painted handle—but he carried it with such casual confidence that it seemed less like part of a costume and more like something he wore every day.

Betty knew who he was, although they had never spoken.

In a small high school, it was almost impossible not to know someone. You recognized faces from assemblies, names from attendance lists, and voices from the other side of the cafeteria. You knew who played in the band, who always volunteered to move chairs after an event, and who could make an entire row of students laugh without getting caught by the teacher.

Still, knowing of someone was not the same as knowing them.

Until that afternoon, he had simply been a familiar stranger—a boy Betty had passed in hallways without exchanging more than a glance.

The fairgrounds were full of noise and movement. Families wandered between exhibits while students hurried around carrying ribbons, food, supplies, and projects. Conversations overlapped beneath the announcements coming through the loudspeakers. Somewhere nearby, a child was laughing. Somewhere else, an animal was making it very clear that it wanted to go home.

Betty was walking with no particular destination when she saw the sword at the boy’s side.

She slowed down.

A sensible person might have introduced herself.