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"It's not that easy, though."
I scanned him in search of the meaning behind his comment. Had he been caught up in an addiction of his own?
Britt's laugh drew my attention. She and Weston were sharing sips of a shake. Weston's other buddies were trying not
to watch her full lips wrap around the straw.
"Yeah, it's not that easy," I repeated, wondering if Brady would open up. One thing Luke´s addiction had taught me
was that I might feel helpless to do anything for my brother, but that didn't mean I couldn't do something for somebody else.
In the second it took him to tip back the last of his drink, his expression shifted from brotherly concern to a growing
interest in me. His eyes lusted over a smile. "So, how about if I call you some time? Or do you have a boyfriend?"
"I wouldn't have been in your bedroom last weekend if I had a boyfriend, would I?"
He lifted his shoulders. "To some girls that wouldn't matter."
"Not this girl."
His brows drew together in confusion. "That surprises me, I guess."
"What, you heard I was a skank?" Shame flushed my skin and prickled my defenses.
"Well, kinda, yeah."
I set an elbow on the table. "Is that why you wanted to hook up the other night? I was an easy score?"
His wide eyes darted around the table to see if anyone was listening. I didn't bother checking to see whose attention
we had, I couldn't care less.
"What?" I pressed. "Can't take the truth when it's broad daylight?"
"No, that's not it." His gaze averted just like it had the other night when he hadn't known my name.
Knowing my name hadn't really changed anything.
I stared him down until he wouldn't look at me anymore. Forget what you might have heard about me, I'm no skank
and I'm not somebody you can walk all over with your hot bod and it-guy charms. "Look," I said matter-of-factly, "call me if
you want to do something other than hook up." His gaze brightened as if he'd just pulled his head out of an invisible barrel of
social garbage. "Okay. Sure." He whipped out his cell phone and I recited my number while he entered it into his sim card.
"We good to go?" Weston asked, standing over me and Brady I hadn't noticed he was there and wondered how long
he'd been tuned into our conversation.
"Yeah, we are," I said.
After school, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. My cell phone vibrated on the passenger's seat of my
car. Chase. I plucked up the phone and read his text:
how r u? any time you want 2 talk about... stuff... we can.
I texted back: yeah starbucks at 7? really? ok. cool. My phone rang. Luke.
"Hi," I said.
"My piece of hud car won't start," Luke grumbled. "Can I get a ride?"
"Yeah, where are you?"
"Near Lambert Street."
He must have skipped his last class. Lambert Street was on the lower west side of town. Trailer parks, crumbling
houses. Dead trees, scrungy cars and even scrungier people. I had to figure one of his drug pals lived there.
"I'll start walking to city center," he grumbled.
Because you don't want me to see where you are. "Fine, I'll see you in a few."
I headed west to the crusty part of town. Overhead, skies began to blacken with bulging clouds. I shuddered and
cranked up the heater. Would seeing someone like Matthias do anything at all to Luke? If he knew there were guardians, that
life continued after this life, would he be the same narrow-focused boy or would the knowledge broaden his mind? Change
his choices?
When I finally saw him, head hanging as he walked shoulders hunched in his grey flannel coat, sympathy tugged at
my heart. I put aside my frustration. At least he'd called me for a ride and hadn't bummed one from someone who could
endanger his life driving under the influence.
I pulled over and he got in.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey."
The air he carried in to the car with him didn't smell like smoke, thank heavens.
"Are you going to have it towed?"
"Probably, yeah." He whipped out his cell phone, read text messages, answered them, then he dialed a number. I
listened as he arranged for a tow. After the call, he stuffed his phone away in the pocket of his coat.
"Do you believe in guardian angels?"
"What the?" His face twisted. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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"It's not that easy, though."
I scanned him in search of the meaning behind his comment. Had he been caught up in an addiction of his own?
Britt's laugh drew my attention. She and Weston were sharing sips of a shake. Weston's other buddies were trying not
to watch her full lips wrap around the straw.
"Yeah, it's not that easy," I repeated, wondering if Brady would open up. One thing Luke´s addiction had taught me
was that I might feel helpless to do anything for my brother, but that didn't mean I couldn't do something for somebody else.
In the second it took him to tip back the last of his drink, his expression shifted from brotherly concern to a growing
interest in me. His eyes lusted over a smile. "So, how about if I call you some time? Or do you have a boyfriend?"
"I wouldn't have been in your bedroom last weekend if I had a boyfriend, would I?"
He lifted his shoulders. "To some girls that wouldn't matter."
"Not this girl."
His brows drew together in confusion. "That surprises me, I guess."
"What, you heard I was a skank?" Shame flushed my skin and prickled my defenses.
"Well, kinda, yeah."
I set an elbow on the table. "Is that why you wanted to hook up the other night? I was an easy score?"
His wide eyes darted around the table to see if anyone was listening. I didn't bother checking to see whose attention
we had, I couldn't care less.
"What?" I pressed. "Can't take the truth when it's broad daylight?"
"No, that's not it." His gaze averted just like it had the other night when he hadn't known my name.
Knowing my name hadn't really changed anything.
I stared him down until he wouldn't look at me anymore. Forget what you might have heard about me, I'm no skank
and I'm not somebody you can walk all over with your hot bod and it-guy charms. "Look," I said matter-of-factly, "call me if
you want to do something other than hook up." His gaze brightened as if he'd just pulled his head out of an invisible barrel of
social garbage. "Okay. Sure." He whipped out his cell phone and I recited my number while he entered it into his sim card.
"We good to go?" Weston asked, standing over me and Brady I hadn't noticed he was there and wondered how long
he'd been tuned into our conversation.
"Yeah, we are," I said.
After school, I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. My cell phone vibrated on the passenger's seat of my
car. Chase. I plucked up the phone and read his text:
how r u? any time you want 2 talk about... stuff... we can.
I texted back: yeah starbucks at 7? really? ok. cool. My phone rang. Luke.
"Hi," I said.
"My piece of hud car won't start," Luke grumbled. "Can I get a ride?"
"Yeah, where are you?"
"Near Lambert Street."
He must have skipped his last class. Lambert Street was on the lower west side of town. Trailer parks, crumbling
houses. Dead trees, scrungy cars and even scrungier people. I had to figure one of his drug pals lived there.
"I'll start walking to city center," he grumbled.
Because you don't want me to see where you are. "Fine, I'll see you in a few."
I headed west to the crusty part of town. Overhead, skies began to blacken with bulging clouds. I shuddered and
cranked up the heater. Would seeing someone like Matthias do anything at all to Luke? If he knew there were guardians, that
life continued after this life, would he be the same narrow-focused boy or would the knowledge broaden his mind? Change
his choices?
When I finally saw him, head hanging as he walked shoulders hunched in his grey flannel coat, sympathy tugged at
my heart. I put aside my frustration. At least he'd called me for a ride and hadn't bummed one from someone who could
endanger his life driving under the influence.
I pulled over and he got in.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey."
The air he carried in to the car with him didn't smell like smoke, thank heavens.
"Are you going to have it towed?"
"Probably, yeah." He whipped out his cell phone, read text messages, answered them, then he dialed a number. I
listened as he arranged for a tow. After the call, he stuffed his phone away in the pocket of his coat.
"Do you believe in guardian angels?"
"What the?" His face twisted. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]