Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68920 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
All I can do is follow.
Alone.
We exit the hazy store and Amy babbles to people along the way that she knows. They meet up with a group of kids they went to high school with. I recognize a few faces, siblings of the older kids. Nobody I talk to. The group migrates past herds of people to a stage that’s been set up in the middle of the street.
My mouth waters when I get a whiff of turkey legs being cooked by a vendor parked nearby. I want to ask Hudson if he wants to share one like when we were kids, but he’s in a heated conversation with some guy about baseball. I drift away until I find a bench.
If Mom were here, she’d be complaining about the shoes she’d worn. Always a trend setter but not a practical one. Dad would offer to carry her on his back. She’d deny him, of course, because he was always in pain. Hudson would kick off his tennis shoes and offer them to Mom, saying he didn’t care if he went barefoot. We’d all laugh—
“Anyone sitting here?” a voice asks.
I look up to see a boy I’d noticed in Amy’s store staring at me. He goes to school with me. Travis Mayes. “All yours,” I reply.
He sits down and his thigh brushes against mine. “This band sucks.”
Laughing, I glance up at the stage. “They do. She likes them, though.” I point at Amy as she dances like an idiot. Hudson is still deep in conversation with the one guy.
“You should come with me and my buddies to Club Exodus one night. The bands are way better than this.”
“Isn’t Club Exodus twenty-one and up?”
His grin is devious. “Before my brother went to prison, he broke into the DMV and stole a bunch of shit. I make fake IDs all the time for my friends.” He nudges my shoulder with his. “I could get you one, friend. Whatever you want, I can make it happen. I have my ways, thanks to my brother.”
“He sounds like a great influence,” I deadpan.
He snorts, but his eyes are twinkling. “My brother taught me everything I know. I’m just smarter than him. If you ever need anything, I can get it for you. I’m cheap too.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say and then groan. “This band really does suck.”
“Definitely sucks. By the way, I haven’t seen you lately in first hour,” he says. “Everything okay besides, you know…?”
I jerk my head over to look at him. “Besides losing my mom and dad on the same night? Everything is peachy.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he mutters. “I just wondered how things were at home.”
Tears burn my eyes and I choke on my words, irrationally angry at him. “Home? Travis, I have no home. The only home I knew is being rented out by another family now.”
“Hey,” he tries gently, his hand patting my thigh. “I was only saying—”
“Rylie,” Hudson barks.
When I look up, Hudson stands in front of me, his hands fisted at his sides. Fury rolls off him in waves. I can tell he’s seconds away from knocking his fist through Travis’s nose.
“I’m fine,” I croak out.
Travis jerks his hand away and rises to his feet. “I’ll see you around, Rylie.”
Hudson, with his jaw clenched, watches Travis until he disappears into the crowd. Then, he turns his intense glare my way.
“Aren’t they great?” Amy says as she dances over to us. Her big boobs bounce and I hate her. I hate her because she’s been with my brother. He’s been inside her. I hate her for that.
“Yep,” Hudson and I both answer at the same time.
He smirks at me and we share a silent moment. The band sucks.
“Let’s dance.” She grabs his hands and tries to get him to move to the music.
“Actually,” he says with a frown. “Aunt Becky called. She wants Rylie to come home. It’s getting late.”
“Oh.” Her bottom lip pouts out. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“Yeah, of course.”
She stands on her toes and runs her fingers through his hair, drawing him to her mouth. They kiss and I want to throw up. I hurry to my feet and start for the truck to give them their privacy. But before I get too far away, Hudson falls into step beside me.
“You didn’t have to stop making out on my account,” I say bitterly.
He doesn’t say anything until we’re in the parking lot, walking between cars. We find his truck, but he doesn’t get in. Instead, he follows me over to my side and stops me before I can climb inside.
“Who was that guy?” he demands.
I stare at him with my mouth hanging open. “Travis? He’s a kid from school.”
“Stay away from him. He’s trouble.” He crosses his arms over his chest, accentuating how big his biceps are.