AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ava
Look at this. Made me think of you.
Not even ten seconds later, my phone dinged.
Dad
Neat!
It was more than what I thought I’d get, but less than what I’d wanted. He hadn’t texted me since Monday when he canceled our weekend plans, and this one-word response did nothing to ease the ache inside me. On the other hand, I kicked myself for wanting his attention. He was the one who sent our household into a tailspin—he should’ve been the one texting me “thinking of you,” right?
“I should probably pick something up for Alex, shouldn’t I?” Maisie asked as we trailed deeper into the store. “I feel bad that he’s waiting for me out in the car.”
“He could’ve come in,” I pointed out.
“This really isn’t his thing.” Maisie trailed her fingertips along a hand-carved dresser with white paint that had begun to chip. The vintage appearance of it was to die for.
I followed Maisie to the library section of the store where Mrs. Hewitt kept all of her books stocked and away from the sunlight to reduce fading. Something on the floor caught my attention. A wavy, worn-down cardboard box was pressed underneath a shelf, looking like it’d once been water-logged and dried in the sun. The words scrawled across the front were faint, but readable.Comic Books.50¢ each.
Maybe I wanted to try a new hobby. Comic books always seemed cool.It’d been Reed’s response when I’d asked him why he quit football. A flippant answer, of course, but my mind snagged on it now. Maybe ithadbeen an offhand remark, the first thing that came out of his mouth, but what if it was something that would interest him?
Yesterday, Mom finished her phone call after I led him outside to see the rotten porch steps, and with her presence, we dropped the kissing subject. Obviously. Mom did not need to be privy to that information. But still, Reed and I hadn’t really left things on great terms. Not bad terms, but also not get-him-a-gift terms.
Never in my life had I purchased something for Reed, except on his birthday when I always got him a gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods, and yet, here I was, thinking of him when I wasn’t supposed to. When it wasn’t allowed.
Bending down, I slid the box into the light and thumbed through the slick comics. Most of them were well-loved, with their stapled covers sliding off or torn at the corners, but to me, that made them even more special. Most were titles I didn’t recognize, a few about superheroes, a few actual manga graphic novels. I picked up the ones with the most interesting covers.
“Since when are you into comic books?” Maisie asked as she bent down beside me, clutching a dark brown book close to her chest. No doubt a classic Mrs. Hewitt had found. “Not that I’m judging or anything. They look pretty cool.”
“Right?” I found another one that was mostly in good condition, trailing my fingers through some accumulated dust. “I was just looking. The superhero ones look pretty cool.”
“Oh, yeah?” Maisie studied them closer. “Maybe I should get Alex one. I’m more of a superhero movie watcher, but you’ll have to let me know if they’re good.”
Biting down on my lower lip, I got to my feet, holding the comic books to my chest the same way Maisie clenched her newest find. Like it was the most important thing in the world. “I’ll let you know.”
“You’re up, Maisie,” Rachel said as she sauntered back from the bowling lane, smirking. She’d gotten a split, but it brought her nowhere near my epic, strike-filled roster. I prided myself in my extraordinary bowling skills, mostly because that was one of the cooler things about me.
Maisie got to her feet with a nod and turned to Alex, who stared down into his pop like he saw a bug swimming around with the ice. “Wish me luck?” she asked him.
“Good luck,” he returned, the words seeming pulled out of him.
I stared at him and at his lack of interest, as if my looks could turn him to stone.I don’t like you, I thought at him.I really don’t like you.
He did a double-take at me. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Like what?” I asked innocently, but didn’t lessen the death glare.
Alex didn’t answer, but took his straw between his teeth again and turned to watch Maisie bowl.Yeah, be intimidated,I wanted to tell him.I might be small, but I can rip you to shreds.
Rachel put her hand on my knee and squeezed, and I thought that was her way of trying to call off the attack dog in me until I looked at her. She stared off toward the doorway, and when my gaze followed, I stiffened, too.
Brentwood High’s Top Tier just walked into Allen’s Alley.
Though the Top Tier was a pretty big group, comprised of mostly jocks, there were those who were higher up in the pyramid. Connor Bray led the pack, because though he wasn’t the quarterback, hewasthe most popular guy in school. Easily the cutest. His girlfriend and co-captain of the cheer squad, Jade Dyer, stood behind him with her second in command, Madison Oliphant. Landon Settler, quarterback and Most Likely To: Never Get A Girlfriend, stood chatting with none other than Reed Manning.
I stiffened at the sight of Reed, but maybe my reaction had more to do with the girl by his side. The girl with her hand wrapped around his.
My first thought was that she was so pretty that it wasn’t fair. Her deep skin was flawless, and she had a chunk of her curly brown locks wrapped up into a bun, the rest flowing over her shoulders. She wasn’t Top Tier, but she definitely looked like she belonged in it.
