AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I give a half-shrug. “Honestly, I try not to, or else it kind of freaks me out.”
He studies me in a way that makes me feel as if he’s trying to dig into my mind. “Why’s that?”
I shrug again. “I don’t know … I just haven’t. I mean, I’m not bad at school, but I’m not getting any scholarships or anything like that. And my aunt and uncle couldn’t give less of a shit about my future, so that just leaves me trying to figure it out. And, so far, I haven’t figured out much.” I fiddle with a loose thread hanging off my shorts. “To be honest, I try not to let myself think about it, because it freaks me out.”
“Because you worry that you won’t have enough money to leave them?” he asks, but I think he already knows the answer.
I waver. “Yeah, that’s part of it.”
“But you want to leave?” he checks.
“Of course. I’ve wanted to since the day I moved in with them. I even thought about taking off, but I’m unsure if living on the streets is any better. Who the hell knows?”
A beat of silence skips by.
“You would leave, though, if you could?” he says. “I mean, without having to live on the streets.”
I nod. “I’d be gone in a heartbeat if I could.”
He sucks on his lip ring in a way that makes my stomach do weird, fluttery things. “And, where would you go if you had to think about it?”
“I’m not sure … I’ve never thought about it.”
He slips his arm around my shoulders and draws me back with him as he leans back in the sofa. “Well, picture it now, where you could see yourself happiest.”
Happy? Does such a thing exist? I think it does, but it’s been a while.
I rotate toward him. “I’m not sure.”
Our legs are close enough that they’re touching, and his arm is around me so our sides are pressed together. I feel safe, which is strange, considering what’s going on. But I like the feeling.
“Warm or cold?” he wonders. “I mean, do you like warm weather or cold?”
“Maybe both,” I say. “A place that has warm summers and snowy winters.”
“So LA is off the table for you,” he says with a nod. “How about Seattle or New York?”
I waver. “I don’t know … I’ve never been a fan of how New York sounds—all hustle and business all the damn time. And I heard people are rude there, but I’m not sure if that’s true.”
“Oh, it’s true,” he assures me. “Not everyone, but there are some douchebags there.”
“You’ve been there before?”
“A few times. And I seriously don’t get why Jax likes it there. Personally, I don’t think the energy there matches his energy. But he has it in his head that artists and writers go there.”
Ah, so that’s why he likes it there.
“Don’t they go to Seattle, too?” I point out.
“That’s what I told him.” A grin spreads across his face. “I’m glad you’re taking my side. It means we probably get to go to Seattle.”
Now I’m beyond perplexed. “Why would that be the deciding fact in you guys’ decision?”
“Because Jax likes you a ton. And while that might be outing one of my best friends, I think you already know that.” His gaze flicks to the spot on my neck where the hickey is, and I get really squirrely.
“Maybe,” I mutter. “But I doubt I will be able to convince him to move to a city he doesn’t want to live in.”
“He doesn’t not want to move to Seattle,” he clarifies. “He just prefers New York, but he’ll definitely drop it if he knows Seattle’s going to have you there.”
