Page 28 of Rough Rider (Bad Boy High)
He frowns. “Don’t tell me you’re going after that girl again.”
Silently, I gather all our trash.
He makes a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “That pussy is dangerous.”
I stop in mid-motion and pin him with a hard stare. “I don’t like it when you say that.”
He sighs and slumps back in his chair. “Fine, I won’t use that word when talking about her, but I don’t like this situation. She’s dangerous. She’s gonna get you hurt or she’s going to get hurt, and then you’ll go on a murderous revenge rampage, and I’ll be left reading twelve stories a night to your sister because you won’t be around.”
I resume clearing the table. “I’ll be around.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he says as I toss the garbage into the bin.
When I don’t respond, he mutters, “I know. I know. I said don’t tell me. But seriously, if you need something, you should reach out to me. We’re buds, remember. I watch your back; you watch my back. If you’re not around, I’ll have to break in a new partner, and they will suck, so for all of our sakes just be careful.”
“I will.” I venture a glance in his direction. “Speaking of reading books to Julie, are you up for that tonight?”
“I’m not even gonna ask you why.”
“Good call.”
“What? You’re not gonna tell me?”
“You’re pretty smart, Bam. You can figure it out.”
This time when I see Andy at the library, she’s not sleeping.
“You’re here?” She blinks her pretty, lacy eyelashes at me. I feel myself grow warm all over.
“Your book bag looks heavy. Can’t have you carrying it by yourself.” I sling the bag over my shoulder and hold out the sack with the burrito in it. “It’s not warm, but it’s good food. I ate with Bam earlier.”
She holds the bag up to her nose. “It smells amazing, thank you. Can’t eat in here so let’s—” She points toward the exit. “Don’t you have to be home to read to your sister?” she asks when we’re outside.
“Uncle Bam is doing it tonight. She likes him better than me anyway.”
“I highly doubt that. How long have you known him?”
“Eighth grade. He bumped into me in the lunchroom and spilled my food all over my clothes. I hit him, and he hit me back, and we both ended up in detention. I think we fought like three more times, which ended up extending our time in detention. Basically, we ended up spending three months together. Since we didn’t want to serve it anymore, we made this pact that we wouldn’t beat each other up no matter what.”
“So yours is like an enemies to lovers story.”
“I don’t know about the lovers, and I can’t really even say we are enemies. We’re just dumb. And we like to fight so maybe like dummies to less dummies?”
“You don’t seem very dumb to me. You seem like you know what’s going on.”
I snort. “Andy, I don’t know shit. I don’t have my life together like you. You have plans. I can barely see what’s happening tomorrow, let alone having dreams of houses in the suburbs and earning four-year degrees.”
“I think you have more vision than you give yourself credit for. You’re obviously doing what you’re doing because you want to give your sister a better life.”
“You see me differently.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s good. Because you see me in a good light. But it’s bad because I don’t know that I’m the person you see.”
“I have perfect 20/20 vision.” She tucks her hand in mine.
With her beside me, I know I want to be better.
