Beyond Reach by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online Page A

been terribly informative or helpful. Peter used his dad's handgun, which his dad kept in the nightstand in the master bedroom. Nothing was locked up, and both boys knew it was there. Why do parents do that? Not all parents, of course. My dad, being a cop, never would've done something that lame. Anyway, according to what I read, all the forensics evidence and fingerprints indicated nothing more than a suicide, and then the e-mailed note seemed to seal the deal. End of story. Or not.
    I'm just not sure and it's bugging me. Did Peter really kill himself? Or was something else going on with that friend Brett? And was Peter really experimenting with drugs? Or was that just a contrived story? And if so, why?
    Naturally, I have absolutely no idea. And I don't even know why I bother to think about this whole sad thing, except that I feel so badly for his family. But I have been praying for his mom and brother—a lot. Unfortunately,I don't think there's much more I can do. And like I told Ebony when she called to check on me yesterday, I don't have a single thing on it. And I suspect I just need to let it go. Move on.
    We've started the new quarter, which means a few new classes, including chemistry, which I'm sure is a big mistake on my part, although I managed to snag the smartest kid in the class for my lab partner. Garrett Pierson is a shy, sort of nerdish guy who seems to be into all things science-related. Consequently, he's already taken the lead on our first project, which I don't totally understand, something to do with energy. Not that I plan to slack exactly. But it's reassuring to know that my grade is in good hands, specifically Garrett's.
    For the most part, school has felt pretty boring and tedious this week, and I think everyone's in the doldrums of winter right now. Plus the weather is cold and wet and cruddy. But at least I have a birthday coming up on Saturday. Not that I have any great expectations, although Olivia has been somewhat mysterious and I think she might be up to something. Most of all I think it'll be fun to be seventeen. For some reason, seventeen sounds a lot more sophisticated and grown-up than sixteen. Nearly eighteen…adulthood just around the corner.
    “Coming to the game tonight?” Conrad asks me after lunch on Friday
    “You guys going to win this one?” I tease.
    “We're playing Fairview,” he says, as in “duh” and it should be obvious. Everyone knows that Fairview High isn't known for its athletics.
    “Then you guys better win,” I tell him. “Guess I'll come.”
    “If you stick around afterward, we could go get some pizza,” he offers. “Maybe Alex and Olivia would want to come along too.”
    “I'll ask Olivia.”
    “Where you headed?”
    I groan. “Chemistry.”
    He nods. “Oh, yeah, I forgot you were taking that. You're a brave woman.”
    “Don't you mean stupid?”
    He laughs. “Well, I didn't want to say that. You won't catch me taking one of Dynell's classes. He's tough; I've heard it's a sure way to mess up your GPA.”
    “I just wanted to finish up my science credits this year. That way I can take it easier for senior year.”
    “But chemistry?” He makes a face.
    “Like I told you, it's all there was to choose from.”
    Garrett Pierson hurries past us, his head held down like usual, like maybe he's counting the cracks in the sidewalk, although it's not a sidewalk and there are no cracks. It's simply the gray industrial carpeted hallway that leads to the science department.
    “And besides,” I say in a lowered voice, nodding to the hunched back of my slightly geekish chemistry cohort, “I've got a good partner to get me through.”
    “Garrett Pierson?”
    “That's right. He's really smart.”
    “Should I be jealous?”
    I turn and look at Conrad, and even if his curly red hair is a little goofy, he's ten times better looking than poor Garrett. “Yeah, right.”
    He grins and gives me a peck on the cheek, something I'm still not quite comfortable with