Better than Perfect by Simone Elkeles Read Free Book Online Page A

it.
    When Landon sits next to me, I lean into him. “What are you thinking about?” I ask, getting my boyfriend’s attention. “You look so serious.”
    â€œIt’s nothing,” he says irritably before opening a can of beer and chugging the entire thing.
    I put my hand on his chest. “Is it the captain thing? Because I didn’t know—”
    He swats my hand away. “Fuck, Ash, will you stop bringing it up? I’m just pissed off at the world right now, okay? So you were voted captain. Big fucking deal. I’m sure Jet orchestrated it as retaliation for that stupid article in the paper. The joke’s on me, huh?”
    â€œJet didn’t orchestrate anything.”
    He gives a short, mocking laugh. “Yeah, right.”
    His words sting. “Please say you don’t mean that.”
    â€œFine. I don’t mean it,” he says unconvincingly.
    I glance at Monika and Trey, who are trying their best to pretend they’re not listening to our argument.
    I try to swallow, but there’s a lump in my throat as I say what’s been on my mind ever since Dieter wrote my name on the board this morning. “You . . . you don’t think I deserve to be captain, do you?”
    He doesn’t answer.

Chapter 7

Derek
    The sun is setting as I jog with Falkor. At the last minute I decided I might as well try to make nice with the beast and give him some exercise. I don’t have a destination, but the hot, fresh air hitting my face loosens my tense muscles.
    Within minutes, Falkor and I pass the high school and the football field right next to it. Memories of my mom watching me play football fill my head. She was always the loudest parent in the bleachers; I swear her lungs must’ve been sore by the end of each game. Even after she’d just had chemo and felt nauseous and tired, she’d be there. “Watching you play is my favorite thing to do,” she’d say.
    I’d do anything to play for her just one more time. Hell, I’d do anything just to talk to my mom again. But that’s never gonna happen.
    The beast and I jog around the track a couple of times beforegetting bored and venturing through town. As I stop at a red light and follow signs to the beach, I think about Ashtyn. Man, that tight shirt and short shorts didn’t leave much to the imagination. It was a complete transformation from this afternoon, when her body was covered by a big hoodie. Maybe Ashtyn is a chameleon, changing into a new person depending on who she’s hanging with. I wonder if her boyfriend likes her wearing sexy clothes so he can show her off like a trophy. When he picked her up, he looked at me like I was an opponent about to intercept one of his passes.
    â€œI don’t like her boyfriend,” I say to Falkor.
    The beast stares up at me with gray eyes and pants, his long tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.
    â€œNext time he comes over you should pee on his leg,” I suggest.
    I’m talking to a dog. I feel like that movie where the guy is stranded on a desert island and ends up talking to a volleyball as if it’s his best friend. I sure as hell hope this isn’t a sign that I’m destined to have Falkor as my only friend while I’m living in Chicago. That would suck more than being stuck in Headmaster Crowe’s office getting lectured for an hour.
    When we get to the beach, I look out over the calm water. The shoreline is tame compared to Cali, where sleeper waves can take your feet out from under you without warning. I stand at the water’s edge and look across the moonlit water with Falkor at my side. I wonder how my dad feels being surrounded by nothing but water. He told me once that living in a submarine is like escaping the outside world and living in your own bubble. While some guys enlist for money or education or to find themselves, my dad says being inthe military makes him feel useful.
Everyone has a