Charcoal Tears by Jane Washington Read Free Book Online

sound.”
    “Noah is a maestro,” Cabe said, earning a glare from his brother. “A moody one,” he corrected, “but a maestro all the same.”
    “How are you two related?” I blurted out.
    They both looked at me. Cabe was the one to answer, but his voice had lowered. “We’re only half-brothers. No need to spread it around.”
    Yeah, right, because I have so many friends to gossip with .
    “So you’re talking today?” Noah nudged us both from the bench.
    “I guess.” I stood up, watching as his fingers stroked the keys in a delicate melody, almost too soft to be heard over the other instruments in the room. Cabe was right; he was very talented. Maybe their continued forced presence around me was beginning to make me more comfortable with them.
    “Ready to tell us why you didn’t jump out of the way of my car?” Noah asked, still focussed on the keys.
    “Is that why you two won’t leave me alone? You want to know why I have slow reflexes?”
    Cabe huffed, dropping an arm over my shoulders, his hand nudging until I was facing him. “You want us to leave you alone?”
    I opened my mouth to answer, but thought about the pictures on my bed and the note that had accompanied them. Noah stopped playing, and I felt him stand behind me. He tapped on my shoulder, forcing me to face him. His stormy eyes caught mine, trying to pull the words from me as he had in the cafeteria the day before.
    “Answer Cabe,” he said softly.
    It was too much. They were both too much. “No,” I said reflexively.
    “No what?” Cabe poked me.
    “You don’t have to leave me alone.” But maybe you should .
    Noah’s eyes glimmered, his mouth hooked up into a grin and he stepped back to the piano. I turned to catch Cabe’s wide smile. None of it made sense. The more time they spent with me, the closer to them I felt. It was true; I didn’t want them to leave me alone. The scratchy feeling, while not entirely pleasant, was transforming into something frighteningly addictive. It had passed the barrier of my skin and it now traversed my insides, wiggling about and settling into my nerve endings, jolting me to life.
    I didn’t know them. I didn’t trust them. And yet, already… I needed them.
    At the end of the day they both followed me to my car. Tariq was leaning against the driver’s door, his arms folded, a rare frown making an appearance. I unlocked the car and everyone slid in. It wasn’t until I put the keys into the ignition that Tariq spoke up.
    “What are they doing here?” He jerked his head at the backseat, where Cabe and Noah were lazing silently, making the car seem a lot smaller than it actually was.
    “They’re my friends,” I said.
    Tariq’s eyes widened, and I realised I was smiling. He quietened and turned to the backseat, his mouth hanging open. I turned on the radio and drove home. We parked at the curb and Tariq touched my shoulder, flicking his eyes toward the house in warning. I nodded and turned to the backseat.
    “Can you guys wait here?” I asked.
    Cabe nodded, which I took as answer for the both of them. Tariq slid out of the car and I followed him to the door. We switched places as we neared the door, leaving me to be the distraction as usual. I’d drive off before my father could do much, and Tariq would be safe behind a locked door.
    We walked into the kitchen and heard the sounds of the television in the sitting room. Squaring my shoulders, I led us toward the sound. He had to see me at least once or he’d come looking for one of us to ask for money. It was a lesson that we had learnt early on.
    “Oi,” he called out, hearing the floorboards squeak beneath my shoes. The sound of the television was cut off and he appeared in the hallway. “Where the hell were you two?”
    He was only wearing a pair of stained sweatpants, and they were tugged too far down his left hip. There was a sound behind him and a woman’s face appeared. I cringed. Apparently he wasn’t so concerned about our