Collide: A Riverbend Novel by Sara Daniell Read Free Book Online Page B

panic.
     
    We had talked about
homeschooling before, and they had said I'd have to go to a special
place for that.
     
    "So, you're willing to
tough it out here?"
     
    I nodded as I grasped my
hands to keep them from shaking.
     
    She nodded and wrote
something down.
    "You're free to go. See you
in the morning. Oh and Reese?"
     
    "Yes ma'am?" I asked after
I stood up and grabbed my bag.
     
    "Havock's name suits him
well. Just be careful. And you didn't hear that from
me."
     
    I nodded and opened the
door. I gave Havock a weak smile as I saw him standing there
waiting.
     
    "You should be in class," I
said softly as we walked into the hall.
     
    "She doesn't like me," he
said with a humored grin. "I heard what she said about my name.
She's right. I'm terrible." He laughed.
     
    "I'm not much better. At
least you're not-" I stopped myself and shook my head. "Never
mind."
     
    He stopped and leaned
against some lockers. "Not what?"
     
    I looked at him and
shrugged. "I had to go see her because she heard we were popping
pills in the bathroom together."
     
    "Oh." He chewed on his
bottom lip. "Well, do you want to?"
     
    "No," I said firmly then
started walking again. He didn't understand. I didn't do that stuff
for fun. There's only one reason in mind to do that, and I didn't
want that right now.
     
    He caught up with me. "I
was kidding."
     
    I closed my eyes. "You
can't kid like that with me. Okay?" I begged as I looked at
him.
     
    He held back laughter. He
nodded. "I'm going to smoke before my last class. Want to come with
me?"
     
    I shook my head. "I'm
staying after school to finish my art project. Just so you know." I
tried not to be angry. He didn't know about the things I had done
or tried to do. There was no reason to be angry at him. I gave him
a weak smile then went to class.
     
    ~~~
     
    I finished the last
painting, and it was dry. I'd just finished cleaning up my brushes
and area when Garrett came in. "Hey, I figured you'd be at home by
now."
     
    He walked over to the sink
and wet a paper towel. He wiped my nose and cheek. "I stayed to
work out in the gym. And then one of the guys told me you were in
here, so I wanted to come see if you needed a ride home." He threw
the paper towel in the trash.
     
    "Yes, thank you." I grabbed
my backpack slung it on then grabbed the four covered art pieces,
or tried to. "Mrs. Jacobs was going to drive me home, but it's out
of her way," I said still trying to balance everything.
     
    He caught one of the
paintings before it fell. "Let me carry all that for you." He
laughed.
     
    "Just don't look. And thank
you." After I said bye to Mrs. Jacobs, we headed to Garrett's
truck.
     
    He placed the paintings
carefully in the back. He climbed in and started the truck. "Why
can't I look?"
     
    He pulled out of the
parking lot and tugged on the bottom of my shirt for me to scoot to
the middle.
     
    "Because." I smiled a
little as I moved over.
     
    "I like surprises," he
smiled as he took my hand in his. "Can we drive around for a bit so
we can talk?"
     
    "Sure," I said nervously.
"Am I in trouble?"
     
    "No. I want to talk about
us..."
     
    Us? I scrunched my eyebrows
at him. "Okay," I said as I waited to hear what he had to
say.
     
    "I like you, Reese. And not
just as a friend. It's more than that for me."
     
    I had no idea what to say.
I liked Garrett a lot, but I liked Havock too. I also knew nothing
could come of either of them. "You can't," I said as I removed my
hand. "They'd make me leave, Garrett."
     
    "They won't
know."
     
    "Who won't? Your parents,
brother, school counselor, teachers? I'm on watch by all of them."
I ran my hand through my hair. "You don't need to like me. I'm not
stable, Garrett."
     
    "But I could be that
stability you need, Reese." He stopped the truck on the side of the
road. He looked at me as he touched the side of my face. "No-one
has to know. Not my parents, my brother, the teachers,
no-one."
     
    A tear rolled down my
cheek. "I don't know.