Contessa by Lori L. Otto Read Free Book Online Page B

like Facebook. ”
    “ He doesn ’ t abhor it. He just values privacy, ” I explain, just as my dad explained it to me. Jon nods his head in understanding.
    “ I miss this place. ”
    “ You can come back. ”
    “ No, I can ’ t. Well, I wouldn ’ t–not while I have the money to pay for classes elsewhere. ”
    “ The program isn ’ t as fun without you. ” Now that his mother has gotten her degree and a professional job, she can afford to enroll him in art classes at a community college. That leaves one more spot for another kid who ’ s less fortunate, so I can appreciate what he ’ s doing.
    “ Can I walk you home? Your parents wouldn ’ t want you walking home at this time of night. It ’ ll be dark soon. ”
    “ I ’ ve been doing it for years, you know this. I think Granna sticks around and spies on me until I ’ m within eyeshot of my house. That ’ s my theory, anyway. ” We both look around in search of her car, even though I ’ m joking.
    “ How ’ s school? ” he asks me as we begin walking very slowly toward my house. Jon goes to public school, and has always been at the top of his class.
    “ It ’ s hard, ” I tell him. “ I tested out of the tenth grade, but I ’ m having a hard time keeping up with my school work this year. ”
    “ You ’ re a junior? ”
    I nod.
    “ That ’ s great, Livvy. I ’ m impressed. ”
    “ Thanks. How ’ s your school year going? ”
    “ Good. I ’ m studying for the SATs. ” He holds up a thick paperback.
    “ You? Study? ”
    “ Well, not all of us get a free ride to college, you know. ” I stare at him, unsure what he ’ s implying. He knows my parents are wealthy–we always knew we were different–but it had never bothered him and he had never made an issue out of it before. “ Oh, God, Livvy, no, ” he stutters. “ I wasn ’ t talking about your parents. ”
    “ Right, ” I come back at him curiously, walking quickly in front of him.
    “ Livvy, come back here, ” he calls to me, his voice sounding sorry. I stop and cross my arms in front of my chest, but turn around to glare at him as I wait for his explanation. I melt at the expression on his face, and shiver at his close proximity. He is mere inches from me, and there ’ s no way I can continue be annoyed with him when I have this weird queasy feeling in my stomach. He puts his hands on my shoulders. “ What I meant was not all of us are child prodigies who are sure to get art scholarships to any school they want to go to. ”
    My stomach jumps.
    “ Oh, ” I barely manage to breathe out. “ Okay. ”
    “ You always were sensitive. ” He crinkles his nose and grins as he says this.
    “ I am not. ”
    “ Oh, you are, ” he argues. “ But I like that about you. ”
    “ Oh. ” This time, I ’ m not sure he can even hear me.
    “ So your sixteenth birthday ’ s coming up soon, huh? ” I ’ d never noticed how long his eyelashes were.
    “ Next month, yeah, ” I tell him, surprised that he remembers.
    “ Are you gonna let me be your first date? ” he asks quietly. “ Or is that privilege saved for someone else? ”
    “ I ’ m yours, ” I tell him, and then hear what I ’ d said. “ I mean, it ’ s yours. It ’ s . ”
    “ It will be my privilege. Thank you. ”
    “ You ’ re welcome, ” I say, the only words I can think of to say. “ Cool. ”
    “ Cool, ” he repeats as he kicks one leg forward deliberately and starts to walk again. I stay at his side and keep pace with him.
    “ You think your dad will be okay with that? ”
    “ I don ’ t care, ” I tell him. “ But yeah, I don ’ t see why he wouldn ’ t. ”
    “ I don ’ t know. I bet he ’ s been happy I haven ’ t been around so often. ”
    “ Why would you say that? He barely knows you. ”
    “ Well, I asked him a year ago if I could take you to a movie. ”
    “ You what? ”
    “ Yeah. He said no; he told me to come back and ask when you ’ re sixteen. ”
    “ He said no ?