Equilibrium (Marauders #4.5) by Lina Andersson Read Free Book Online Page B

broken.” She took the cigarette he was handing her. “You were an asshole.”
    “I know.”
    “But you didn’t tell Dad.”
    “Told you I wouldn’t.”
    “People say a lot of shit.”
    “Ain’t that the truth,” he said with a smile. “For the record, I don’t think you’re broken. I think you’re knocked off course, but not broken. I think you’ve got a great shot at getting back on track.”
    “Why?”
    “You’re strong, and even if you took a detour, you’re fighting.”
    “I’m not sure I am.”
    “Sure you are. You’re sitting right here, dealing with it.”
    “I’m not sure… that I want to, like, talk about that , what happened, with you.”
    “Then don’t. Talk about something else. Hang out with me for a spell, or just ask me questions.”
    “Okay. I can do that.” She took a deep breath. “What’s your name? Your real name.”
    “Samuel Walsh.”
    “How old are you?”
    “Twenty-two.”
    She hesitated, but then she kept going. “How did you know? All those things you said to me, how did you know that about me?”
    “You’re not the only who’s been knocked off course.”
    “Were you far off course?”
    “Miles off and going in the wrong direction.”
    She nodded and then finally looked at him.
    “So… are there, like, rules for this?”
    “No, I’m not a shrink,” he laughed. “Just don’t fucking lie. I don’t like that. And I’m of no use to you if you do. If you don’t want to tell me, just say that. If you don’t want to talk, say that, too. I won’t be offended.”
    “Okay,” she said. “Can you tell me why?”
    “Why what?”
    “Why you wanna help me, and don’t lie to me. I know you don’t even like me that much—you made that pretty clear.”
    Yeah, the things he’d said to her had pretty much made it clear to her what he thought about her, which made it all the more surprising that she’d taken him up on his offer. Surprising but encouraging. She wanted this because she thought it could make a difference.
    “I owe someone a favor.”
    “Someone I know?”
    “No, you don’t. She was my sister,” he answered. Eliza sat quietly next to him. “You can ask whatever you want. If I don’t want to tell you, I’ll let you know.”
    “Did she die? You said was .”
    “Yes. She died.”
    He’d been thinking a lot about Natalie lately, and mostly because of Eliza. That could be why she annoyed him so much. He knew it wasn’t really fair to think that Eliza should be able to cope better than Natalie had, but he couldn’t help it. It could also be that he felt that he had to try to help Eliza, since he hadn’t been of much use to Nat.
    “So why were you an asshole?”
    “Why are you here?” he asked instead of answering her question.
    “Maybe because you were an asshole?”
    “Precisely.”
    “I’m not sure you’re making sense,” she said with a small laugh. “I want to talk to you because you’re an asshole?”
    “No, because you’re fed up with people pretending around you. Which is normal, by the way. People do that when they don’t know how to handle someone. Try not to blame them too much, but keep in mind that it’s not your fault. And because you’re fed up with people who are scared of the shit you’re bottling up inside.”
    She turned her head and looked at him, and then she smiled. This time it was real. Roach knew it, because it looked like it had when they talked about Transmetropolitan, and that had been a real smile, too. He’d gotten to her. He wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing, but he had. It was quite possible Brick would have his balls for this if he took it the wrong way.
    “Think you can stop calling me Princess?” she asked.
    “I’ve seen your bed, that’s a princess’ bed,” he laughed, but something about her changed, just slightly. “What?”
    “I like my bed. It’s kind of my own universe when I close the curtains.”
    Everyone needed a place where they felt safe. It was a vital