Naomi Grim by Tiffany Nicole Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

plopped on the bed and Roxy turned on the same
blaring music that had irritated my eardrums on the way over. My dislike of the
music must have shown on my face because she turned it off. “Cas, what kind of
music do you like to listen to?”
    I thought for a moment. I'd
memorized a list of popular artists, but I couldn't remember any of their
songs, so I opted to be honest. “Bach, Beethoven, Mozart.”
    The girls looked at each
other and then burst into giggles. “You are definitely a homeschooled kid,”
Paige said.
    Thankfully, Roxy didn’t turn
the music back on. She threw herself across the bed in front of me and Paige.
“Let’s get to the good stuff. What happened between you and Hunter? I asked him
this morning and he said ‘no comment’.”
    “Nothing happened. He wanted
a little more than I’m ready for.”
    “Ohhhhhh,” Paige said.
    “It was only your first
date. That doesn’t sound like Hunter,” Roxy said.
    “So, how long would you make
him wait?” Paige asked.
    I wasn’t sure how to answer
that question. “How long will I make him wait for what?”
    The girls laughed again. I
was beginning to feel stupid. “What?”
    Roxy looked at Paige slyly.
“Cas, have you even made it to first base?”
    First base. That was a
sport’s term. Baseball, if I remembered correctly. What did that have to do
with me and Hunter? “I’m not really into sports.”
    The girls laughed
hysterically again. “You are adorable,” Roxy said. “We have so much to teach
you.”
    Paige went to Roxy’s dresser
and poured herself a glass of soda. “Do you like Hunter?” she asked before
gulping it down.
    “Yeah, he seems like a great
guy, but I’m not looking for a relationship. I move around a lot. I probably
won’t even be at this school next year.”
    Paige burped without
excusing herself. “So what? It's high school. No one's asking you to get
married. You can have fun while you’re here.” Fun. That was a new concept for
me. I envied how human teens could date and enjoy life without having to worry
about breaking the Covenant and being sent on assignments.
    The doorbell rang and Roxy
ran down to answer it.
    Paige wouldn’t take her eyes
off me. I grabbed the bag of cheese puffs, wishing she’d stop staring.
    “You and Hunter would make
an adorable couple, but don’t tell Ash I said that. Speaking of the devil . .
.”
    Roxy re-entered the room
with Ashley at her heels.
    “Oh, she’s here,”
Ashley greeted me. She put her backpack down immediately and began to fumble
through the cosmetics on Roxy’s vanity. “So, how was your date?”
    I shrugged. I thought it
would be best for me not to answer that question.
    “It didn’t go well, Naomi’s
not interested, so drop it,” Roxy said with an edge of annoyance in her voice.
    Ashley dropped the subject,
but she wouldn’t leave me alone. “I’ve been thinking about you, Naomi. I have
family who lives in Sacramento. What part are you from?”
    I didn’t know the answer to
that question. I had been told to say I was from Sacramento, California and
nothing else.
    “The east side,” I answered.
    Paige began to examine the
nail polish on her toes. “What’s wrong with you, Ashley?”
    “There’s something weird
about her. Something that she’s hiding and I want to know what it is.” Ashley
talked about me like I wasn’t even there.
    The other girls stared at
me. It was time for me to go. I stood and stretched. “Well, I’m going to head
home."
    Roxy looped her arm around
mine. "No, you're not. Pay Ashley no attention." Roxy led me to her
vanity and pushed Ashley out of the chair. "Sit," she ordered, so I
sat. I looked in the mirror as she pulled my hair away from my neck.
"You're a pretty girl, Casper. You just need a little more umpf to your
look." She turned to Paige. "Makeover?"
    Paige hopped from the bed,
clapping her hands like a seal. "Yes, yes, yes! I love makeovers."
She immediately began poking and pinching my cheeks.
    I slapped her