Obsidian Faith by Bev Elle Read Free Book Online

or long to find a girl who was willing to walk a little bit on the wild side with him.
    He also had money to burn, so he got an immediate in with the “bad boys” at school. Shanice found him hanging out with boys at school who were into the stuff he’d discovered through Phil’s influence, and needless to say, she didn’t like it one bit.
    At eleven, she was still the same Shanice she always had been: never afraid to speak her mind. She marched over to them where they were smoking a joint under a copse of trees on the edge of campus and called him out.
    “Trevor!” She stood there with hands on non-existent hips.
    “What do you want, Shanice?”
    “What’s that in your hand?”
    His friends snickered. “Trevor’s getting pwned by his little sister.”
    “She looks like a darker version of that little girl on Drake and Josh with that expression on her face,” another said. They all laughed outright this time and passed the joint around.
    Trevor was mortified and scared that these guys he was hanging out with were going to rag him forever for this, so he was uncharacteristically harsh. “Mind your own business, kid. Now get the fuck out of here.”
    She put her hand on her mouth in shock, because she’d never heard Trevor talk like that to her before. The look of hurt and betrayal on her face made Trevor feel like a first-rate asshole, but he couldn’t take it back in front of his friends. Then she turned and ran away.
    Trevor went by the Baileys’ after school. By that time, his fleeting high was gone, and he worried Shanice would rat him out to her parents.
    Brenda answered the door with one of the twins on her hip. Ezekiel and Ezra were almost two. “Hey, Trevor! Would you hold Zeke a second until I corral his brother?” She didn’t seem upset or like she didn’t want him to be around, so he figured Shanice hadn’t said anything.
    “Sure,” he said and took the toddler, who squealed. “Twevor!”
    “Hey, buddy,” Trevor said. He closed the door and carried Zeke into the house behind Brenda, who walked briskly into the family room and scooped up Ezra, who was making circles around the furniture, and deposited him in his high chair.
    Trevor sat Zeke in the high chair next to his twin. “Um, where’s Shanice?”
    “Homework,” Brenda said as she set places at the table. “But she’ll be down in a few minutes for dinner.”
    “Whatever it is you’re cooking smells really good,” he said.
    “Pot roast,” she said with a smile. “If you’ll wash your hands and help me finish setting the table, you can join us. I worry Philip doesn’t feed you well.”
    “He doesn’t cook, but I get by. I nuke most of the stuff I want to eat.” Trevor went to the sink and quickly washed his hands.
    Brenda shook her head. “I keep letting you know you have an open invitation for dinner. And you don’t have to stay in that house alone while Philip’s out of town.”
    Trevor followed Brenda’s example and set the rest of the places at the table. By the time he was done, Pastor Isaiah came ambling into the house, booming, “What smells so good?” He walked into the kitchen and saw Trevor. “You don’t look anything like my lovely wife.” Then he gave Trevor one of those guy shakes where they lean in and bump shoulders.
    Trevor grinned. “She’s in the kitchen, and the answer to your other question, is pot roast.” Isaiah went over to greet his twins by kissing them each on the top of their heads.
    “Daddy!” they squealed.
    “You’re staying for dinner, right?” Isaiah said as he left Trevor in the dining room with the twins.
    “Yes,” Trevor said. When he turned back to the twins, he saw Ezra was trying to climb out of his highchair. “Oh no you don’t,” Trevor said and re-seated him and adjusted the tray in front of him.
    Shanice came down, yelling “Mom!” When she saw Trevor, she pursed her lips and refused to speak to him. She sauntered over to her little brothers and handed