Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton Read Free Book Online

her,
arrogance worn on their over-made faces. “The brainiac is so
strange even her parents don’t want her,” one whispered loudly. The
other giggled.
    For once Libby didn’t care about their
comments. Peter was so close. Just a computer screen away. It took
determination not to bring him right back up on the screen. She
couldn’t risk Aunt Marge getting a call. The last thing she wanted
was to deal with an Aunt Marge fit. Libby needed a plan. She had to
find a way to spend time on the computers without interruption or
threat of detention. Just her and Peter alone.
    Now she had a mission and the courage to see
it through.
     
    # # #
     
    “ That’s beautiful, Peter.
Something new?” Karen Jamieson eased into the seat across from her
son to enjoy the gentle melody as the bus rolled toward New Mexico.
The other boys played video games in back.
    “ Yeah, I can’t stop
thinking about it.” He held the guitar naturally, as if it were an
extension of his body. His talented fingers manipulated the strings
and created a beautiful tune that drifted through the
bus.
    “ That’s always a good
sign.” Her son was growing into an amazing young man. Why did time
pass so quickly? It seemed just a moment ago, he had cried for his
first guitar.
    Peter possessed an innate talent for song
writing. When inspired, magic flowed and hits were born, but if he
tried to force it, the songs flopped.
    “ You were gone a long time
when we stopped in Rockville,” she said.
    “ Yeah, great day for a
walk.” He strummed, working out a chord. The music held his
concentration. “Did you know there are amazing rock formations in
there? There’s this trail that goes way back. The temperature is
like twenty degrees cooler and there are ferns and moss growing
everywhere.” He stopped playing. “It’s really cool.”
    “ Is it your inspiration for
this new song?” She suspected so and more.
    “ Yeah, I guess.” He resumed
playing, a dreamy look on his face.
    “ Did your new friend show
it to you?”
    His head snapped up. Karen wanted to laugh
at how transparent he was.
    “ How’d you
know?”
    Her eyebrows rose and head tilted in
suggestion.
    “ Adam.” Peter
frowned.
    “ He can’t help himself.
He’s just having fun. So tell me about this girl. What’s her
name?”
    “ Libby.”
    “ And?”
    “ And what?” He grinned, not
about to offer more.
    Why must boys always be so evasive? Getting
information out of them was like pulling teeth. “Tell me about her.
When my son disappears for two hours with a girl, I get to ask
questions.”
    “ Mom, I’ll be eighteen soon
and then you don’t get to ask any more,” he teased.
    “ That’s what you think.
Mothers have amazing powers of persuasion.”
    “ There’s not much to tell.
She lives in Rockville.”
    “ Two hours and that’s all
you got? You want to tell me how you filled the rest of the
time?”
    Peter grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to
know.”
    “ Young man, I did not raise
you to treat girls like that.” She trusted him, though. Peter
wasn’t the type of kid to act out or rush into anything without
thinking it through.
    “ Here’s something juicy for
you. She’s never heard of Jamieson.”
    She eyed him, doubtful. Everyone knew about
Jamieson; unless they lived under a rock.
    “ I’m not gonna lie, I
didn’t think it possible either, but she had no idea. It’s pretty
nice really. When I told her about the band, she figured we play
weddings and school dances.”
    “ I see why you like her,”
Karen said. Peter was attracted to things that were low-key and
simple, which explained how he could write such powerful lyrics.
They came from the heart.
    “ She’s nice.” He offered
nothing more and began to play again.
    She worried about the boys growing up in a
business where girls constantly adored them. It was not an
atmosphere conducive to meeting the right kind of girls or making
real friends. Dating was another challenge. Unless they boys found
someone