Souljacker by Kodilynn Calhoun Read Free Book Online Page B

buckles on the sides over black leggings. I find a fitted
T-shirt I forgot about in the back of my bottom drawer. The word
‘Rebel’ is emblazoned on it in silver sparkles and I feel it’s
fitting, somehow.
    I pull my hair into a loose ponytail, letting
a few wisps fall down to cup my cheeks, and line my lower lids with
cheap black eyeliner that could probably withstand a hurricane
without smudging.
    “Very cute!” Sync chirps as I regard my
reflection with a wrinkled nose. Not amazing, but not bad. I
squeeze my arms together so my boobs are a little more pronounced,
looking at my cleavage in the mirror. Sync huffs. “You’re beautiful
the way you are.”
    “Yeah, but one cup size up would be nice.” I
sigh.
    “Iofiel will be wiping drool off his chin as
soon as he sees you.”
    “Yeah right.” I snort, flicking her in the
head before heading down the hall. As usual, I pause outside Mrs.
Rockwell’s door, surprised to see her sitting up on the edge of the
bed, wearing a pretty white sundress. Her dark hair is still mussed
from sleep, but she has her handbag on her lap.
    “Mrs. Rockwell?” This is the first time I’ve
seen her dressed up since I moved in here. It’s odd.
    She turns, her eyes meeting mine. “Don’t you
look pretty! What’s the occasion?”
    I feel heat creep up my neck. “I’ve got a
date. With a boy.” Well, duh, with a boy. Come on, Lucy.
    Her face lights up and she gets to her feet.
I push through the door into her room and she meets me halfway, her
hands clasping mine. They’re chilly, but she cups my face in her
palms and smiles at me. “My baby’s growing up. It was just
yesterday that you took your first steps.”
    And just as I think she’s getting better... I
smile tightly, reaching for her. She folds into my arms, all bones
and harsh angles, and I just hug her. When I pull away, she has
tears in her eyes, brimming like crystals.
    “Where are you going today?”
    She bursts into tears and not silent ones,
but noisy sobs that wrack her entire body. She sinks down to the
floor and I ease her down to keep her from falling. The door bursts
open all the way and Mr. Rockwell lumbers in, his eyes pinpointing
lasers into me.
    “What did you do to her?” he all but
snarls.
    I back away, feeling helpless, like a fly
trapped in a spider’s web. He drops to his knees beside her and
despite the fact that I hate him, I can feel the agony rippling off
of him in torrents. What would it be like to lose the one you love
to something like this?
    “I didn’t do anything,” I mumble. “I’m going
out.” I hurry away before he can say anything else, racing down the
stairs and out the door. Sync zips along at my side.
    I sit on the porch steps, my legs stretched
out in front of me, boot heels digging into the gravel. I will not
cry. It’ll ruin my makeup and damnit, I look good for once.
Besides, what would Iofiel say if he saw me sobbing for no good
reason? He’d probably turn on his heel and hurry away.
    I lift my head. A sleek but rust-speckled
hover bike stops out front and I recognize the worn leather jacket.
I stand up quickly, nerves making my palms sweaty, and Iofiel grins
at me from underneath his bangs. “Hey, beautiful. You okay? Looking
a little pale there.”
    “I’m always pale.” Then, “Yeah. I’m ready.
Let’s get out of here.”
    “Curfew?”
    “Don’t care if I ever come back. How’s
that?”
    “I can work with that.” He chuckles, swinging
his leg over the bike. He pats the seat behind him. “Hop on. Sorry
about the ride. It sucks, I know, but Dad’s a hard ass and won’t
let me get a car.” He shrugs his shoulders in a ‘what can you do?’
way and I climb on behind him.
    My hands slide down his sides, resting at his
waist, and I feel another flood of heat touch my face. Thank God he
can’t see me. He revs the engine and we putter away, Sync nestled
between my legs.
    We pull into the back-forty of NiteGlo, an
indoor mini golf arena. It’s not very