Southbound Surrender by Raen Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

wave. “Just ease into it.”
    “Tell me what she was like,” I say. It’s another one of our games that Big Dave likes to play, and I give him this small victory on a day that is probably harder for him than it is for me.
    “We don’t have to,” he says as he waves me off and brings the mug back to his lips. I swear the giant smiley face is winking at me now.
    “Tell me what she was like,” I mumble with waffles crammed in my mouth.
    “Beautiful. Breathtaking with long chocolate hair and eyes the color of a tranquil sea. And her smile, it was wide and bright and playful. Your mom never went anywhere without a smile on her face. It was contagious. Everything about her was contagious. Her laugh and attitude about life. But most of all, your mom was wickedly funny. Her jokes. Man, they were dirty, and she swore like a sailor when she told them. It got me going every single time.” He starts to laugh like he always does. This is usually where he tells one of her jokes that is borderline inappropriate for a seventeen-year-old, but instead he says, “And she loved you. God, did she ever love you. She still loves you. She always will.”
    I stop chewing the waffles in my mouth, unsure if Big Dave will break into tears, but instead he comes over and wraps his arm around me.
    “Whoever this girl is, I hope she deserves you. I want you to love someone as much as I loved your mom. You’ll know when you find her. After all, she’s making you shave and wear cologne that smells like dirty socks.”
    I swallow hard and peel the red-stained tissue off my face. “I will, Big Dave. I will.”

    ***

    We roll up to school, Cash and Hudson style, cramped in the Dodge Neon with Hudson’s sister Natalie in the back. She says something snappy, gets out with a flick of her hair and joins a group of sophomore girls herded together like sheep. Hudson rolls his eyes as we get out of the car and head into school. I straighten my shirt and run my hand through my hair, trying to calm the nerves that strike with every step as we maneuver through the hall. Big Dave gives me a wave before ducking into a classroom. I search through the sea of familiar faces, desperate to see the woman among girls.
    There are just over five hundred kids at Xavier High School, and this year’s senior class has a little over a hundred students. With Piper, it’s one-hundred-six to be exact. So the odds of having Piper in most of my advanced classes are pretty promising, or least that’s what I think as I start the day. She has to be here because there’s no way I’m going another day without seeing her.
    Hudson gives me a head nod when we separate for first hour. I slide into my seat and hold my breath while I watch the door first hour and then second hour and then third hour, but Piper Sullivan never walks through any of the doors. I try to ignore all the buzz about last Friday night’s party, but that turns out to be impossible.
    “Can you believe Jina did that?” Sarah whispers to Heidi who’s sitting behind me. I don’t turn around, but I cover my ears and shake my head. The irony of senior girls at a Catholic school putting out and talking about it while Mr. Rupert lectures about theology is underwhelming. I swear Catholic girls are more promiscuous than the public school girls. And who names their daughter Jina with a J?
    “Cash, you’re so lame,” Heidi teases before nudging me with her finger. Sarah lets out a small squeal that makes me want to shove sharpened pencils inside my ears. Despite the odds, I somehow managed not becoming a huge outcast at our school, most likely because I hang around Hudson. No one messes with Hudson, and therefore, no one messes much with me. Plus, Big Dave has somehow managed to become a loveable fixture of the school. I guess it shouldn’t really surprise me. He fist bumps and encourages a reasonable level of shenanigans, considering it is a Catholic school and all. As the girls continue whispering back and