Taking Risks by Cassie Allee Read Free Book Online Page B

features washed away and a look of relief replaced them. “Oh good,” He said, “I thought you were going to call me a freak and run away.” He smiled as my eyes got wide and I said, “That happens to you, too?” Risk just sort of pinched his lips at me and raised an eyebrow as it dawned on me that he was joking and I was an idiot.
                  “Just kidding…” I muttered and glared at Gray who had fallen over, laughing his ass off.
                  We all got up to leave and Gray whispered in my ear, “Are you going to let him kiss you?” As if anyone else could hear him. That was something that I hadn’t thought about yet. I guess I was on a date, and I was eighteen years old and still had never been thoroughly kissed. I whispered as low as I possibly could while following Risk out of the coffee shop, “I don’t know…Should I?”
                  Gray was no help. His only answer was a shrug of his shoulders. I would have been better off had he never planted the question in my mind in the first place. At least then I wouldn’t have time to worry about whether or not it would be awkward or magnificent. When we got to the sidewalk I was a nervous wreck and sweating like a pig, yuck.
                  “Well I had a really nice time. I would really like to take you out again sometime soon. Would that be okay?” Risk was looking nervous again, but I was grateful that he had enough nerve to ask me out again because I could barely speak.
                  “Yeah I would love that.” I finally said after staring at him a little too long. Gray was standing too close to us and he was making me more nervous than what I already was.
                  “Awesome!” He had a real genuine grin. I wasn’t used to seeing someone excited to hang out with me, so the moment seemed special. “How about tomorrow after school?”
                  “Oh I have to work every night until Thursday…so how about Thursday evening?”
                  “That works for me! I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Maybe we can sit together in English.” He winked at me and then opened my car door. “This is an amazing car! It’s from the 1950’s right?”
                  “Yeah, my dad and I restored it together. She’s a real peach.”
                  “That makes this a special car then. It’s really cool that he took the time to do something special with you.” Risk said and a hint of sorrow crossed his face. “Anyways, see you tomorrow.” He said with a sweet grin and I thought that it was the most attractive grin that I had ever seen. I was standing there with my lips half puckered and ready for my end-of-date kiss when Risk turned on his heal and walked away.
                  I temporarily forgot about Gray being there, but he made sure that he reminded me of his presence by singing “Love is in the Air” as soon as we got into the car.
                  “Since we’re already in town, do you want to go see if Little Dirty Boy is at his old house?”
                  “Sure.” I was actually kind of dreading it. I didn’t want anything to be able to put  a damper on my amazing day, but I was growing to care about the boy, and he desperately needed help from someone and I was the only person that I knew of who could talk to ghosts.
                  When we pulled up to the house I saw Little Dirty Boy through one of the windows. He was in a part of the house that hadn’t been completely destroyed by the fire, but was still badly damaged. The window had been broken out and black soot had coated the Bedford stone on the outside of it. Little Dirty Boy had a blank expression on his face. He was still wearing the same clothes that he had worn the first day that we met and he was still covered in dirt from head to toe. I sat in my car and watched him as he