Tempest by Julie Cross Read Free Book Online

already saw my wallet. Everything in there is from the future.”
    “Right, I forgot about that.” She picked up my wallet that had been tossed into the grass and started sifting through it again.
    I watched every movement she made, studying it, memorizing it. Waiting for her to disappear. “You’re taking this really well.”
    “Maybe I’m just in shock,” she said, picking up my license and pulling it close to her face. “Wow, so we’re, like, nineteen? How do I look? Please say my boobs get a little bigger.”
    I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Don’t tell her. Better yet, don’t think about it. She’s here now. Focus on that. My hands were shaking, but I kept my face and voice as calm as possible.
    She looked up after my long silence. “What is it? I’m fat, aren’t I?”
    I forced a tight smile and looked away from her face. “You look beautiful and not in the least bit fat.”
    “You’re family, you have to say that.”
    “Maybe, but it’s still true.”
    “Tell me something about the future, something really cool.” Her face was eager, like a gossip columnist digging for dirt.
    I knew exactly what she’d want to hear. “I have a girlfriend.”
    As predicted, her face lit up with interest. “What’s her name?”
    “Holly,” I said, leaning my head back against the tree. It felt like the wind got knocked out of me, saying her name out loud for the first time since I’d left her. But I knew it would distract Courtney from asking about herself. I had to play the part, even if it hurt.
    “What does she look like?”
    “Blond and gorgeous. Blue eyes.”
    “Yeah, I could see you with a blond model type. Probably working in Paris, building her career.”
    I laughed. “She’s from Jersey and she’s a little too short to model and almost never wears makeup.”
    Courtney grinned. “I like her already.”
    “Me, too.” I put my arms around her and gave her shoulders a squeeze. She didn’t protest this time.
    “Jackson?”
    “Yeah?”
    “I have to tell you a secret.” She turned her face so it pressed into my shirt. “I kissed Stewart Collins at Peyton’s birthday party last week.”
    “I knew it! You guys were gone way too long in the kitchen and then he had that stupid grin on his face. I could have punched him.”
    She giggled. “Exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
    My arms tightened around her. “I miss you so much.”
    This was something I never would have said in 2004, but in reality it had been four years since I’d talked to my sister. Grief swept over me. I had to get away. This was too hard. Too much. Nothing would change.
    I gave her one last squeeze and whispered, “Good-bye, Courtney.”
    Then I jumped out of 2004, and headed back to my own version of purgatory. September 9, 2007. Again.

CHAPTER TEN
    My eyes flew open and I watched three drops of blood fall into the porcelain sink. A hand reached out and stuck a paper towel right under my nose. The bloody nose was yet another piece of evidence that this exact moment in time was my new present. My new home base.
    But something was different. I had been alone in the restroom when I left. If I knew Adam’s formula, I’d be able to figure out exactly how long I’d been leaning against the wall in this bathroom, looking like a vegetable.
    “Here you go, son. You should pinch the nostrils,” a deep voice spoke right into my ear.
    A tall, dark-skinned bald man stood beside me.
    “Thank you,” I said, and for a second he looked at me like maybe he recognized me, but everything was jumbling together and he was gone before I could even think twice about it.
    My nose only bled for a minute, and after washing my hands I left the restroom.
    The waitress set my coffee on the table. The same waitress who had greeted me before I went into the restroom. Damn. Same place. Same time.
    She smiled as I slid into the booth. “Ready to order?”
    I pointed to the first item on the left side of the menu, not even caring what