The Cemetery Boys by Heather Brewer Read Free Book Online

who I’d been with, and what I was doing out so late. I wasn’t feeling up to answering any of that, so I kept my mouth shut andtook my lack of sleep out on the boxes, stabbing them with my knife a few more times than was strictly necessary.
    My dad had been way busier than I had in his unpacking efforts—every single one of his boxes was now in the pile I was making in the driveway. Either he was seriously anxious to settle in, or seriously nervous about what my grandmother would have to say if there was a mess. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to meet the old lady, or if she was just a twisted figment of my dad’s imagination—kind of like Norman Bates’s mom in Psycho .
    My dad handed me a bottle of water and granted me a minute’s rest while he headed back inside, so I sat on the hood of the Beetle and took a swig. That’s when I noticed the four members of the Spencer tanning club—the teens from outside the Lakehouse Grill—strolling up the sidewalk.
    I was really hoping they wouldn’t notice me—that they’d just keep walking. In fact, if I’d believed in a god, I even might have prayed about it. It was embarrassing enough to be seen with the Beetle once, but at least last time they’d been on the way out. I’d been picked on enough times at my old school to know that rich kids didn’t like us poor kids, and this beat-up Beetle made it pretty clear we were poor. I wasn’t in the mood to be picked on by anyone here. Not with everything else I had to deal with.
    Racquetball Boy smiled at me as they made their way tothe end of my grandmother’s driveway, and all four of them stopped, looking from the boxes to the Beetle to me.
    Shit.
    One of the guys in the group was holding a Frisbee, but there was nothing ultimate about it as far as I could see. Racquetball said, “Hey. I’m Lane. This is Casey, Mike, and Holly. You just move in or something?”
    A genius Lane was not. Trying hard not to focus on the fact that this guy’s parents had named him after a narrow road, I nodded in response, wondering where the hell that narrow road might lead. Not an educational institution. Probably a kegger or maybe an ice cream social. “Yeah. From Denver. I’m Stephen, by the way.”
    Holly bounced forward in the most obnoxious way possible, and I immediately placed a bet with myself that she was a cheerleader. Not that I had anything against cheerleaders, in theory. And it wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the jiggle. But something about her peppy smile made me want to hurry back to whatever chores my dad had in mind. She was definitely a morning person. “We were heading to the park. Would you like to join us?”
    I held up my hands and shrugged as sheepishly as I could manage. “Can’t. Gotta unpack today. But it was nice meeting you guys.”
    Lane nodded. Even though he was still smiling, I couldsee the disappointment in his eyes. “Cool. Well, maybe we’ll see you around later.”
    â€œYeah, maybe.” I sincerely hoped not. They were pretty annoying. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on why. They were just . . . annoying. Like some people are.
    They continued down the sidewalk a ways before crossing the street. My dad joined me beside the Beetle, a bit too chipper for my tastes. “Are those the guys you were out with last night? Making new friends?”
    â€œNot exactly.” I was hoping that would be all the answer he needed, but as he stared at me, it became pretty clear he wanted me to elaborate. Oh sure, now he wanted to talk about things. I sighed. “They’re not friend material, Dad. Not for me.”
    â€œYou should be more open-minded, Stephen. It can be difficult to fit in and meet new people, especially in a town this size. And who knows how long we’re going to be here. Maybe give them a chance.” He stood there looking at me, waiting for