Thicker Than Water - DK5 by Melissa Good Read Free Book Online Page B

bathroom, tucked in neatly next to its attendant bedroom.
    “Wow.” Lena peeked inside, then hurriedly followed Kerry into her own bedroom. “This is a way amazing place.”
    Kerry pulled open a drawer and rooted around inside it. “It’s pretty big, yeah.” She removed a shirt and a pair of shorts. “Here.
    These’ll be big on you, but not too bad. They’re old ones of mine from when I was a lot smaller.”

    32 Melissa Good Lena took them gingerly and eyed Kerry. “You’re not fat.”
    Kerry smiled. “No, but I used to be a lot lighter before I started all this wall climbing and weight lifting.” She turned Lena around and pointed her towards the guest bathroom. “There’s lots of soap, and everything you need in there. Help yourself.”
    “Okay.” Lena carefully folded the clothes over her arm.
    “Um…thanks, Kerry. I thought I’d be all tough and that, and just stay in there. You know, like—wow, so this is jail.”
    One of Kerry’s pale eyebrows cocked. “Why? You’re not stupid.”
    Lena fingered the clothes. “There were some really fucked up people in there. I figured I’d better find a way to get out before something stupid happened.” Her eyes lifted. “So, thanks.”
    “No problem, but one thing is puzzling me,” Kerry said as they walked down the hall. “I don’t remember giving out our phone number here.”
    “Oh.” Lena managed a wan, but cheeky grin. “Casey got that out of the church Rolodex. We were all, like, curious to see if we could figure out where you lived and stuff.”
    “Ah,” Kerry replied. “I thought that was locked up in the office.”
    Lena grinned again. “And?”
    Kerry sighed. “That’s supposed to be private information.
    You could have just asked.” She folded her arms.
    Lena looked nonplused for a moment. “I didn’t…I mean, we didn’t think of that. It’s just that, like, no one tells you anything when you’re our age, you know? It’s like everything’s such a big secret, and if you want to know stuff, you have to go find it out yourself.”
    “Mm.” Kerry understood that, having grown up in a very political household.
    “What is up with adults?” Lena asked. “It’s like, even in school, they say they don’t teach things so we don’t get ‘ideas.’ I thought the whole thing school was for was to, like, encourage us to get ideas. So they don’t tell us about important shit, like what sex is all about. How brainless is that?”
    “Very brainless,” Kerry acknowledged wryly.
    “Um…listen.” Lena cleared her throat. “My cousin’s got a place right down from the ferry base in Miami Beach. I can stay with her, if you can give me a ride back over there. I feel kinda bad about getting you guys all out at night and stuff.”
    Kerry pondered. “If you’re sure that’s okay, yeah, we can do that.”
    Lena shrugged. “I’ve been, like, talking to her anyway. After you said all that stuff about being out and all that, I figured Thicker Than Water 33
    maybe I’d give it a try.” She scowled a little. “Didn’t work out as good as it did for you, though, huh?”
    Kerry exhaled. “Go take a shower. It didn’t work out well for me in the beginning either.”
    “People suck,” Lena commented. “I guess.”
    “Yeah. Sometimes they really do,” Kerry said quietly, remembering waking up in a cold, sterile hospital room. “But that’s why getting away from those people is sometimes the best thing you can do.”
    Lena nodded, started to turn, then stopped. “But hey, you know? Sometimes it’s okay. Look at what happened to Barbara, yeah?”
    Kerry blinked. “What happened to Barbara?”
    “Oh, yeah. I guess you didn’t hear. That guy at work likes her. He made her, like, an assistant manager. How do you like that shit?” Lena seemed amazed. “So I guess you were right.”
    Guess I was. “Mm.” Kerry smiled. “So, see, you never know.”
    “Yeah.”
    Lena disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Kerry to a moment of