To the Steadfast by Briana Gaitan Read Free Book Online Page A

We haven’t talked much since the
night at my house. His mom got out of jail last week and they’ve been trying to
get the place cleaned up. Nonetheless, I don’t want things to get weird.
    “Hey,” I tell him,
sitting down in the seat next to him.
    He doesn’t look up and
continues to write. “Hey.”
    “What are you doing?” I
look over his shoulder to see that he’s doing last night’s homework, the same
formulas that took me almost an hour to finish.
    “Homework,” he mumbles.
“Give me just a moment.”
    A few moments later, he
looks up. “Okay, what’s up?”
    “Do you do that every
day?”
    His brow scrunches up.
“Do what? My homework? Yeah, I don’t exactly have time to do it at home.”
    “You’re amazing. I need
to get you to study with me sometime.”
    “I don’t study,” he
spits out and closes his book.
    “Oh.” His harsh tone
catches me off guard so I decide to change the subject. “Is Violet okay? She
coming back to school soon?”
    “She’s fine. She had to
help mom clean up the house. The police completely trashed it. Plus mom is just
on one of her bingers and someone needs to stay at home and take care of her.”
    “Do you think she’d
mind if I stopped by?”
    Mischa shrugs. “Do I
look like my sister’s keeper?”
    I struggle to swallow,
a lump catching in my throat. “Okay, I get it. Sorry I bothered you.”
    One of the girls in our
class, Liz, walks up to us, her fingers twirling her hair. She looks me over
before deciding I’m not a threat.
    “Mischa, you going to
prom?”
    “No,” he says. He looks
over to me. “You going to prom, Cody?
    “Umm…” I’m a little
confused as to why he’s asking. He’s a grade older so we each have a different
prom to attend. “No.”
    Liz clears her throat
like I’m intruding on a personal conversation, even though I was sitting here
first.
    “Mischa, I had fun the
other night.” She flips her hair over her shoulder.
    “Did you now?” Mischa
doesn’t seem too interested, and that disinterest is not what she was
expecting.
    What is she talking
about? Did they hook up? My stomach
churns as I think about it. Jealousy, rage, and curiosity get the best of me. Don’t
do this, Cody. He said no promises. You knew what you were getting into. Stop
acting like a lovesick puppy. Don’t get clingy.
    Feeling like a third
wheel, I stand up and grab my backpack and walk over to my normal seat in the
back of the classroom. He obviously wants to act like an asshole after sleeping
with me. That’s his problem. I slouch down in my desk and stare holes into the
back of his head.
    When he turns around to
look at me, I expect to see the same flat, annoyed expression he had earlier,
but his mood has changed. His eyes are remorseful as they meet mine.
    “I’m sorry,” he mouths.
    A smile twitches on my
face. I don’t want to forgive him that easily, but when he looks at me like
that, I can’t stay mad for long.
    After school, I decide
to go check on Violet. She can’t be expected to look after her mom forever, and
if I know Violet, which I do, she needs out of that house. I put the car in
park and gather the courage to knock on her door. I walk through the unkempt
lawn, which hasn’t been mowed this year and houses five broken down cars, and
step on the porch. A cop car sits a little ways down the road, no doubt running
my plates. The door swings open before I even knock and Violet steps out in a
pair of oversized sweats. There are bags under her eyes, and her blonde hair is
up in a messy ponytail.
    “Hey,” she mumbles. Her
eyes dart to the cop car and back to me.
    “Hey, I wanted to know
how you are. How’s your family?”
     “Fine.”  
    “Who’s home?” I look
behind her at the always messy and smoky living room
    “Dad just got out on
bail. Mom’s sleeping, and Mischa is out with some girl.”
    My heart stops, but I
try to keep a straight face. I shouldn’t be worried about him at a time like
this.
     “A