Unlovable by Sherry Gammon Read Free Book Online

didn’t know what the smell was,
only that she smelled funny. We all climbed into their car with my
grandparents up front. I sat in a booster chair next to my mom in
the back.
    On our way to the restaurant, an
uninsured drunk driver ran into us, killing my grandparents
instantly. I wasn’t hurt, thanks to my car seat, however, my mom
wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, and she was thrown from the car. She
hurt her right leg and her back and never fully recovered from the
injuries. With what little insurance money my grandparents had, she
bought the singlewide trailer we currently called home. I don’t
know how we’d have survived otherwise. It wasn’t much, but it was
paid for. I often wondered how different things would have been if
not for the accident.
    I gathered a few books and went back
to working on my research paper. It was stupid to dwell on the
past, it only depressed me. Around noon, the librarians began
setting up tables in a conference room off to the side for a
luncheon. I did fine until they brought the food out, the smell
drove me crazy. I used the last of the bread to make my mom a
sandwich before I left and hadn’t eaten anything since lunch
yesterday. Unable to stomach the enticing smells of food any
longer, I shoved my belongings into my bag and left.
    The wind pounded me mercilessly,
making it difficult to keep from being blown over. Reaching the
corner, I collapsed onto a bus stop bench and dropped my head to my
knees, exhausted and dizzy. Somehow, I had to find a way of getting
more food into the house without my mother knowing about it. If I
spent too much of her money on food, she’d berate me for my
selfishness, but the hunger headaches which plagued me and now this
dizziness was plain ridiculous.
    I heard a car pull up next to the bus
stop. Too weak to look up, I kept my head down. “Are you alright?”
It was Seth. Unbelievable!
    “ I’m fine. Just waiting for
the bus.” I kept my head down, still not bothering to look at him.
I was surprised he even stopped. We’d hardly spoken since the candy
disaster i n culinary class earlier in the
week.
    “ You’ll have a long wait.
This bus doesn’t run on weekends.” I glanced up at the bus sign.
Sure enough, it was a ’weekday only’ bus. I closed my eyes and
dropped my increasingly dizzy head back into my hands.
    “ Come on.” Silently, he
appeared at my side with an arm around my waist before I could
argue. “You look awful, let me take you home.”
    “ Did I ask your opinion on
my outfit?” I tried sounding fierce with my retort, but thanks to
the dizziness, it sounded silly more than anything.
    “ That’s not what I meant.
It’s your face, it looks awful.”
    I snapped my head up to his. I’d known
of Seth’s high cheekbones, having drooled over them many a time.
Today, however, they were slightly pink, probably from the cold. It
gave his face a warm friendly glow. It was then I noted his mouth
for the first time. It was definitely kissable, with its full round
lower lip, and the Cupid’s bow on the upper. There was a strong
temptation to reach up and… I jumped back a few inches and shook my
head to clear it. I needed some food, quick!
    He laughed. “That didn’t come out
right, I meant you look pale. Please let me take you home,” he
said, sliding the arm of my sweater up above my elbow.
    “ What are you doing?” I
pulled my arm away from his warm hands.
    “ Just checking your pulse to
make sure you’re still alive,” he chortled.
    “ I believe a person’s pulse
is in their wrist.”
    “ Oh, yeah. Sorry. I didn’t
do so well in Human Physiology.” He began guiding me toward his
car.
    I pulled back. “I don’t need a ride,
thanks. Really, I’m fine,” I said as a gust of wind came by blowing
me back into his arms.
    “ I can see that.”
    Too weak and dizzy to fight anymore, I
allowed him to lead me over to the car. He opened it, and I stood
there for a moment debating.
    “ Please get