When We Collide by A. L. Jackson Read Free Book Online Page A

fatigue that had chased me for miles as I fell onto my
childhood bed, thinking how great it was to finally be home.
     
    ~
     
    What the hell? I blinked, trying to orient myself to
the surroundings, unable to do so before I was pummeled in the face
a second time. With a pillow.
    Ugh.
    He was so gonna pay when I wasn’t so damned tired.
But for now, I was desperate for some more sleep. Burying my face
in the safety of my pillow, I groaned and turned my back on the
would-be attacker.
    “Go away.”
    Blake just laughed, loud and without remorse, and
hit me again. “Wakey wakey, little brother.”
    I rolled to my back, dragging the pillow with me to
shield my face, mumbling into the dense fabric. “What time is
it?”
    “Nine.”
    I groaned again. “No way, man. I need some more
sleep. I didn’t get in until almost three last night.”
    Blake ripped the pillow from my grip. I was blinded
by a sudden burst of sunlight I’d hoped not to be faced with for at
least another couple of hours. I squinted up at my brother who
stood above me with a ridiculous grin plastered on his face, then
pressed my fists to my eyes.
    “Come on, Blake.” I’d beg if I had to.
    “Mom’s making breakfast. Quit being such a baby and
get your ass downstairs,” Blake said as he tossed both pillows to
the foot of my bed. “Everybody’s waiting for you.”
    Sounds from the kitchen directly below filtered into
my room, the running of water and the clatter of dishes. The
distinct smell of bacon frying jarred my senses.
    I sat up, running a hand through the tangled mess on
my head. “Okay…okay, I’m up.”
    Clapping a hand on my shoulder, the grin on Blake’s
face softened to a smile. “Welcome home, Will.”
    I glanced up at my older brother and smiled.
“Thanks.”
    Blake just nodded once and headed out the door.
    Heaving out a weighty breath, I pushed the tiredness
aside. My mom would have been up with the first hint of morning,
and I knew it had probably taken every ounce of willpower she had
to wait until nine before she sent Blake up to wake me.
    I pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and a plain
black tee and started downstairs. A sudden sense of belonging
struck me with the voices coming from the kitchen.
    It’d been no secret I planned on moving away from
Mississippi permanently once I graduated from UCLA. I’d always
wanted the big city and a fast life. I was going to be the one who
escaped this small town, the one with a huge house and a bank
account to match. But the older I got, the more I had begun to
question those intentions. I had begun to miss my life here, and
each day, those goals seemed to become less and less important.
Really, I couldn’t imagine not having this .
    I paused at the archway of the kitchen to take them
in. At the table, my dad was buried in the pages of the morning
paper while he ate breakfast, and Blake sat beside him, shoveling
food in his mouth while he talked to our mother. She stood at the
stove, facing away, pouring pancake batter into a hot skillet while
chatting with my brother from behind.
    It was Aunt Lara who noticed me first. She was
leaning with her back against the kitchen counter, sipping coffee
from the giant mug I had made for her for Christmas years before,
back when I was just a kid. A smile slid over her face when she saw
me, lit all the way up to her eyes.
    “Well, look who’s finally up,” she said with a bit
of a tease. “We thought you were going to sleep away the entire
day.” Her expression was soft, her brown eyes glinting in humor,
though that humor could never cover the way she adored me and
Blake.
    I offered a sleepy, “Mornin’,” to the room.
    Dad and Blake looked up from their places at the
table.
    Mom released an ecstatic, “Oh,” as she turned and
clapped her hands over her mouth. For a couple of beats she bounced
on her toes as if gaining momentum, then rushed across the room and
threw her arms around my neck. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
    I hugged her