Read Online After Alex Died by Dakota Madison - Free Book Online Page B

all white, white polo shirt, white capris and little white Sketchers. She even had on a white sun visor. She always looked perfect in every way and I admired her for that. I had more of a just-rolled-out-of-bed and barely-put-together look going for me.
    “Good morning, Dee Dee,” Dr. Jones said in her usual spunky tone.
    “Good morning, Dr. Jones. Wonderful day for a trip to Edison’s home.”
    “That it is,” she said with a smile. The she glanced around. “Where’s your partner?”
    I gulped. I didn’t want Cameron to get in trouble but I ho nestly had no idea where he was. “He should be here shortly,” I said, which wasn’t a lie exactly. He was supposed to show up soon. He’d better if he wanted to keep his job.
    The other counselors and their kids all streamed over and took places on the bus. It was organized chaos as everyone tried to find places that made them happy. As I glanced around I noticed that Renee and Rachel were also missing. Tommy and Max had brought their groups to the bus on their own. My stomach sank when I thought about why Renee, Rachel and Cameron might all be late.
    Dr. Jones blew her whistle and all eyes were immediately pointed in her direction. “Thank you all for participating in our cultural activity this week, which is a visit to the Edison Home and Laboratory. I’ve asked Dr. Mayfield to join us today and he has graciously agreed to be our guest host. He’s an expert in historical engineering and just happened to write a book about Thomas Edison’s inventions. Please give a hand for Dr. Mayfield.”
    Dr. Jones motioned to a gray-haired man, who looked to be in his late 60s, seated in the front row with her.
    As the kids applauded and cheered, I glanced out my window for any sign of Cameron and I could feel myself starting to get anxious. But why? Did I really care if Cameron was late? I knew I could handle the six kids on my own if I had to, and I knew I could always join my group with Antonio and Sofia’s. The three of us could easily oversee twelve kids.
    Maybe I was worried about Cameron getting fired , and that pissed me off. Why should I care? If he was gone I wouldn’t have to worry about standing in front of all the kids and talking about my brother. I wouldn’t have to be constantly reminded about his death whenever I saw Cameron. Part of me wondered if it might be a good thing for him to get fired but another part of me knew I would miss him. That was the part of me that scared me to death.
    Before I could think about it any further, Cameron hurried onto the bus. His shirt was rumpled like he’d slept in it and his hair was messier than usual. His eyes were puffy and had dark rings around them. He scanned the bus then slipped into the seat next to me.
    Seconds later Rachel and Renee hurried onto the bus. At least they had on fresh clothes and had put their hair in ponytails. They were both wearing dark sunglasses, probably to hide puffy and dark eyes like Cameron’s.
    “Nice of the three of you to join us,” Dr. Jones stated as she made a point of looking at her watch. “With 30 seconds to spare. I’m not sure what the cause of your tardiness is but I trust it won’t happen again.”
    “Yes, Dr. Jones,” the three of them muttered in unison.
    “The drive to the Edison home will take about an hour. Please keep the conversation and noise level to a minimum.”
    “Yes, Dr. Jones,” everyone replied as the bus driver closed the door and pulled away.
    “What happened to you?” I whispered angrily to Cameron.
    He rubbed his temples. “I was out a little too late.”
    “You think?” I shot back. “I had to cover for you.”
    He shook his head. “You don’t have to do anything for me. I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”
    “I can see that. I guess Rachel and Renee took good care of you. Maybe too good.”
    Cameron looked like he was going to say something else but then just stopped. He shook his head. “You think I’m an a-hole anyway.