Read Online Anywhere But Here by Stephanie Hoffman McManus - Free Book Online Page A

her and she lifted her chin, tugging out one earbud. I tossed the notebook down. It smacked against the paved walkway.
    “I don’t know how your notes help you at all. They may as well be in Chinese.” She had the messiest handwriting of any girl I’d ever seen.
    She snatched up the notebook defensively. “Not my fault you can’t read,” she grumbled.
    “Not this again. We’ve had this argument before.” I dropped down beside her, giving her shoulder a nudge. “Speaking of, why’d you make up the story about me forgetting my notes? Why lie to him?”
    She pulled the other earbud out and hit something on her iPod, stopping the music. “Because, if I told him what we were arguing about and what led to that argument, he would have hit you.”
    I snickered. “Trying to protect me, eh?” That was laughable.
    “No. The opposite, because if he hit you, you would have beat the crap out of him.” My eyebrows lifted, but she ignored my reaction. “He doesn’t need to be suspended or injured and have to sit out any games, but he’s too hot headed to think about that.” Pleased and amused covered how I was feeling in that moment.
    “So you’re admitting I can kick your boyfriend’s ass?”
    She rolled her eyes and then cocked her head in an irritated look. “You didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who needs his ego fed.”
    “I don’t, but I won’t deny I like hearing it from your lips.”
    “Did you come over here just to play more of your games? If so, I’d like to go back to my lunch.”
    I eyed the bag of chips in her lap. Shooting my hand out, I snatched one from the bag. “What the hell are these?” Chips weren’t supposed to be green.
    “They’re kale chips. They’re good.”
    I gave her a doubtful look as I popped it in my mouth. They didn’t completely suck.  “Not bad,” I swallowed. Then I grabbed her mp3 player to satisfy my curiosity. “What were you listening to?” I glanced at the screen. Not Taylor Swift. “The Civil Wars,” I said, mildly impressed.
    “What were you expecting? Justin Bieber?”
    I just laughed and shrugged. “Maybe.” I scrolled through the rest of her playlist. Ashes and Embers . Maroon 5. Modest Mouse. A few country artists, and a couple more obscure indie alternative bands. Aha. Taylor Swift. Knew it.
    “What’s with the smug grin?”
    I lifted my eyes. “Just confirming a theory.”
    She snatched her phone from my hands. “Don’t make fun of my music.”
    “I would never,” I feigned offense.
    She ignored me and popped a couple chips in her mouth and then pulled pink plastic Tupperware from her matching insulated lunch bag. She popped open a container with a fat sandwich. I hoped she didn’t hear my stomach growl. Being hungry fucking sucked.
    Money would be tighter now that summer was over and I was back in school. Even trying to pick up extra shifts here and there, I couldn’t work as many hours. Part of me considered dropping out. Wasn’t like I’d be going to college or anything, but I wanted to finish for Trin. Our parents dropped out and so had our older brother Tucker. I wanted to show her that we didn’t have to follow in their footsteps. She could make something of herself. She was smart and a good kid. But it was fucking hard trying to make sure she had good clothes and food to eat and whatever she needed while trying to keep myself in school. Tucker couldn’t be counted on, and honestly, I didn’t want anything to do with the money he brought in, but sometimes I didn’t have a choice. We needed it, even if I hated how he made it.
    Watching her wrap her lips around that sandwich and take a hearty bite sent another stab of hunger through my stomach. I needed something to distract myself.
    “So, when should we get together to work on the project?”
    “I think we have to pick a book before we worry about that.”
    “We already did, like ten minutes ago, or weren’t you standing there?”
    Her brow wrinkled in a cute frown.