Read Online Infinite (Strange and Beautiful, Book 1) by Brittney Musick - Free Book Online Page B

Then, in turn, Skylar would be mad at me for making Mom mad at her.
Then Dad would be mad because Mom was mad, and it would just be this big thing
where everyone was pissed. Mom and Dad would blame Skylar, and Skylar would
blame me because she’d warned me about leaving me behind. Luke would probably
be the only one who wasn’t pissed, but he’d find the whole thing amusing,
which, in turn, would probably get him trouble. Then he’d be mad at me too.
    Just
thinking about all of it made my head ache. Sometimes life just really sucked.
    I
kicked the bench again and wanted to spout off a whole slew of curse words, but
before I even had the chance to start, my little tantrum was interrupted.
    “What
did that bench ever do to you?”
    I
spun around in surprise. I almost toppled over at the sight of Jackson standing
just behind me, but he reached out and grabbed my shoulder to steady me.
    “You
okay?” he asked. I’d only met him once, but it was obvious that he was fighting
off the urge to smile.
    Way to
make an impression, I thought bitterly. I really was a spaz when it came to
guys.
    “I’m
fine,” I replied, regaining my balance and hoisting my bag back on my shoulder.
    “So,
who started it?” he questioned, arching a dark eyebrow as he glanced at the
bench.
    I
felt my cheeks grow warm as a smile crept up on my face. “I started it,” I
confessed.
    “Wow,
I didn’t take you for a troublemaker,” he smirked, “but considering you’re
Skylar and Luke Granger’s little sister, I guess I shouldn’t be that
surprised.”
    I
laughed a little, but I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I kept my mouth
shut. Knowing my luck, I was liable to say something incredibly embarrassing.
Then I’d just have to dig a hole in the ground and crawl inside and die.
Because, hello, did I mention Jackson had gorgeous lips? My mind briefly short
circuited and I began to wonder how his lips would feel against mine. Luckily,
I kept my lips sealed together and didn’t voice those thoughts out loud. I had
to mentally shake my head to make those thoughts go away. I didn’t think
Jackson noticed my short lapse with reality, but if he did, he was pretending
not to notice. How considerate of him.
    “So,
what are you doing out here?” he asked after a minute of silence that was
quickly headed in the direction of awkward.
    “Weighing
my options,” I replied.
    “Options?
For what?”
    “How
I’m going to get home,” I sighed, considering my less than desirable plight
once again.
    “And
what are your options?”
    I
couldn’t tell if he was actually interested or he just found me amusing, but I
answered him anyway. “Well, I can call my mom and ask her to come pick me up,
or I can start walking.”
    “That
might be a long walk,” Jackson frowned.
    “Yeah,
but it might be worth it,” I sighed. “I don’t think my mom will be too happy if
she has to come and get me.”
    “I
see,” Jackson nodded, cocking his head to the side and studying me for a
moment. Then he said, “You know, there is one other option.”
    “Oh,
yeah? What’s that?” I wondered what other option I hadn’t taken into
consideration. I didn’t think I’d missed anything else. Calling Skylar to come
back and get me would be just as bad, if not worse, than calling Mom. Luke was
probably busy, and even if he wasn’t, he wasn’t likely to pick up and come and
get me. Tierney and Tegan had plans, so, unless Jackson knew something I
didn’t, that just left me with calling Mom or walking.
    “You
could hitch a ride with me,” he said.
    Now
that was a surprise. I never would have thought to ask, and I didn’t know him
well enough to guess that he’d offer. “Really? It’s not out of your way?”
    “Nah,”
he shrugged, “it’s cool.”
    “Really?”
I couldn’t help but ask again uncertainly. I didn’t want to be an
inconvenience.
    “Yes,
really,” he nodded as he started toward the parking lot. When I didn’t move, he
stopped and turned.