Read Online Life on the Level by Zoraida Cordova - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Zoraida Cordova
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replacing it with something better—Hutch’s naked body walking away from me. Damn , he said. Damn yourself , I said. I think I damned us both.
“River, you don’t have to answer that. Fran, what did we talk about this morning?”
“I’m just curious,” she says. “Besides, she might just hide in her room all over again, and we’ll never get the chance to know.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “And the scar is from going through a window. Broken glass.”
Fran widens her eyes. She’s waiting for me to tell her the circumstances, but I smirk and keep eating.
“Is that all?” I ask them. “I have to say, I’m a little disappointed.”
“For now,” Vilma says. “Maybe you can help us figure something out.”
“All right, enough,” Hutch says, pointing a fry all around the table. Now it’s his turn to be clumsy. He almost knocks his water over, but his reflexes are better than mine.
The girls hoot and holler.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“We’re trying to figure out what Hutch’s girlfriend looks like.”
My daddy liked to tell his friends, “You don’t want to go up against my baby girl. She’s got the meanest poker face in all the city.” I think he’d be really disappointed right now as I choke on a fry.
“I still have to learn to chew my food,” I say self-deprecatingly.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Hutch says quietly. I don’t know if it’s for my benefit or to quell the rumor mill. “And I’m starting to feel pretty uncomfortable with this conversation.”
“Come on, Hutch,” Fran says. “It’s just a game. It’s not like you guys have bought any new gossip magazines in over a year.”
Vilma turns to me to fill me in. “We think he’s totally full of shit. He’s been in lala land for a week now. Usually he’s all quiet and cool, but lately there’s something off.”
“Yeah, I catch him grinning to himself when he thinks no one is looking.”
Hutch shuts his eyes. “Okay, enough. Helen’s going to kill me.”
“No way, you’re her favorite,” Vilma says. “It’s River’s turn to guess. I say he’s into Latin girls. You’re part Spanish right?”
“That’s another bet we’ve got going on,” Fran says, then clamps her fist over her mouth. “Sorry.”
“I say he’s into blondes,” Julie says. “But the Playboy Bunny type, sorry River.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re all wrong.”
“Okay,” Hutch says, holding his hands up. “You’re all going to get me fired. No bets. Especially you.”
“Chill. I’m not taking a bet. I’m just going to state a fact. I see you with a pretty brunette. Someone small, but athletic. Someone sweet and polite. Someone nice. Someone you can trust. She probably rides horses and knows the difference between a dinner fork and a salad fork. Really put together.”
I lean back in my chair and hold his stare. I can feel the other girls watching us. I can feel their giddy energy as they wait for one of us to blink. Suddenly, I feel like I’m back at a table again, confident that I have an excellent hand. Does he see what I’m doing? I want him to say yes. I want him to say that I’ve figured out his type so that no one will ever think he could be with a girl like me.
Hutch blinks. He smiles that heartbreaking smile of his and throws up his hands. “You got me.”
The girls cheer and holler, patting me on the back. This time, Ransom looks over his shoulder and gives me a thumbs-up. I want to flip him the bird, but Hutch is getting up.
“I think I’ve had enough torture for the day.” He glances my way, then busses his tray and heads outside.
“That ass is dangerous,” Fran says, now that he’s gone.
“Do you think it might be a patient?” Julie whispers.
My heart gives a guilty little thump.
Vilma shakes her head. “Doubtful. He’s a total teetotaler. Remember when he got that last counselor arrested for smuggling in drugs?”
“Wait, what?” I ask. Also, considering I met Hutch at a
“River, you don’t have to answer that. Fran, what did we talk about this morning?”
“I’m just curious,” she says. “Besides, she might just hide in her room all over again, and we’ll never get the chance to know.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “And the scar is from going through a window. Broken glass.”
Fran widens her eyes. She’s waiting for me to tell her the circumstances, but I smirk and keep eating.
“Is that all?” I ask them. “I have to say, I’m a little disappointed.”
“For now,” Vilma says. “Maybe you can help us figure something out.”
“All right, enough,” Hutch says, pointing a fry all around the table. Now it’s his turn to be clumsy. He almost knocks his water over, but his reflexes are better than mine.
The girls hoot and holler.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“We’re trying to figure out what Hutch’s girlfriend looks like.”
My daddy liked to tell his friends, “You don’t want to go up against my baby girl. She’s got the meanest poker face in all the city.” I think he’d be really disappointed right now as I choke on a fry.
“I still have to learn to chew my food,” I say self-deprecatingly.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Hutch says quietly. I don’t know if it’s for my benefit or to quell the rumor mill. “And I’m starting to feel pretty uncomfortable with this conversation.”
“Come on, Hutch,” Fran says. “It’s just a game. It’s not like you guys have bought any new gossip magazines in over a year.”
Vilma turns to me to fill me in. “We think he’s totally full of shit. He’s been in lala land for a week now. Usually he’s all quiet and cool, but lately there’s something off.”
“Yeah, I catch him grinning to himself when he thinks no one is looking.”
Hutch shuts his eyes. “Okay, enough. Helen’s going to kill me.”
“No way, you’re her favorite,” Vilma says. “It’s River’s turn to guess. I say he’s into Latin girls. You’re part Spanish right?”
“That’s another bet we’ve got going on,” Fran says, then clamps her fist over her mouth. “Sorry.”
“I say he’s into blondes,” Julie says. “But the Playboy Bunny type, sorry River.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re all wrong.”
“Okay,” Hutch says, holding his hands up. “You’re all going to get me fired. No bets. Especially you.”
“Chill. I’m not taking a bet. I’m just going to state a fact. I see you with a pretty brunette. Someone small, but athletic. Someone sweet and polite. Someone nice. Someone you can trust. She probably rides horses and knows the difference between a dinner fork and a salad fork. Really put together.”
I lean back in my chair and hold his stare. I can feel the other girls watching us. I can feel their giddy energy as they wait for one of us to blink. Suddenly, I feel like I’m back at a table again, confident that I have an excellent hand. Does he see what I’m doing? I want him to say yes. I want him to say that I’ve figured out his type so that no one will ever think he could be with a girl like me.
Hutch blinks. He smiles that heartbreaking smile of his and throws up his hands. “You got me.”
The girls cheer and holler, patting me on the back. This time, Ransom looks over his shoulder and gives me a thumbs-up. I want to flip him the bird, but Hutch is getting up.
“I think I’ve had enough torture for the day.” He glances my way, then busses his tray and heads outside.
“That ass is dangerous,” Fran says, now that he’s gone.
“Do you think it might be a patient?” Julie whispers.
My heart gives a guilty little thump.
Vilma shakes her head. “Doubtful. He’s a total teetotaler. Remember when he got that last counselor arrested for smuggling in drugs?”
“Wait, what?” I ask. Also, considering I met Hutch at a
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