Read Online MILA Origins 2.0 - The Fire by Debra Driza - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Debra Driza
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believe me.”
While I would have loved to believe that he’d transferred because of me, he’d told me the move was solely based on his desire for a more ambitious reading list.
She released the wheel with one hand to smooth the neck of her aqua cowl-necked sweater, one of her amazing-do-it-yourself creations. “Please. He’d think I was an idiot.” But her voice didn’t hold quite the edge it had just moments ago.
She peeked at me, nibbling her lower lip. Then her shoulders deflated. “Though I’m doing a pretty good job of acting like one on my own, aren’t I?”
“Hey, me too,” I said. Not thinking so much of Hunter as I was that time when I’d grabbed her arm.
Her smile was timid, not the carefree Kaylee smile I was used to. Nevertheless, I’d take what I could get.
“So, let’s just—wait! Oh my god, there he is!” Kaylee yelled.
For an instant, my logic deserted me. No…she couldn’t mean…
My eyes flew open as the brakes squealed. I turned my head, searched for the object of Kaylee’s pointing finger. Confusion hit first, followed by a flood of disappointment. Hunter. She’d meant Hunter.
Of course she had.
I grabbed hold of my fleeing composure while we bump-bump-bumped our way to the side of the road.
“Roll down your window, hurry!” Kaylee said, finger combing a few flyaway pieces of hair into order. Hunter was just turning to see who approached, his hands rammed into the pockets of black cargo pants.
I couldn’t prevent the rush of excitement at the sight of him. Even though I gave myself stern orders to play it cool. I cranked the old rotor window down, the one that stuck for Kaylee’s little brother and her mom but never gave me any problems at all.
Without the glass as a barrier, the smell of manure grew even headier.
“Hi, Mila,” Hunter said. As usual, I noticed the way his lopsided smile upturned his lips, the left side just a little higher than the right. When he tilted his head, the hood of his black long-sleeved shirt pulled loose, unleashing thatnow-familiar tumble of brown waves. Waves that looked incredibly soft and practically begged for my fingers to run through them.
Okay, I really needed to stop. Kaylee and I had a deal.
I commanded my voice to sound nonchalant. “Hi, Hunt—”
“Hunter!” Kaylee squealed. “Hey, why don’t you come with us? We’re on our way to Dairy Queen, and you seriously don’t want to pass up one of the best things this town has to offer!” Kaylee leaned across me for a better view, forcing me to smash my head against the crunchy old headrest if I didn’t want to inhale a mouthful of her grapefruit-scented hair.
And wait…since when were we on our way to Dairy Queen?
I managed to wrestle my head out from behind hers. Hunter’s blue gaze immediately captured mine, searching. I got that the-world-is-fading sensation all over again. Despite my best intentions, I felt a goofy smile crawl onto my mouth. “Sounds good,” he finally said, still focused on me.
Meanwhile, Kaylee’s smile faded. She watched him watching me, and her eyes narrowed. This time, her excitement seemed forced as she bounced up and down on the seat, sending the springs into a squeaky chorus. “Yay! Mila, you jump in the back so that Hunter can sit up front, okay?We don’t want to scare the new guy off by making him ride in the back of a pickup!”
Ha ha, very funny. “Good one, Kaylee, but how about I just squeeze closer to you?”
The edges of Kaylee’s mouth fell. She lowered her voice. “What, so that you can be all pressed up against him like a saddle on a horse?” she hissed.
Seriously? “You told me less than two minutes ago that you were acting like an idiot. Well, guess what? You’re doing it again,” I whispered back.
Kaylee glared at me before gesturing to Hunter. “Wait a second—Mila was just getting out. She wanted some fresh air, anyway.”
I gawked, trying to convince myself she was only acting crazy because Hunter
While I would have loved to believe that he’d transferred because of me, he’d told me the move was solely based on his desire for a more ambitious reading list.
She released the wheel with one hand to smooth the neck of her aqua cowl-necked sweater, one of her amazing-do-it-yourself creations. “Please. He’d think I was an idiot.” But her voice didn’t hold quite the edge it had just moments ago.
She peeked at me, nibbling her lower lip. Then her shoulders deflated. “Though I’m doing a pretty good job of acting like one on my own, aren’t I?”
“Hey, me too,” I said. Not thinking so much of Hunter as I was that time when I’d grabbed her arm.
Her smile was timid, not the carefree Kaylee smile I was used to. Nevertheless, I’d take what I could get.
“So, let’s just—wait! Oh my god, there he is!” Kaylee yelled.
For an instant, my logic deserted me. No…she couldn’t mean…
My eyes flew open as the brakes squealed. I turned my head, searched for the object of Kaylee’s pointing finger. Confusion hit first, followed by a flood of disappointment. Hunter. She’d meant Hunter.
Of course she had.
I grabbed hold of my fleeing composure while we bump-bump-bumped our way to the side of the road.
“Roll down your window, hurry!” Kaylee said, finger combing a few flyaway pieces of hair into order. Hunter was just turning to see who approached, his hands rammed into the pockets of black cargo pants.
I couldn’t prevent the rush of excitement at the sight of him. Even though I gave myself stern orders to play it cool. I cranked the old rotor window down, the one that stuck for Kaylee’s little brother and her mom but never gave me any problems at all.
Without the glass as a barrier, the smell of manure grew even headier.
“Hi, Mila,” Hunter said. As usual, I noticed the way his lopsided smile upturned his lips, the left side just a little higher than the right. When he tilted his head, the hood of his black long-sleeved shirt pulled loose, unleashing thatnow-familiar tumble of brown waves. Waves that looked incredibly soft and practically begged for my fingers to run through them.
Okay, I really needed to stop. Kaylee and I had a deal.
I commanded my voice to sound nonchalant. “Hi, Hunt—”
“Hunter!” Kaylee squealed. “Hey, why don’t you come with us? We’re on our way to Dairy Queen, and you seriously don’t want to pass up one of the best things this town has to offer!” Kaylee leaned across me for a better view, forcing me to smash my head against the crunchy old headrest if I didn’t want to inhale a mouthful of her grapefruit-scented hair.
And wait…since when were we on our way to Dairy Queen?
I managed to wrestle my head out from behind hers. Hunter’s blue gaze immediately captured mine, searching. I got that the-world-is-fading sensation all over again. Despite my best intentions, I felt a goofy smile crawl onto my mouth. “Sounds good,” he finally said, still focused on me.
Meanwhile, Kaylee’s smile faded. She watched him watching me, and her eyes narrowed. This time, her excitement seemed forced as she bounced up and down on the seat, sending the springs into a squeaky chorus. “Yay! Mila, you jump in the back so that Hunter can sit up front, okay?We don’t want to scare the new guy off by making him ride in the back of a pickup!”
Ha ha, very funny. “Good one, Kaylee, but how about I just squeeze closer to you?”
The edges of Kaylee’s mouth fell. She lowered her voice. “What, so that you can be all pressed up against him like a saddle on a horse?” she hissed.
Seriously? “You told me less than two minutes ago that you were acting like an idiot. Well, guess what? You’re doing it again,” I whispered back.
Kaylee glared at me before gesturing to Hunter. “Wait a second—Mila was just getting out. She wanted some fresh air, anyway.”
I gawked, trying to convince myself she was only acting crazy because Hunter
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