Read Online One Day Soon by A. Meredith Walters - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: A. Meredith Walters
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sense of humor is Bug.” Yoss pointed to the blond boy who joked about going to the office. He was flicking a silver lighter over and over again.
“Bug?” I asked.
“Because we all want to crush him under our shoe. He’s really annoying,” Di snickered, grabbing another cookie.
“Whatever. You assholes just don’t get how awesome I am,” Bug quipped, rolling his eyes.
“I’m Shane. Nice to meet you,” the longhaired boy said, holding out his hand for me to shake, which surprised me.
Yoss snorted. “Is this a freaking job interview? You’re such a tool, man.”
“There’s a lot to be said for good manners. Isn’t that right, Imogen?” Shane gave me a smile.
“Sure,” I agreed, not knowing what else to say.
“Is this the chick Tag was bitching about? The one you snatched away from him before he could get his predatory hands on her?” Di asked, talking with her mouth full.
“Yuck, chew with your mouth closed. You’re getting food all over me,” Karla griped.
Di ignored her. Bug gave Yoss a wide-eyed look that definitely gave him an insect appearance. I understood the nickname now. “He was pissed as hell about that, man. I’d watch your back.”
“Well, he knows where to find me,” Yoss replied dismissively. I wasn’t sure he should be so cavalier about this Tag guy. He had scared me plenty last night. He seemed like a man you didn’t want to mess with.
Karla was giving me the ubiquitous once over I was used to from other females. She moved closer to Yoss who seemed oblivious to her possessiveness.
“Manny was looking for you,” Shane said, shoving the last of the roll into his mouth.
Yoss immediately tensed up. “Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know.” He drew his shoulders up and moved away from me. “We’re going to head down to The Pavilion, see if there’s anything going on. We’ll catch up with you later.”
He started to walk away from his friends and I guessed I was expected to follow. Karla gave me a nasty look, which I returned blankly. I didn’t think we were going to be best friends any time soon.
“Don’t forget to find Manny. He’s got some stuff for you to do later,” Shane called out as we were leaving.
Yoss put his hand on my back and steered me away from the group. His eyes had gone hard and he worked his teeth back and forth across his lower lip.
“Who’s Manny?” I asked once we were out of everyone’s earshot. Yoss’ entire demeanor had changed. I wanted to understand why.
“He’s just a guy we all know. He, uh, well, he kind of looks out for all the kids around here,” Yoss answered dismissively, as though it were nothing. As if Manny were nothing.
“Oh, that’s cool.”
“Yeah,” he said shortly.
We walked along the old railroad tracks. I didn’t really know where we were going. This wasn’t a part of the city I had ever spent much time in, apart from the handful of times I had been here with Amanda.
“So Manny looks out for you and in turn you do stuff for him,” I deduced.
Yoss glanced down at me in surprise. “Uh, yeah, I guess so.” He seemed uncomfortable with my perceptiveness. He didn’t want to talk about Manny or whatever he had to do for him.
“Are you into drugs, Yoss? Because I don’t do drugs,” I said in a rush.
Yoss stopped walking and turned to look down at me, his face guarded but his eyes clear. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned down so our faces were close together. “I don’t do drugs, Imi. That’s not my scene. I want to have a clear head, all the time. No matter how bad or ugly things are.”
I let out a sigh of relief. I knew drugs were the norm with kids my age. Especially ones that lived out here. I had seen enough of my own classmates strung out on one thing or another. I wasn’t some pure white Pollyanna either. I had smoked weed a few times and even ate ’shrooms once.
But I had also seen my mother high on more than a few occasions and it had always freaked me out.
In a
“Bug?” I asked.
“Because we all want to crush him under our shoe. He’s really annoying,” Di snickered, grabbing another cookie.
“Whatever. You assholes just don’t get how awesome I am,” Bug quipped, rolling his eyes.
“I’m Shane. Nice to meet you,” the longhaired boy said, holding out his hand for me to shake, which surprised me.
Yoss snorted. “Is this a freaking job interview? You’re such a tool, man.”
“There’s a lot to be said for good manners. Isn’t that right, Imogen?” Shane gave me a smile.
“Sure,” I agreed, not knowing what else to say.
“Is this the chick Tag was bitching about? The one you snatched away from him before he could get his predatory hands on her?” Di asked, talking with her mouth full.
“Yuck, chew with your mouth closed. You’re getting food all over me,” Karla griped.
Di ignored her. Bug gave Yoss a wide-eyed look that definitely gave him an insect appearance. I understood the nickname now. “He was pissed as hell about that, man. I’d watch your back.”
“Well, he knows where to find me,” Yoss replied dismissively. I wasn’t sure he should be so cavalier about this Tag guy. He had scared me plenty last night. He seemed like a man you didn’t want to mess with.
Karla was giving me the ubiquitous once over I was used to from other females. She moved closer to Yoss who seemed oblivious to her possessiveness.
“Manny was looking for you,” Shane said, shoving the last of the roll into his mouth.
Yoss immediately tensed up. “Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know.” He drew his shoulders up and moved away from me. “We’re going to head down to The Pavilion, see if there’s anything going on. We’ll catch up with you later.”
He started to walk away from his friends and I guessed I was expected to follow. Karla gave me a nasty look, which I returned blankly. I didn’t think we were going to be best friends any time soon.
“Don’t forget to find Manny. He’s got some stuff for you to do later,” Shane called out as we were leaving.
Yoss put his hand on my back and steered me away from the group. His eyes had gone hard and he worked his teeth back and forth across his lower lip.
“Who’s Manny?” I asked once we were out of everyone’s earshot. Yoss’ entire demeanor had changed. I wanted to understand why.
“He’s just a guy we all know. He, uh, well, he kind of looks out for all the kids around here,” Yoss answered dismissively, as though it were nothing. As if Manny were nothing.
“Oh, that’s cool.”
“Yeah,” he said shortly.
We walked along the old railroad tracks. I didn’t really know where we were going. This wasn’t a part of the city I had ever spent much time in, apart from the handful of times I had been here with Amanda.
“So Manny looks out for you and in turn you do stuff for him,” I deduced.
Yoss glanced down at me in surprise. “Uh, yeah, I guess so.” He seemed uncomfortable with my perceptiveness. He didn’t want to talk about Manny or whatever he had to do for him.
“Are you into drugs, Yoss? Because I don’t do drugs,” I said in a rush.
Yoss stopped walking and turned to look down at me, his face guarded but his eyes clear. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned down so our faces were close together. “I don’t do drugs, Imi. That’s not my scene. I want to have a clear head, all the time. No matter how bad or ugly things are.”
I let out a sigh of relief. I knew drugs were the norm with kids my age. Especially ones that lived out here. I had seen enough of my own classmates strung out on one thing or another. I wasn’t some pure white Pollyanna either. I had smoked weed a few times and even ate ’shrooms once.
But I had also seen my mother high on more than a few occasions and it had always freaked me out.
In a
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