Read Online Precise by Rebecca Berto, Lauren McKellar - Free Book Online Page B

these last months.”
    Divert. “How long have you known Marco for? I haven’t heard of him from you before . . . ”
    “I’m embarrassed, really,” Brent says, rattling off thoughts without realizing Katie is trying to change the subject. “I’m trying to find a way to cope. Adjust.” He’s off on a tangent, his shame pouring out.
    “What about Coop?”
    “Oh.” Brent pulls away, confused. “Well, Tim, Marco and I have been friends for a decade, I guess. Coop, I’ve been closer to these days.” He scrunches his face and scans the party. In a tone too quiet for Marco to hear, Brent says, “I know Coop can be a bit much but if he’s causing any . . . trouble, then just yell out. Text me if you need to be more discreet. I don’t want you feeling weird. Coop works close to me, so we see each other a lot.” Brent’s eyes are blank, telling her to make up her own mind. “I can’t really . . . well, just ignore him, because I’m with him so often.”
    “Don’t worry. He’s fine.”
    More than fine. He’s awesome!
    Marco comes back, plonking himself down in his original spot. The phone beeps again and Marco taps away at the buttons. Brent shoots an obvious warning glance to him. Marco raises his index and middle fingers vertically, bringing them to his mouth and back.
    “You smoke?” Katie asks.
    Marco seems bewildered. “I’m sorry?”
    “Do you smoke? Weren’t you just telling Brent that you were off for a ciggie?”
    He looks from her to his index and middle fingers, nods. “Yeah,” Marco says, eyeing Brent. “Going for a smoke.” He stands and starts to head off, but halts. “You don’t, you know, smoke, do you?”
    Katie beams. She, too, pushes herself up and onto her feet. Not expecting this, Marco’s expression stills, a red blush filling the color of his cheeks.
    “No way am I missing out on a smoke. So yeah, guess I sort of do.”
    “What? You’ve never smoked before!” Brent cuts in.
    “I do now, and I’m currently off my face so I can’t resist an opportunity like this. I’ll be back after.” She spins around, away from Brent, but a tug pulls her back.
    “What the hell, Brent?” she yells. “Let go!”
    He releases before she’s even asked him to. It’s as if he doesn’t want to tell her to stay but he half-heartedly tugs on her anyway, hoping. “She doesn’t smoke, Marco. It’s okay. We’ll catch up with you later.”
    Marco nods as Katie stares, stupefied, at Brent.
    “Katie, I’m sorry,” Marco says. “I shouldn’t have asked. Coop is trying to give up so he never carries more than a couple of ciggies on him, for emergencies. I didn’t want to be too obvious about it.”
    She rolls her eyes at him, crosses her arms. What a lame brush off.
    Marco sees her stiff expression and tries again. “I’ve been informed that now is one of those times.”
    Katie scoffs and rearranges her arms as she fixates on the brick wall in front of her.
    “Sorry, Kates. I really am.” He looks desperate. His eyes shine like a glass window, housing a sad dog behind them. “I do feel bad, but, um,” he pauses and peers around the corner where Cooper is visible, “he wants to have a man-to-man chat.”
    She nods him off and walks away from both of them. She came here to escape Liam, too, but he’s been following her around in her mind, anyway. In the voice telling her to stop drinking, but mostly inside his brother, who’s transformed into him.
    If Katie doesn’t find something else to distract her, the fun will wear off. And Molten Man will join Liam and squash Johnny.
    Why be reminded of her stuff ups if she doesn’t know how to fix them?

“N o way!” Katie squeals. “You’re kidding, right? Dina, Dina Hemmingway?”
    The woman’s face squeezes into an astonished delight. They jump up in excitement and launch into each other’s arms. Although Dina is the sister of a school friend of Katie’s, she went to their house often enough to get to know Dina almost as