Read Online Resplendent by M. J. Abraham - Free Book Online Page A

together. I pointed out the photos I had taken personally that had made it into the yearbook. Because I was president of the club, there were a lot.
    “I love how you take all these fun, candid pictures,” he noted while turning each page.
    I smiled at his compliment. “Those are my favorite. They aren’t forced, so they really capture the moment. You know?”
    He glanced at me and ran his finger down my nose. “You’re really good at this, Peach. You’re going to be famous, and when I see your face in magazines, I’ll tell everyone ‘yeah, I know her. She won’t give me the time of day, but she’s too good for me anyway.’”
    I rolled my eyes and poked his ribs. “You’re so ridiculous.”
    “You’re so amazing.”
    And all I knew at that moment was the feeling of warmth and sunlight in my chest that radiated all over the inside of my body. He’d kept his promise to be my friend, he came here tonight, and most importantly, he believed in me. I busied myself by putting my yearbook away. My soul was closer to him than anyone else I’d ever met, and I realized that our budding friendship had turned into something much more over time. He could be overwhelming at times, sure, but his heart was in the right place, and his goal was always to make me laugh. I had been floating, unattached to the earth, never fitting in. Somehow, he caught me in his net of laughter and I felt safe. I watched as he lowered his head and looked at the photos on my corkboard. He was in quite a few, seeing as I tried to take a picture with him every chance I got. I watched him walk around my room, he made himself at home, and I shifted nervously in my bed. Having put him in the friend zone had done nothing to stop me from daydreaming and wishing for a future. I inwardly sighed. Just when Carmin had moved on, I wouldn’t be living here much longer.
    Andres reached into his book bag. “Okay, first we ate tacos, and now, we watch a movie.” He pulled out a movie case and showed me the cover.
    “ Dawn of the Dead . The remake, I just bought it,” he said and smiled. He walked over to the DVD player and kneeled down to press the eject button.
    “Is it scary?” I asked, warily.
    Andres shrugged. “Why? Do you get scared easily? You can always sit on my lap if you get too scared.” He smirked and I reached behind me to throw a pillow meant for his face, but he grabbed it easily.
    “Slick,” I said.
    He gasped and placed his hand on his chest. “Who? Me? I’m just being a good friend.”
    I shook my head and pursed my lips before getting up to make popcorn. Once I returned to the room, I helped him grab both my comforter and pillows off the bed to place them on the floor. I immediately curled up against him with his arm under my head. Our bowl of popcorn rested on his belly to share and we were immediately hooked. I flinched within the first five minutes of the movie.
    “Okay, that little girl is just way too creepy!” I commented and grabbed another handful of popcorn.
    Andres nodded. “Yeah, not exactly how I want to be woken up from my nap.” He tilted his head and glanced over at me. “At least he got laid before he died.”
    I smacked him playfully on the arm. “You’re such a guy.”
    Andres squeezed my nose. “Proud of it, baby.”
    He reached over my body and grabbed the remote, pressing pause.
    “Where are you going?” I asked curiously as he got up for what I thought might be a refill of soda, but he reached into his bag and pulled out two shot glasses.
    I rested my palms on the floor behind me. “You’re going to get me drunk?”
    He smiled and kneeled down, handed me the glasses and pulled out a bottle of Aguardiente from a smaller bag.
    My eyes widened. “Nice!” I said a little too excitedly, and we both laughed.
    “Alcohol is the most important part of the Anti-Prom experience,” I held up the glasses for him as he poured the clear liquid, “and since we’re both home in our pajamas, I think this is