Read Online Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton - Free Book Online Page B

colored her words.
    They had opened a new door and complicated
their lives. Neither wanted to walk away.
    “ We’re going to talk as
often as possible and text in between.” He hoped to reassure her
this was only the beginning.
    “ Okay, but when will I see
you again?” she asked, the angst clear in her voice.
    “ I don’t know. We’re
leaving the Midwest for a while.” Not knowing worried him too. “But
that isn’t going stop us from being together. I’ll figure something
out. I promise.” He meant it with every fiber of his being. They
barely knew each other, but he would not let her go. The connection
they shared was extraordinary.
    Libby nodded, her trust in him absolute. His
phone played music again.
    “ You’re
ringing.”
    “ They can wait, I’m with
them all the time. You’re special.”
    He lowered his lips to hers once more,
feeling neither the cold nor the rain.
     
    # # #
     
    Peter jogged through the steady rain, his
heart bursting with joy. The silver bus stood ominous, surrounded
by a thick fog.
    He hammered on the door twice. It opened
smoothly. He returned to the other part of his life, energized and
empowered. He could conquer the world.
    “ Peter, where’s Libby?” His
mother asked.
    He pushed the hood of his jacket back and
shook his head like a dog, spraying water on everyone around
him.
    “ Dude, grab a towel, would
ya?” Garrett blocked his face with his arm.
    “ She didn’t want a ride.
She’s not far from home and wanted to walk.”
    His parents exchanged concerned glances.
    “ She’s really shy, that’s
all.”
    “ Apparently not too shy,”
Adam said, noticing Peter’s over-the-top mood.
    Peter shrugged, a smug grin on his face. He
moved to the back of the bus, high-fiving Garrett as he passed.
    “ Oh yeah, little brother.”
Garrett said.
    “ We brought you a burger,”
his mother called.
    “ Not hungry.” He plopped
onto the couch, popped in his earphones, and closed his eyes. He
lost himself in thoughts of Libby.
     
    # # #
     
    Libby sat in the middle of her bed wearing
her sweatshirt and underwear. The sopping wet jeans she wore
earlier lay in a pile on the floor along with her squishy shoes and
dripping socks. She spread the new gift out on the bed like the
crown jewels.
    Unfortunately she didn’t
know how to use the shiny new phone. All the kids at school owned
phones. She was about to get one last year, but then the car
accident happened. The box contained some
cords and a small instruction booklet. She picked up the high-tech
device and ran her hands over it when a familiar Jamieson tune
played.
    She dropped the phone, then flipped it over
and tried to figure out how to answer. She fumbled over the buttons
on the screen until she heard laughter come from the tiny unit.
    She picked it up and held it to her ear.
“Hello?”
    “ Can you hear me?” Peter’s
magical voice sounded close.
    “ Yeah, hang on, I’m trying
to figure this out.” Libby turned the phone around and found the
right end for her ear. “Okay, can you hear me now?”
    “ Your voice is music to my
ears,” Peter answered.
    Libby felt warm and tingly down to her cold
feet. “I can’t believe you gave me a phone.”
    “ Well, I had to do
something. I couldn’t quit the tour and hide in the woods everyday
waiting for you. My dad would have blown a gasket. I figured this
would be a good compromise.”
    “ Works for me. Although I’d
have hated for you to disappoint all your fans.”
    “ Whatcha doing?”
    “ Sitting on my bed looking
at all this stuff that goes with the phone. I just got here a few
minutes ago.
    “ Perfect timing. You’ll
have to learn how to put it on vibrate when you’re at
school.”
    “ I’ve decided to quit
school so I can talk to you all day.” She wished she
could.
    “ No you won’t. You need to
study, get smart and graduate. You’ll never get to college if you
don’t finish high school.”
    She couldn’t stop grinning. This was almost
like