Read Online Sadie's Mountain by Shelby Rebecca - Free Book Online Page B

Fighting will do that to you.
    “I have to go,” I say, blandly. The numbness starts taking over while I’m grabbing Monty’s reins from the tree he’s tied to.
    “Can I walk you home?”
    “No!” I say, and then he winces.
    “Ummm. I can get myself home, I mean.” I have to look away. “No need to go out of your way.”
    “Please,” he says, earnestly.
    I turn and walk down the trail and he follows, saying nothing. We walk in silence, kicking rocks down the trail for, I’d bet, about fifteen minutes.
    “I’m sorry,” he says, finally.
    “For what?”
    “For yelling at you. That was wrong.”
    His arm brushes mine and I tense. He notices and gives me more room.
    “Hey, why don’t you get up in the saddle? I can ride my bike up ahead. I can see you’re really tired. When did you get here?”
    “Just today,” I say drone-like again.
    “Here, let me help you up,” he says, holding my elbow. Electricity shoots through my arm where he’s touching me. It’s like two live wires if they were to meet and make sparks. My body feels tensed. “Up you go,” he says, as I swing my leg over. As he has hold of my arm, he pauses as he notices the scratches I got from riding my scared horse into the trees. “These look bad. Let me get my first aid kit.” I don’t say anything as he gets it from his bike. I have to pull Monty’s reins so he doesn’t leave Dillon behind.
    He pulls out an astringent already imbedded in a little cloth and stings me with it. I wince but say nothing. What’s weird is it does feel nice to have someone take care of me for a minute. His long fingers rub ointment on all my little scrapes, taking his time. I study his face, his hands. I watch the muscles in his arm as he touches me. “There you go,” he says, smiling.
    I look down. “Thank you,” I say, ever so softly.
    He moves his bike ahead of us and I watch him ride all the way down the trail and up to the border of Momma’s place. He’s a skilled mountain bike rider—a very fast one, and that’s why I’m in this mess in the first place.
    He helps me, as much as I’ll let him, to get down off Monty’s tired back. I watch as he un-straps the ‘Sadie’ saddle, sliding it onto the wooden horse it’s stored on near the wall. He hands me the thin sack that holds the yellow roots wrapped in cheesecloth and the tools. I just stand here as he pulls the blanket off and shakes it. I’m a tired, mute statue who’s biting her thumbnail.
    “Come,” he says, taking my hand and it’s all live wires again but I pretend not to notice. “I bet dinner’s ready by the smell a’ things up at the house,” he chuckles. I don’t even want to fight him about coming in. I’m too tired. I open the front door and he slips in at my side holding my elbow again, so I pull it out of his grasp as nicely as I can.
    “Personal bubble,” I say, making my arms wide around my person to show him how I like my space. He steps away to give me what I want—his face impassive.
    “Missy,” he says, standing near the door with me in tow. “Look who I found wandering around.”
    “Dillon. Hi, there. You want some dinner?” Missy says with an inward wave.
    “I’d love some.” He’s looking at me as he says it. I just lift my shoulders like ‘I don’t care.’
    Jake and another teen who I’m guessing is Seth are sitting at the table holding their forks and knives waiting for food. I thought people only did that in cartoons.
    There’s two little kids, too. Missy’s kids. They look like the ones in the pictures she puts on Facebook. One is a girl and she’s probably about five. The other is a boy, about two, and he’s sitting in a highchair looking like he’s too big for it but it keeps him still so she keeps him in it anyway.
    “Long time no see, Dillon.” She gives me a silent nod and a wink. I don’t do anything back, so her eyebrows furrow. She always liked Dillon for me. She used to tease me about being up a tree kissing him and