Read Online Secret Star by Nancy Springer - Free Book Online Page B

Listening to his music made her heart ache, yet whatever it was she needed, he was there, giving it to her.
    When the CD stopped, though, Crux wasn’t there anymore. Butch was.
    All too real and solid, there he was, pressed against her with his arm around her shoulders.
    â€œOkay, baby, my turn,” he said, and he mashed his face into hers.
    â€œHey!” She shoved him away. “What the—”
    â€œC’mon, baby, you know you’re crazy about me.” He tackled her with both arms, toppling her back onto the bed, and there he was on top of her, his hips heavy on hers, jamming his mouth into her face.
    He was big and brawny, made of solid muscle. “Stop it!” Tess screamed at him, squirming to get free, but with his weight on top of her she could barely move. He had her arms pinned, she couldn’t get her hands on him, but she could bite, and she did. Hard.
    â€œHey!” He flinched away.
    â€œGet—off—me!” Once she finally got some leverage she threw him halfway across the room. He landed on his butt on the rug, and she stood over him so scorching mad she couldn’t say half of what she was thinking. The—the consummate jerkhead, where did he get off thinking he could grab her like that? “You’ve got no right,” she panted at him.
    â€œBitch! You hurt me!” There was blood on his face.
    â€œOh, poor baby!” She slammed out.
    She got halfway down his driveway before he came after her in the truck. “Crazy bitch, what’s the matter with you?” he yelled.
    â€œNothing’s the matter with me.”
    â€œSlut! Get in here!”
    Oh, that made a lot of sense. She wouldn’t give him what he wanted, so now she was a slut? And she was supposed to get back in his truck so he could take her somewhere and try again? Right. Sure. “Go kiss yourself,” she told him, striding along as fast as she could without running from him.
    Butch called her several more names before he revved the truck and roared away. “You can bloody walk home!” he screamed at her.
    She did.
    It was late when she got back, but her cold dinner was still on the table and Daddy was still up, sitting in the dark living room with nothing but a burned-down candle and Ernestine for company. With his lips pressed together. “You’re grounded,” he said.
    Tess looked at him with no heart to try to explain. There was no such thing as a prince, she was angry at herself for ever having thought there was, and her mouth felt filthy from Butch no matter how much she scrubbed at it with her hand, her whole face felt filthy from Butch. She felt filthy all over.
    Daddy was watching her for a reaction, and he seemed to see guilt in her face; his bald spot went dark and he swelled up in his chair. “You’ve been messing around with that bum Kamo!” he yelled. “I knew it, and I won’t have it! He’s not welcome here, and he’s not welcome near you.”
    All of a sudden Tess was nearly as furious at Daddy as she had been at Butch. She wanted to hit something, it was so frustrating, this whole nuisance of being a girl. Butch thinking he could score with her. Daddy thinking that was what she’d been doing. “For God’s sake!” she screamed. “What do you think I am?”
    â€œI don’t—”
    â€œKamo might be my brother! You think I’d—”
    â€œHe’s not your brother!”
    â€œLike you know that!”
    â€œI do know that. He’s not your brother. He’s not any relation to you.”
    This was too important to shout about. “How do you know?” Tess asked, almost whispering.
    Daddy’s voice came down as well. “I just know. He’s not related to you.”
    â€œDaddy—”
    â€œHe’s not, Tess. That’s all I’m going to say.” Daddy swung around and zoomed Ernestine into his bedroom. He closed the door.
    Tess