Read Online Shattered Soul by Jennifer Snyder - Free Book Online Page A

and I needed a cigarette
bad.
    I held her cup out. “Here, I’m gonna go bum a
cigarette off Trip,” I shouted over the music.
    “I’ll be waiting,” she purred after me.
    I shook my head and held my breath, fighting
desperately against urges that were rising within me. I didn’t
exhale until I’d closed the front door behind me. Joe, my middle
man, sat perched up on the railing, smoking a cigarette beside Trip
when I stepped out.
    “Can I bum one off someone?” I asked.
    Joe dug in his pocket and tossed me his pack.
    “Thanks.”
    “What’s the matter with you? Can’t handle Sidney’s
atomic hotness anymore?” Trip grinned.
    I shook my head and handed Joe his pack back. “No,
it’s not that I can’t, it’s that I don’t want to,” I informed him,
lighting my cigarette carefully.
    Joe remained silent as he took another drag, and Trip
didn’t have to say anything, all I had to do was look in his eyes
to be able to see how completely shocked he was by what I’d just
said.
    “What do you mean you don’t want to? She’s smoking
hot!” Trip squeaked.
    “I didn’t say she wasn’t.”
    “Oh, man. Either you got hit in the head one too many
times, or else you’ve got it bad for Ali.” He obviously thought he
was funny.
    I shrugged. “About as bad as you’ve got it for
Miranda.”
    The smirk fell from his face, his gaze shifted to his
shoes. “Miranda…right.”
    A moment of silence hung between the three of us and
I almost felt bad for putting Trip on the spot.
    “You talked to her yet?” I wondered.
    “Not yet, no.” he answered.
    Joe chuckled. “Well, now’s your chance, buddy, here
she comes.”
    I turned and peeked in through the well-lit window.
Sure enough, Miranda was weaving her way towards the front door. I
glanced at Trip; he was staring directly at her and I could see him
swallow hard. I put my cigarette to my lips and took another drag
to hide the smirk twisting onto my face. Poor guy, he was hopeless.
You’d think Miranda Cooper was a fucking goddess with the way he
acted when she was near him.
    The door opened and Miranda stumbled out. “Any of you
guys got a menthol?” she asked, fumbling to close the door behind
her. It was clear she’d had a little too much to drink.
    Neither Joe nor I responded.
    “Yeah,” Trip answered.
    He dug in his pocket for his pack as Miranda slid
herself up on the banister beside him, looking a little less than
graceful. Must be Trip’s night; now if he fucked up while talking
to her she was so drunk she wouldn’t even remember.
    Trip handed her a cigarette and flicked his lighter,
holding out the flame to her. I grinned at the two of them, feeling
proud of my boy for his smooth move.
    “Thanks.”
    “No problem.” Trip slipped his lighter back into his
pocket.
    Joe nodded at me and hopped off the rail. “I only got
a bowl, but you wanna smoke?”
    My eyes shifted to Trip and then back to Joe before I
answered. “Sure.”
    “You guys?” he offered.
    “Nah,” Trip replied.
    “I’m cool,” Miranda said, her eyes moving back to
Trip as her plump lips sprung into a little grin.
    “All right.” Joe started down the wooden steps, I
followed.
    “So, what’s up?” I heard Miranda ask Trip as we
walked out into the darkened yard towards the side of the house. I
heard Trip reply, but it was muffled and I couldn’t make out his
words.
    Once Joe and I reached the side of the house, he
pulled a glass pipe from his pocket and a cellophane with a nugget
of weed inside. I dug in my pocket for my lighter and flicked it,
creating a flame for him to see by.
    “You all right, man? Your face looks pretty tore up,”
Joe asked.
    Joe was a nice guy. I’d never had any problems with
him, but that didn’t mean I was going to spill my life story to
him.
    “I’m fine,” I said and a long silence passed between
us when I didn’t elaborate any as he continued to pack the
bowl.
    “Here, you deserve greens tonight,” he insisted,
handing me the