Read Online Something Of A Kind by Miranda Wheeler - Free Book Online Page A

He grew anxious, afraid he
pulled into the wrong place.
She moved in yesterday. Would she even notice? Oh, hell.
    They waited a few moments more. She stood on the tips of her
toes, peering into the tiny window above the peep hole. It remained
dark. She turned and covered her eyes, peering into the darkness. He
flashed the headlights and her frame shook with a breath of relief.
Aly raised her arms questioningly, shrugging in spite of her nervous
expression. Unsure whether or not she could see him, he beckoned
her back to the truck. After a moment she spirited towards him,
opening the door and leaning in to speak.
“He’s not home yet,” she sighed, glancing back at the empty
house. “He never gave me a key.”
     
“We’ll go get a drink or something. There’s a little shop on my
way back.”
     
“Are you sure? I could just call my dad and wait on the steps.”
     
“Yeah, I am. You seem surprised,” he laughed.
     
“I just… You knew exactly what to do. I’m kind of… totally
frazzled,” she confessed, following his motion for her to sit down.
    Noah twisted the stereo up as he backed onto the street, pulling
up the hill to turn around. When he could risk a glance, he watched
her fingers tapped to the music. Most people heard the drums. She
felt the bass.
It’s kind of perfect.
    The parking lot to the Seaside Minimart was deserted, lights
flickering over the pumps like cracked spotlights. He parked away
from the dumpsters, unconcerned with the walk towards the
building. Ashland was in the middle-of-nowhere, and even the gas
station was too far of a commute for the local drunks to roam. Aside
from the occasional bear sighting, there wasn’t much danger in the
shadows.
    Aly sat on the curb. He assumed she was texting the doctor. With
a wave of permission, Noah braved the too-bright florescent to burn
through the last of his dwindling paycheck on coffee. She nodded
happily when he told her the contents, unaware he remembered her
request for cream and sweetener from that morning. For whatever
reason, it didn’t bother him letting her think he’d made a lucky
guess.
“So what’s your plan, Aly Glass?” Noah asked, taking a seat
beside her.
    While he was inside, she had migrated from the edge of the
sidewalk to a space against the concrete wall. His elbows balanced
loosely on his knees, while she seemed to curl around the steam
released from the cup’s lid.
“Are we good for tomorrow?” she replied through her hair,
staring at the sky.
    He felt her take a deep breath as he pulled a lock behind her ear,
exposing
her
hidden face.
She
glanced
through her
eyelashes,
waiting for an answer. He bit his lip, staring at hers.
    “Of course. That’s not what I meant though,” he continued,
swallowing a searing mouthful of hazelnut. It was too strong, too
hot, and too many grounds had passed through the filter. It burned
his tongue. He didn’t care.
    “You mean for this week? For this summer?” Aly asked, her
curiosity compelling her to speak up. Her volume increased to
almost normal as she spoke.
“I don’t know. For life, I guess,” he shrugged. “You’re a junior,
right?”
     
“I will be. You?”
     
“Senior. Where are you going to school next year?”
     
“That all depends,” she answered slowly, leaning back as though
the question exhausted her.
     
He raised an eyebrow.
    She glanced at him, realizing he expected more. “It depends on
whether or not I’m strong enough for Ashland. If I can handle my
father for the summer, then I’ll probably enroll at the local high
school. If I break, I run home, beg my aunt for help and the court for
mercy.”
He was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
     
She’s forced to be here? What can I say to that?
     
“The court’s making you stay in town?”
    “Yeah, Greg’s definitely not my first choice,” she sighed. “It’s
not that my dad and I fight a lot, but it’s like living with a stranger. I
keep thinking maybe he’s a