Read Online Sweet 16 to Life by Kimberly Reid - Free Book Online

didn’t make any threats. I just thought you’d want to catch the guy that might be responsible for trying to burn down your grandma’s house.”
    â€œYou mean my boyfriend?” she says.
    â€œEddie? I know for sure it wasn’t Eddie. He’s like six-two, way taller than Hoodie Dude.”
    â€œNo, I mean Lux.”
    â€œWhat? I’m confused.”
    â€œThe guy you’ve been calling Hoodie Dude, the arsonist, etcetera. His name is Lux and he’s my man.”
    â€œI thought Eddie and you were—”
    â€œI know what you thought and I keep saying you’re wrong. Eddie and me are just friends.”
    â€œBut what about . . . you know?”
    â€œOkay, so Eddie comes with benefits.”
    I don’t know what to make of this new development, so I’m inclined to think she’s lying. Guilty until proven innocent is the way I see it.
    â€œYou’ve never mentioned Lux before.”
    â€œI don’t tell you all my business. You already find out enough without my help.”
    â€œHow long have you been going out? I mean, maybe you don’t know him as well as you think.”
    MJ looks like she wants to tell me to shut the hell up and eat, but I guess she’s been my friend long enough to know that if she doesn’t give me answers, I’ll go find some on my own, and possibly the wrong ones.
    â€œI known him long enough to know he’s the last person who wants to see my house burn down, and I mean the very last. He called 911.”
    â€œI told you it was me who called.”
    â€œProbably lots of people call 911 when there’s a fire.”
    That’s true, if it’s a blazing fire. I suppose people in the houses behind MJ’s may have seen the smoke and called, but Lux was out front when I noticed him. Of course, I was kind of busy yelling for MJ and Big Mama, ringing doorbells and banging on rejas before I spotted him in Ada’s yard. Maybe that’s when he was calling 911. I take a long drag of chocolate shake while I consider this.
    â€œBefore Lux and I left the house that morning—”
    â€œHe was over that early?”
    â€œLike I said, he’s my man,” MJ says, looking suddenly smug, like she’s just discovered the proof that will finally convince me Lux couldn’t be the firestarter. “Big Mama was out of town, so Lux stayed over. Anyway, before we left, I put some fireplace embers from the night before on the back porch. I guess they wasn’t as cooled off as I thought. That’s probably what started the fire.”
    â€œSeriously? You accidentally started the fire with hot embers?”
    â€œYou say it like I’m stupid. I’m not the only person that ever started a fire like that. Besides, I’m from southern Cal—what I know about cleaning a fireplace?” MJ says, looking at me like she’s trying to will me to believe her, and I do. I may not believe hot embers were the cause of the fire, but MJ does. “People always think I’m stupid.”
    â€œOkay,” I say, feeling guilty, “so you put out the embers and headed to work, but Lux says he called 911. I thought he’d left the house with you?”
    â€œYeah, so?”
    â€œSo why was he still there to see the fire and make the call?”
    â€œHe must have left something at my place and came back to get it.”
    â€œYou don’t know? Seems like y’all would have discussed the fire by now. It’s been a couple days.”
    â€œNo, we discussed it,” MJ says, not looking as smug as she did a second ago. “He definitely came back to the house for something and that’s when he noticed the smoke.”
    â€œHow was he going to get inside? I know Big Mama wouldn’t let him have a key to her house. She’d kill you and then kick you out if you gave him one.”
    â€œI don’t know. I guess . . . maybe I forgot to lock up and he noticed