Read Online The Bad Boy's Secret by Susan Stevens, Jasmine Bowen - Free Book Online
Authors: Susan Stevens, Jasmine Bowen
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the right way to go.
But he didn’t know any other way, when it came down to it. He had grown up on the streets, and his only interaction had been with those who stole their way through life. His parents never said a word to him about it, engaged in their own illegal activities. He never told anyone how he envied the big houses, where the upper classers gathered, warm and safe. How he sometimes wondered what it would be like if there were cookies and milk rather than water and an empty fridge to come home to.
He was used to not telling anybody anything, not revealing how he truly felt. But his secret was written on his face; as much as he hated the upper classes, he envied them. And as much as he pretended to not care about life; to be perfectly fine with his position in it, he wanted better. He just assumed that he wasn’t good enough for it.
Kids like him; no one gave them a chance. They looked at the address, at the shoes worn down through the sole and the clothes with holes and looked away. They looked at the leather jacket and the greasy hair, the chains warn as jewelry and they assumed a lot. They assumed this was somebody who would amount to nothing, who did’ want anything, didn’t deserve more. They hustled their children away and put their noses in the air.
Once, Chuck had wanted a second chance. Once, he had tried to defy the odds. But that was exhausting, and a few years of that was enough to last a lifetime. He just accepted he wouldn’t go anywhere in life; and saw his second chance to make a difference with Cassie.
And he had grown up fast; used to an empty fridge. One grows up fast when they grow up poor. He felt a lot older than his eighteen years, and he understood, in a way, how Richard could transform into a responsible adult in one night; the night they found out his parents weren’t coming home.
But to change everything about his life was a different story. He wanted better for Cassie than he had, and he felt like every day was a fight to keep her on the right path. He hated the upper classers who spit on him, who turned their noses up at him and here was one sitting in front of him, waiting for his answer.
Finally, he stood.
“Fine. Let’s go tell the police what we know.”
“You sure?” Dave asked, shakily. “I mean, I’m sure I could…”
“I’ve never been less sure of anything in my entire life,” Chuck replied. “Except that I love Cassie and I want what’s best for her.”
“Yeah,” Dave agreed. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
Chuck gave him a hard look.
“This don’t mean shit, upper classer. I ain’t forgetting the way your kind treats mine.”
“Well that,” Dave replied. “Is a whole other problem we’ve got to tackle on our own, isn’t it?”
Chuck paused, looking at this man who stood opposite him. This was the kind who turned their nose up when he had begged for change as a kid. But in Dave’s eyes, he saw Cassie, doing begging on her own. He didn’t know if this one was different, didn’t know if it was going to amount to anything. But he certainly would try.
Dave drove them to the police station, and mostly, they drove in silence, except for the crack that Chuck made.
“Usually, on my way here, I’m in the back seat with a screen in between me and the driver.”
Dave gave him an uneasy smile.
“If it makes you feel more at home, you can climb back there.”
Chuck snorted.
“Yeah, just don’t be surprised if the minute I walk in there, they slap cuffs on me. I’m not exactly top of their list for world’s most upstanding citizens.”
Dave shrugged, turning a corner exactly at the speed limit.
“When I was six, I stole a candy bar from the store.”
Chuck grinned at him.
“Really? Why? I’m sure your mom could have afforded to buy you a hundred of them.”
“I wanted to be cool, like you guys,” Dave replied. “Always slipping things into your pocket and no one noticed. You could have whatever you
But he didn’t know any other way, when it came down to it. He had grown up on the streets, and his only interaction had been with those who stole their way through life. His parents never said a word to him about it, engaged in their own illegal activities. He never told anyone how he envied the big houses, where the upper classers gathered, warm and safe. How he sometimes wondered what it would be like if there were cookies and milk rather than water and an empty fridge to come home to.
He was used to not telling anybody anything, not revealing how he truly felt. But his secret was written on his face; as much as he hated the upper classes, he envied them. And as much as he pretended to not care about life; to be perfectly fine with his position in it, he wanted better. He just assumed that he wasn’t good enough for it.
Kids like him; no one gave them a chance. They looked at the address, at the shoes worn down through the sole and the clothes with holes and looked away. They looked at the leather jacket and the greasy hair, the chains warn as jewelry and they assumed a lot. They assumed this was somebody who would amount to nothing, who did’ want anything, didn’t deserve more. They hustled their children away and put their noses in the air.
Once, Chuck had wanted a second chance. Once, he had tried to defy the odds. But that was exhausting, and a few years of that was enough to last a lifetime. He just accepted he wouldn’t go anywhere in life; and saw his second chance to make a difference with Cassie.
And he had grown up fast; used to an empty fridge. One grows up fast when they grow up poor. He felt a lot older than his eighteen years, and he understood, in a way, how Richard could transform into a responsible adult in one night; the night they found out his parents weren’t coming home.
But to change everything about his life was a different story. He wanted better for Cassie than he had, and he felt like every day was a fight to keep her on the right path. He hated the upper classers who spit on him, who turned their noses up at him and here was one sitting in front of him, waiting for his answer.
Finally, he stood.
“Fine. Let’s go tell the police what we know.”
“You sure?” Dave asked, shakily. “I mean, I’m sure I could…”
“I’ve never been less sure of anything in my entire life,” Chuck replied. “Except that I love Cassie and I want what’s best for her.”
“Yeah,” Dave agreed. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
Chuck gave him a hard look.
“This don’t mean shit, upper classer. I ain’t forgetting the way your kind treats mine.”
“Well that,” Dave replied. “Is a whole other problem we’ve got to tackle on our own, isn’t it?”
Chuck paused, looking at this man who stood opposite him. This was the kind who turned their nose up when he had begged for change as a kid. But in Dave’s eyes, he saw Cassie, doing begging on her own. He didn’t know if this one was different, didn’t know if it was going to amount to anything. But he certainly would try.
Dave drove them to the police station, and mostly, they drove in silence, except for the crack that Chuck made.
“Usually, on my way here, I’m in the back seat with a screen in between me and the driver.”
Dave gave him an uneasy smile.
“If it makes you feel more at home, you can climb back there.”
Chuck snorted.
“Yeah, just don’t be surprised if the minute I walk in there, they slap cuffs on me. I’m not exactly top of their list for world’s most upstanding citizens.”
Dave shrugged, turning a corner exactly at the speed limit.
“When I was six, I stole a candy bar from the store.”
Chuck grinned at him.
“Really? Why? I’m sure your mom could have afforded to buy you a hundred of them.”
“I wanted to be cool, like you guys,” Dave replied. “Always slipping things into your pocket and no one noticed. You could have whatever you
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