Read Online The Edge of Never by J. A. Redmerski - Free Book Online

behind me. I creep up over the top of the seat, expecting to see him sound asleep, but he looks back at me with an I-told-you-so smile.
    I roll my eyes and sink back down, pulling my bag onto my lap and sifting through it. I’m starting to wish I’d brought something to keep my mind busy. A book. A crossword puzzle. Something . I sigh heavily and literally start fiddling my thumbs. I wonder where we are in the United States, if I’m even still in Kansas and decide that we must be because every car that passes by the bus has Kansas license plates.
    When I can’t find anything interesting to look at, I pay more attention to the music behind me.
    Is that…? You’ve got to be kidding me.
    Feel Like Makin’ Love comes from the guy’s earbuds; I can tell at first by the distinctive guitar rift in the solo that everyone knows even if Bad Company isn’t their kind of music. I don’t hate classic rock, but I much prefer newer stuff. Give me Muse, Pink or The Civil Wars and I’m happy.
    The earbuds dangling over the back of the seat and practically on my shoulder scares the crap out of me. My body jerks up and a hand flies over as if to slap away a bug that at first I think just landed on me.
    “What the hell?” I say, looking up at the guy as he hovers over me again.
    “You look bored,” he says. “You can borrow them if you want. Might not be your type of music, but hey, it’ll grow on you. I promise.”
    I’m looking up at him with an awfully twisted face. Is this guy serious ?
    “Thanks, but no,” I say and go to turn around again.
    “Why not?”
    “Well, for one,” I say, “you’ve had those things stuck in your ears for the past several hours. Gross.”
    “And?”
    “What do you mean, and ?” I think my face is just getting more twisted. “That’s not enough ?”
    He smiles that crooked smile again, which in the daylight I notice produces two tiny dimples near the corners of his lips.
    “Well,” he says, reeling the earbuds back in, “you said ‘for one’; I just thought there might be another reason.”
    “Wow,” I say, flabbergasted, “you are unbelievable.”
    “Thanks.” He smiles and I can see all of his straight, white teeth.
    I definitely didn’t mean that as a compliment, but something tells me he knows as much.
    I go back to digging in my bag already knowing I’m not going to find anything but clothes, but it’s better than dealing with this weirdo.
    He plops down on the empty seat next to me, just before another passenger walks past toward the restroom.
    I just kind freeze here, one hand buried inside my bag, unmoving. I may be looking right at him, but I have to let the shock wear off before I can actually figure out what kind of lecture I want to give him.
    The guy reaches into his own bag and pulls out a little packet containing an antibacterial wipe, rips off the top half and unfolds the towelette. He wipes each earbud down thoroughly and then reaches over to me. “Like new,” he says, waiting for me to take them.
    Seeing as how it actually seems like he’s trying to be nice, I let my defenses down just a little. “Really, I’m good. But thanks.” It surprises me at how fast I got over the whole sit-next-to-me-without-asking thing.
    “You’re probably better off anyway,” he says, putting the MP3 player in his bag. “I don’t listen to Justin Bieber or that crazy meat-wearin’ bitch, so I guess you’ll just have to do without.”
    OK, defenses are back up. Bring it on.
    I snarl over at him, crossing my arms. “First off, I don’t listen to Justin Bieber. And second, Gaga isn’t so bad. Playing the shock-value card a little too long, I admit, but I like some of her stuff.”
    “That’s shit-music and you know it,” he replies and shakes his head.
    I blink twice, just because I’m at a loss and don’t know what to say.
    He puts his bag on the floor and leans back on the seat, propping one booted foot up on the back of the seat in front of him, but his legs