Read Online This is What Goodbye Looks Like by Olivia Rivers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Olivia Rivers
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Landon starts talking again, and I’m able to settle in without attracting much attention.
I occupy myself by eating my muffin as quietly as possible, keeping my head down and being careful not to get any of the crumbs on Brie’s scarf. Luckily, Brie seems to realize that I’m too nervous to chat, because she leaves me alone and doesn’t try to drag me into any conversation.
I’m almost finished with my meal when I hear a soft thunk, thunk, thunk . Glancing down, I find Seth’s seeing eye dog at my feet, her tail thudding against the leg of the table as she wags a greeting. My stomach drops, but the muffin starts rising up, and I swallow hard to keep my meal in place. I keep my eyes glued to the dog, knowing it’d be a mistake to look up at the face of Seth, who’s standing in his usual spot right next to her.
“You’re late again,” Brie says in a mock-accusing tone. “And you’re not at all fashionable this time.”
Seth lets out a sound that’s half groan, half growl. “Dammit, Landon. You messed with my clothes drawer again, didn’t you?”
I tear my eyes from the ground and glance at Landon, who’s not even trying to hide his shit-eating grin. “Come on, man. You know I’d never pick on a blind dude.”
Brie attempts to muffle a laugh with her palm. “Unless you’ve suddenly developed a taste for unicorn shirts, then, yeah, I think it’s safe to say Landon’s messing with you again.”
“Seriously?” Seth says. He plucks at the front of his shirt, which is bright purple and has a hot-pink unicorn prancing across a rainbow. “Not cool, Landon. I’m never going to get a girlfriend if you keep this up.”
Brie finally loses it and busts out laughing, and the others at the table quickly join her. Seth just shakes his head, but a smile slowly creeps across his lips. After seeing a pained scowl glued to his face for the long weeks of the trial, it’s strange seeing him amused.
“Please,” Brie says as she picks at her bran muffin. “You could have any girl at this school, and you know it.”
Seth scoffs and slips into a chair two away from mine. It’s obviously a move he’s practiced hundreds of times, and if he didn’t have a guide dog at his side and wasn’t wearing sunglasses indoors, I would never guess he’s blind. He has a plate of bacon and eggs, and also a travel mug with a tea bag string hanging out the top, and he keeps chatting as he picks at his breakfast with a fork.
“You know,” he says, “I’m half-convinced that I’m actually incredibly ugly, and you’re all just messing with me about being hot.”
“Uh, definitely no,” Hannah says from across the table. “You’re hot. Although, let me tell you, you were totally not hot freshman year. At all. Like, think starving scarecrow with a mop for hair.”
“I still have a mop for hair,” he says.
“You have a hot mop for hair,” Maddie corrects.
Seth raises an eyebrow. “What’s the difference?”
Brie holds up a finger, like she’s a professor about to give a lecture. “Mop-hair Seth weighed about ninety pounds and was the embodiment of the phrase ‘awkward puberty.’ Hot-mop-hair Seth looks like a movie star and is really bad at discreetly fishing for compliments.”
His mouth twists into a smirk. “Hey, you’re giving them, so I’m taking.”
I watch their conversation with a mixture of fascination and gut-wrenching nausea. If I hadn’t seen his devastated expression at the trial, heard his grief-choked voice, I would never guess he’s recently lost his older brother.
“Oh, Lea’s here today,” Brie suddenly says. “Lea, make sure you say ‘hi’ to Seth when you first see him, okay? Otherwise he might have no idea you’re there, and you’ll end up scaring the crap out of him when you start talking.”
Seth gives an impatient sigh. “She doesn’t have to say ‘hi’ to me if she doesn’t want to, Brie.”
“Hi,” I squeak out, and my chest tightens like it’s being
I occupy myself by eating my muffin as quietly as possible, keeping my head down and being careful not to get any of the crumbs on Brie’s scarf. Luckily, Brie seems to realize that I’m too nervous to chat, because she leaves me alone and doesn’t try to drag me into any conversation.
I’m almost finished with my meal when I hear a soft thunk, thunk, thunk . Glancing down, I find Seth’s seeing eye dog at my feet, her tail thudding against the leg of the table as she wags a greeting. My stomach drops, but the muffin starts rising up, and I swallow hard to keep my meal in place. I keep my eyes glued to the dog, knowing it’d be a mistake to look up at the face of Seth, who’s standing in his usual spot right next to her.
“You’re late again,” Brie says in a mock-accusing tone. “And you’re not at all fashionable this time.”
Seth lets out a sound that’s half groan, half growl. “Dammit, Landon. You messed with my clothes drawer again, didn’t you?”
I tear my eyes from the ground and glance at Landon, who’s not even trying to hide his shit-eating grin. “Come on, man. You know I’d never pick on a blind dude.”
Brie attempts to muffle a laugh with her palm. “Unless you’ve suddenly developed a taste for unicorn shirts, then, yeah, I think it’s safe to say Landon’s messing with you again.”
“Seriously?” Seth says. He plucks at the front of his shirt, which is bright purple and has a hot-pink unicorn prancing across a rainbow. “Not cool, Landon. I’m never going to get a girlfriend if you keep this up.”
Brie finally loses it and busts out laughing, and the others at the table quickly join her. Seth just shakes his head, but a smile slowly creeps across his lips. After seeing a pained scowl glued to his face for the long weeks of the trial, it’s strange seeing him amused.
“Please,” Brie says as she picks at her bran muffin. “You could have any girl at this school, and you know it.”
Seth scoffs and slips into a chair two away from mine. It’s obviously a move he’s practiced hundreds of times, and if he didn’t have a guide dog at his side and wasn’t wearing sunglasses indoors, I would never guess he’s blind. He has a plate of bacon and eggs, and also a travel mug with a tea bag string hanging out the top, and he keeps chatting as he picks at his breakfast with a fork.
“You know,” he says, “I’m half-convinced that I’m actually incredibly ugly, and you’re all just messing with me about being hot.”
“Uh, definitely no,” Hannah says from across the table. “You’re hot. Although, let me tell you, you were totally not hot freshman year. At all. Like, think starving scarecrow with a mop for hair.”
“I still have a mop for hair,” he says.
“You have a hot mop for hair,” Maddie corrects.
Seth raises an eyebrow. “What’s the difference?”
Brie holds up a finger, like she’s a professor about to give a lecture. “Mop-hair Seth weighed about ninety pounds and was the embodiment of the phrase ‘awkward puberty.’ Hot-mop-hair Seth looks like a movie star and is really bad at discreetly fishing for compliments.”
His mouth twists into a smirk. “Hey, you’re giving them, so I’m taking.”
I watch their conversation with a mixture of fascination and gut-wrenching nausea. If I hadn’t seen his devastated expression at the trial, heard his grief-choked voice, I would never guess he’s recently lost his older brother.
“Oh, Lea’s here today,” Brie suddenly says. “Lea, make sure you say ‘hi’ to Seth when you first see him, okay? Otherwise he might have no idea you’re there, and you’ll end up scaring the crap out of him when you start talking.”
Seth gives an impatient sigh. “She doesn’t have to say ‘hi’ to me if she doesn’t want to, Brie.”
“Hi,” I squeak out, and my chest tightens like it’s being
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