Read Online To the Steadfast by Briana Gaitan - Free Book Online Page B

car,
head to the backyard and look up. Sure enough, Killian waves from his usual
spot.
    “The weather is nice up
here!”
    I squint across the
darkness and walk a little closer. I could use some relaxing time. “Okay, just
a minute.” His house is unlocked, and I let myself in and climb out to join
him.
    “What are you doing
here on a Monday?” I ask. “Shouldn’t you be at school?”
    He looks back at the
sky and smiles. “My school is already out for the summer.”
    “No fair.”
    He lights up a joint
and passes it my way. “Well, what do we do on a boring Monday night? Wanna
order a pizza?”
    “Already ate.”
    “Wanna help me film a
movie. I’m certain I’d get more hits if I had a hot girl cameo. We’re doing a
skit called The Crazy Princess and currently I play the princess.”
    As much as being a
princess appeals to me, Killian will make a prettier one. “You have like
millions of views already,” I point out.
    He tilts his head to
the side and gives a boastful yet playful smile. “I do, don’t I?”
    “Yup.”
    He quiets. “So you’re
sleeping with Cromwell, huh?”
    He doesn’t know I was a
virgin before. We never really talk about sex together. “Something like that.
What? You gonna warn me, too?” I don’t know why I’m getting so defensive. Guess
I’m sick of the warnings.
    “Nah, I’m certain
you’ve gotten enough of that. What I wanna know is, why are you still taking
this risk?”
    “Risk?”
    “Risking your heart.”
    I wish I could explain
it to him, but I can’t. “I don’t know. I suppose I’ve been waiting for my
chance for so long I can’t let the opportunity pass me by. I’ve liked him since
grade school.”
    “I can’t say I blame
you then. For me, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to sleep with that one
actress, Ginger Teague. You can’t have regrets in life.”
    “Are you gonna say I
told you so when he breaks my heart?” I try and find a comfortable place on the
roof, but everything feels hard, even the subject.
    Killian stretches out
his arms and legs against the roof, taking his time before answering. “Nah,
I’ll just be here to pick up the pieces.”
    “Aww…my rooftop hero.”
I put my hands against my heart like a swoony cartoon character.
    “Then… I’ll say I told
you so.”
    I punch his forearm.
“What about you? Anyone special?”
    “No, I mean there is
someone, more of a hope for someone, but she isn’t ready for me yet.”
    “What did we just say
about regrets?” I scold.
     He pulls off his ball
cap, letting his brown hair fall in his eyes. “I know. I know. Let’s talk about
something else. This subject is a little odd.”
    “Agreed. Are we
celebrating anything in particular?”
    He points to the
subdivision. “I think they just broke ground on that lot to the far left.”
    “Oooh…my turn. My
turn!”
    We don’t have drinks
this time so instead I raise my hand for a majestic fist bump. I’m not sure
what to wish/salute to this time. Over the weeks, we’ve gone through
everything. Well, almost everything.
    “To love,” I say,
knocking my knuckles against his.
    “To infatuation,” he
corrects, fist bumping me again.
    “No, to the steadfast.”
    Our eyes connect. Both
of us realizing how cruel life can be, how tempting it is to get swept away in
the people that pay attention to us.
    “So…” I want to lighten
the mood, but am not sure how to do it.
    He points to the
highway where a billboard stands. “You ever seen the Powerball sign change
numbers?”
    I stare at the
billboard that holds the current amount of the weekly lottery jackpot. It’s far
enough away that I can barely read the numbers, but I do know it’s high.
    “Um…no. Does someone
change it every week?”
    “Surely not, surely
it’s electronic.”
    “I don’t know, it
doesn’t look digital. It kind of looks like the old wall on Wheel of
Fortune. We could turn the numbers.”
    He gives me a cheesy
grin and puts his hands in the air. “Maybe