8 Mile & Rion Read Online Free PDF Page A

nothing. Rion is no different than any other chick. They’re all lying whores. She just started off nice.
    I don’t want to be stuck at her place any longer than necessary. Grabbing a paper, I knew I needed a job. Getting my own coffee from the gas station then heading back, I’m disappointed she wasn’t there but got the hell over it. Sitting down on the couch I open the paper and begin to look for work. About ten minutes in, I crumble it and throw it across the room. No car, no job.
    Fuck.
    I hear her door open and close across the hall, which tempts me to go and talk to her, but I don’t. I’m not apologizing for what I said. She needs to know that outside of crashing here for a few days, I don’t want to know her and I especially don’t want to like her. Looking at my hands I realize they’re shaking again. That is if they ever stopped shaking in the first place. Fuck, but I could have seriously hurt her. I may not want to like her, but I did, in fact hurt her and if I do anything, it’s to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. When I hear yelling, I jump up, throw the door open prepared to protect her when I hear her voice though, I stop.
    “What was I supposed to do, Rio?” she asks.
    “Walk away,” he says in a booming voice. “You have enough problems, Junior, taking in strays was Senior’s thing. You can’t afford to do this, not to mention he’s a fucking stranger. Since you were a kid you did shit like this. Dogs, cats, that guy over on Porter that stole your bike as a thank you and now a squatter? The fuck is the matter with you?”
    “Do you or do you not like working here?”
    “What?”
    “You heard me,” she says, then he’s silent for a second before lowering his voice to her. “This place is my life, you know that Junior. I can’t worry about you? I get it, you’re stressed but think for a second! Your old man was huge into charity cases and look where that got him, he put you in debt.”
    “First,” she says, while I listen with my ear to the door, “he is not a charity case. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Second, he took a chance on you and I was raised to do the same. The man across the hall needs my help whether he wants it or not. If he doesn’t, fine, but I can say that I tried. But he needs a break, Rio and I’m offering it to him. If anyone gets that, it should be you .”
    “You’re making a mistake,” he says. “That man beat the shit out of two of your newest employees.”
    “True,” she says in agreement. “But they were also cops once and should have fucking known better than to let their guard down. Lesson learned, now move on.”
    “This is a huge fucking mistake, write that down so I can remind you later. I gotta go collect, Junior,” he says, so I move away from the door to go back across the hall. “He’s a stranger, he hurts you, I kill him, remember that.”
    From behind the safety of her apartment door now, I listen as he exits stomping down the hall. When it’s clear, I make my way over to her then knock on the door.
    “It’s open,” she calls out and even before I enter, I note that she sounds exhausted.
    Seeing her today, behind that desk was a kick straight in the balls. How does she keep getting better looking? I do not fucking get it. If I thought she was gorgeous yesterday I had to have been looking at her with blinders on. Today she all but fucking glows. No way can I try and get me some of that shine. I won’t when I know I’ll only shroud her in darkness.
    “Got a minute?”
    “Got two,” she says, gesturing for me to sit, but I don’t. “What’s up?”
    “I’ll be gone the second I have a job. I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here. You need me gone sooner, say so. You ain’t got to tell me twice,” I tell her bluntly, but then I see her pinching her nose. “Head hurt again?”
    “What?” she asks looking shocked. “No, I’m fine.”
    “You’re a liar, then?”
    “Did you need