Above the Noise Read Online Free PDF Page B

“I was just thinking about how these three idiots and I have been through a shitload of stuff together. Big stuff. It’s amazing that we haven’t killed each other.”
    “Calon, I am so sorry I’ve never asked you about her. I was afraid to make you sad.” She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me as close to her as she could get me.
    “I’m sad she’s gone, but I keep the happy memories close to drown out the sad ones, if that makes any sense.”
    “It does. How long had you and Chloe been together when she…” She moved her head in a way that finished her sentence for her.
    “Four years. Chloe and I grew up together. We were neighbors. When we were younger, we were more like siblings. Digging in the creek together, looking for crawfish, laying in the grass watching meteor showers, and stuff you do with your grade school friends, ya know?” Becki looked up at me as if I was telling her the secrets of the world. She smiled, letting me know it was alright to continue. “One summer, I think we were fourteen, we were hanging out on her back porch, and her mom and dad got into it. We could hear them screaming upstairs and things breaking, doors slamming. It was awful. Chloe lost it and ran inside to the kitchen and dialed 911 and let the phone off the hook on the counter. She took off into the woods, and I followed her. We ended up at our favorite little grassy knoll by the creek.”
    “Oh, God. What happened with her parents?” Becki was glued to the glimpse of my memory of that night.
    “We could hear the sirens from the woods. Her dad busted up her mom’s face pretty bad. She was in the hospital for a little while, and he went to jail for a couple months. But that night, Chloe and I made a pact that we would be together forever, because we’d never let anyone hurt the other. We turned in our v-cards that night, too.”
    Becki’s mouth moved, and she took a couple staggered breaths, but no words came out. Her eyebrows arched and dove into some pretty crazy shapes. I couldn’t tell if she was just overwhelmed by Chloe’s home life, or stunned that I lost my virginity at fourteen.
    “Becks, you promised.”
    “Calon, I don’t have a problem with you telling me your first time was with Chloe. It’s just the story as a whole just took my breath away. It’s like one of those movies you sob through.” She shook her head and pushed herself up onto her elbow. “I’m sorry, that came out all wrong. I didn’t mean—”
    “Relax, I know what you meant. It’s okay. It was an honest answer. That’s all I ask. That you’re honest with me.”
    “I don’t pull punches, Calon. I tell it like it is. Sometimes, it’s my biggest fault.” She let her head fall back onto her pillow, as if she was preparing for me to see it the same way.
    “It’ll never be a fault to me.” I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
    “Calon, what is this thing we’re doing?” She motioned between us with her hand.
    “What do you think it is?”
    “I asked you first.” She smiled and snuggled back into my chest.
    I rubbed her back and sucked in a deep breath and prepared to blurt it all out. “Becki, I think this is something big. This might make me sound like a freak, but ever since you introduced yourself to me in the basement of Mitchell’s, a strong connection has been building. Like a force far bigger than we are knew we needed each other.”
    “Yep, you’re a freak.” She kept a straight face and looked directly into my eyes.
    I stammered for something else to say, and she burst out laughing. “I’m kidding. I mean, you are a freak, but, honestly, I’ve felt like something bigger than us was hard at work to get us together. I’ve never felt drawn to someone the way I’m drawn to you. I know that sounds super sappy, but it’s the only way I can explain it.”
    “Look at us, Freaky and Sappy. What a pair we are.”
    “Gag! If the bottle of Jack doesn’t give me a hangover, you two will. Shut