And The Beat Goes On Read Online Free PDF

couldn’t imagine why he randomly showed up on my doorstep.
    “Is everything okay…?”
    “Can I come inside?” he asked.
    “Oh.” I opened the door. “Sorry.”
    He stood in my entryway then adjusted his damp hair. “Thanks.”
    I crossed my arms over my chest. “Can I get you anything?”
    He shrugged. “Have you eaten dinner?”
    “I was about to.”
    “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
    This was really odd. My brother and I never saw each other outside the holidays. “Sure.”
    We went into the kitchen and I shoveled the lasagna on two plates. Ken devoured it like he hadn’t eaten in a week. I noticed how baggy his clothes were. It seemed like he lost weight.
    “So…what’s new?” I didn’t want to directly ask him why he was there. That would be rude.
    “Nothing.”
    He wasn’t giving me much to work with.
    “How’s school?”
    “It’s okay. I’m entering an art contest.”
    “That’s cool,” he said. He sounded disinterested.
    He finished his plate then drank his entire glass of water. I watched him closely. “Have you spoken to Dad?”
    “Umm…not lately.”
    Why are you here? He was acting like this interaction was completely normal. “Ken, do you need something?” I couldn’t think of a more polite way to put it.
    “Well…I’ve had some money issues lately.”
    That didn’t sound good.
    “I was hoping I could borrow some.”
    “What happened to your job at the software company?”
    “Umm…it just didn’t work out.” He avoided my look and played with his fork. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    Now I was putting everything together. Dad was the last person he’d ask for help. He probably hit up all his friends already and now I was the last one on the list. I didn’t have a lot of money of my own, but I was diligent in my savings. “How much do you need?”
    He finally looked at me, surprise in his eyes. “A few hundred pounds.”
    I sighed. “Okay.” I left the table and entered my bedroom. I kept a stash in a few random places. After I grabbed the cash, I returned to the table.
    Something wasn’t right in the kitchen. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Something was out of place. Did Ken go through my stuf f? But why would he? I said I’d give him money.
    I handed the envelope over. “ Here.”
    “Thank you.” He shoved it into his bag. “I’ll pay you back.”
    You better.
    “Well, thank you for dinner.” He was actually being polite. That was a first.
    “Yeah.”
    He stood up and shouldered his bag. “I’ll see you later, Athena.”
    Now that he had what he wanted, he had no interest in sticking around. We were related but we had nothing in common. There was no relationship between us. We were practically strangers. You couldn’t force a bond with someone, but you didn’t have to take advantage of them either. And that’s exactly what my brother did. “Have a good night.” I walked him to the door and let him out.
    He turned into the hallway and disappeared. He didn’t even hug me.
    So much for that.

Chapter Seven
    ♬
    Jeremy Clearwater
    I was looking forward to my next class. And I could figure out why.
    What would she be wearing? Was she attracted to me? Or did s he think I was a greedy asshole? I couldn’t gleam anything from her by watching her face. I wanted to know everything about this girl. Her likes and dislikes, her beliefs, her source of joy. Because I couldn’t have her, I wanted her more. I was like a child.
    The students filed in and took their seats. Then Athena arrived.
    Wearing tight leggings and boots, she gracefully moved to her seat. She wore a loose tan sweater and her hair cascaded over her shoulders. I longed to feel those strands. I wanted to eye her ass in the tights but the opportunity never arose.
    She sat in a different seat. There was no seating chart but student s tend to pick a specific spot for the semester. Why did she move?
    Then the blond guy came inside and scanned the crowd. When he found her,