Blood and Sympathy Read Online Free PDF

idea."
    "He's a good kid. I 'spect you could do a lot
worse." He turned to leave and Olivia narrowed her eyes at me.
    "Seems like a nice guy. Thanks, Jeb."
    He nodded and turned to leave. "Tell your
daddy I said hello."
    As soon as Jeb was out the door, Olivia put her
hands on her hips and stared pointedly in my direction.
    "Why are you glaring at me? I thanked him for
bringing the letter to me. What more do you want from me?"
    She rolled her eyes and said, "You act like
I'm forcing you to write Braden."
    "You blackmailed me."
    "I admit to doing that. But you've kept
writing to him, and I'm not making you do that," she said, flipping her
long hair over her shoulder. "Jeb's right, you know."
    "About?"
    "He's right that you could do a lot worse
than Braden Sayer. Take Alistair Anderson for instance. He's about as worthless
as they come," she said.
    My mouth dropped open and the only snappy comeback
I could think of was, "Whatever, Olivia." I spun around and headed
back up to my room.
    Yeah, I admit it, Alistair wasn't exactly somebody
I'd choose for my own daughter to date if I had one, but he was okay. If I
could keep him from passing out, he wasn't a half bad lay. Alistair wasn't
someone I intended to spend the rest of my life with. He was a diversion for
right now. Admittedly, if something better came along, I wouldn't feel any
obligation to keep doing him. In a town the size of Hensteeth, the pickings
were slim. I still had no intention of hooking up with Braden Sayer.
    By definition, he was definitely a bad boy. But
there was something about him that had me acting a fool every time I got one of
his letters. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to meet him face
to face. He seemed nice enough from the letters he'd written. For a brief
instant, I wondered what it would be like to taste his lips, feel his arms
around me, and his breath on my skin--which was crazy considering I hadn't seen
the boy since he was twelve. Maybe I was looking for someone to fix.
    An involuntary shiver slithered up my spine and I
rubbed my arms.
    Dear Braden, I
wrote .
    It was nice hearing
from you. Your Uncle Jeb brought your letter by this afternoon after school.
    To be perfectly honest
with you, I don't know if I want to go to college at all. I know I should, but
at this time in my life, I'm not sure what I want to do. On the other hand,
going away to college would be a great way to get me out of Hensteeth.
    I can relate with you
about being dealt a crap hand in life. Did you know that my mom died in
childbirth with me? I believe that's why my dad resents me. It's no secret he
prefers Olivia over me. I'm okay with that. As the saying goes, nobody can go
back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new
ending. Wow, that was deep. Don't expect such enlightenment to come from me
often. LOL!
    Some days I feel like
I have no freedom at all. Of course, our circumstances aren't the same, but on
some level, I get what you mean. I take my freedom where I can get it these
days, and truthfully, it's a vicious cycle. I get claustrophobic and I rebel. I
rebel and I get caught. I get caught and I get grounded. I get grounded and I
become claustrophobic. See what I mean? You'd think being eighteen would make a
difference. But not to my dad. 
    I like the water too.
There's nothing better than floating around the water on a lazy summer day.
Some of my best times have been the ones spent with friends on Devil's Fork
Lake. Not a care in the world except for who's buying the beer and whether I
put on enough sunscreen.
    Olivia might have been
the reason I wrote the first letter--she blackmailed me--but continuing has
been my choice.
    What are your music
boxes like? Describe one of them to me. I'd like to see your work.
    I can relate to what you
said about you and your brother. Olivia and I are like oil and water most of
the time. But she is my sister, and I guess that means I have to love her. And I
do, but there are days when I