Harmonic Feedback Read Online Free PDF

More thunder echoed around us, making me suck in my breath and press my hands against my ears. She let out a howl and tore off her soaked top. My teeth chattered in my head with more than a chill now. Naomi had a lack of control that scared the hell out of me.
    “This feels so good.” Mascara ran into the corners of her mouth. “You’re missing out, girl.”
    As if dancing topless in a thunderstorm would have a profound effect on my life. Still, I couldn’t take my eyes off the graceful movement that came so naturally to her. The last time I tried to dance, I fell on my wrist and sprained it. “I
really
think we should go!”
    She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and took my free hand in hers. “I always wanted to learn swing dancing.”
    I nearly slipped in the mud, but she steadied me. “So, let’s learn it indoors.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Sounds boring.”
    “We could get hit by lightning or a tree falling,” I said, squeezing the handle of my lunch box.
    “Relax. We have a better shot at winning the lottery.” She grinned again, pulling me toward her.
    “No, the chances of winning the lottery are one in millions. Lightning is only one in seven hundred thousand.”
    She crinkled her brow. “Good to know.”
    I couldn’t help but notice her boobs. They were crammed inside a lacy white bra and nearly twice the size of mine.
    “You checkin’ me out?” she asked.
    “Well, they’re kinda hard to miss.” Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut? If she didn’t think I was a freak before, she certainly did now. But my thoughts always scrambled together in situations I didn’t like.
    “Have you ever kissed someone in the rain?”
    What was the right answer? Eye contact made it too hard to think. I directed my gaze to the tops of the evergreens. Any one of them could come crashing down on us. “I-I don’t know.”
    Her hand tightened around my arm, and it felt like she leaned closer. I tried to pull away, but her lips were on mine before I could even blink. My heart jumped in my chest, and my lips felt paralyzed. Her mouth was wet, soft, and a little sweet—like she’d been sucking on a Jolly Rancher. The warmth was nice, but I didn’t see stars or get that tingly feeling people associate with their first kiss. Then again, I’d never expected it to involve a topless girl in the rain.
    She pulled away, studying me. “I’ve never kissed a girl before. That was interesting.”
    I looked at the ground again. “Me neither.”
    She shoved my shoulder. “Yeah, I could tell when you turned into a mummy.”
    I moved away from her, noticing the rain had slowed. Bits of sun burned into my skin and lit up the droplets on Naomi’s face.
    “I didn’t freak you out, did I?” she asked.
    I shook my head, still unable to form words. I didn’t think I felt
that
kind of attraction toward Naomi, but I’d never even felt what could be considered a crush. People were like wallpaper unless I knew them. Physical appearance was just that—an appearance. Some guitars were beautiful works of art, but I didn’t want to play one unless I connected with it. The playability and sound quality mattered a lot more than the color. Although I usually only fell in love with the guitars that had the whole package. And those were few and far between.
    “We should write a song,” I said finally.
    Her eyes widened. “I thought you’d never ask.” She grabbed my hand and tugged me along.

T HE FIRST DAY at a new school was always annoying, especially when people giggled at my sense of fashion. Clothing stores catered to the tall and twiggy,
not
the short and scrawny. I bought most of my clothes at thrift shops and sewed them to fit—usually Victorian-style skirts that I wore in layers. Today’s concoction was a cream-colored slip peeking out from underneath a black velvet skirt and a matching tank top.
    The lyrics Naomi wrote over the weekend spun in my head while I waited for my schedule in Samish High’s administration