Last Chance Read Online Free PDF Page A

Connor spoke up first: “Sure we have—a very interesting read about the things that we were reading about.”
    April replied, “That’s a pretty pathetic response. Can you tell me what the reading was about or even the year that it refers to?”
    Connor was a bright, energetic, and opinionated fourteen-year-old. People always mistook Connor for being older than fourteen because of his size. “You must be eighteen by now,” neighbors told him. He was already six feet three inches tall and towered over April. His size got him into trouble at times.
    Controlling his emotions was not Connor’s strong suit; he had quite a temper. This temper had gotten him into trouble at school and with April more than once. He wasn’t one to back away from confrontation. Connor’s frustrations clouded his judgment at times, which led him to make bad decisions.
    His short blond hair was combed just to the right of his freckled face. He was dressed in the standard school uniform that every student of the time was made to wear. Brown slacks, a red buttoned shirt, and brown ankle boots made up his look. The red shirt symbolized the district they lived in, similar to a high school’s primary colors.
    Connor enjoyed changing up his clothes to look like the people he had read about from the 1950s. He tried to turn the bottom of his pants legs up like the bikers from the era, and he even attempted to slick his hair back. This was unacceptable in school, so he would only wear those types of things at home.
    “Come on, April,” spouted Connor. “The 1990s are so boring.”
    “Yeah, can’t we read some more about the 1960s or 1970s? Those decades are actually interesting,” said Matthew.
    “Or even something about the 1950s,” added Connor.
    Matthew was also an extremely intelligent, well-spoken, and handsome fourteen-year-old boy. No one would mistake him for an eighteen-year-old, but he was still a good size for his age. A very faint sprinkling of facial hair had started to pop up on Matthew’s face, which didn’t match the lanky legs and thin frame of his body.
    Everyone thought that Connor was Matthew’s older sibling, but they were only a couple of days apart in their ages. The extra head of height that Connor had on Matthew helped perpetuate those thoughts.
    To talk to Matthew for an extended time, one would forget that he was only fourteen. It was like speaking to a thirty-year-old adult. He was the more timid of the two boys. He had always felt out of place at school, with his peers, and with the girls in his class. Matthew felt most comfortable when he was with Connor and April. It was like being in a family.
    While Connor was still wearing his school uniform when April arrived home, Matthew had already changed into his assigned home clothes. Matthew’s skinny legs poked out from the knee-length black shorts he was wearing. He also donned a skintight shirt that he normally wore only while playing ball in the park.
    While most people believed that Matthew and Connor were brothers, Connor was the only true blood-son of April. Connor had always been the more confident of the two boys, and Matthew usually followed his lead. Matthew was handed over to April for her to act as his caretaker because Matthew was an orphan. He had been placed with April just a few months after she had given birth to Connor. April treated both of the boys as equals and never showed favoritism to either boy.
    Connor and Matthew had a strong bond, regardless of blood relation. Matthew followed Connor’s lead when it came to dealing with social situations and dealing with others their own age. Connor could physically overpower Matthew, but Matthew had the intelligence and emotional maturity to offset Connor’s immature impulses. They made a good team, and whether they would admit it or not, they cared for each other.
    While Connor felt that April took Matthew’s side on too many issues, Matthew always doubted whether April could care for him as much as