My Boyfriends' Dogs Read Online Free PDF Page A

is—I think we’re the majority now—I’m not sure we ever feel totally normal. But then who does, right? He squeezed my hand, shook it, but neither of us let go. “Went Smith.”
    â€œWell, that puts an end to the Bailey Daley jokes,” I said. “How did you get a name like Went? ”
    His green eyes stopped dancing and turned a full shade darker. “The day I was born, my father went away and left my mother. That night my grandparents died in a car accident. My mother told the doctor that when I came, everything else went. I guess she could have called me Came, but what kind of a name is that?”
    Only then did he let go of my hand. And when he did, I felt like crying. That’s how deeply I sensed the loss of it.

4
    I filled lunch with witty chatter. But the truth was I didn’t know how to talk to guys—really talk—any more than Amber did. Lunch was winding down, and I realized I hadn’t learned much about Went Smith. “I still don’t know why you’re in Millet. I don’t know much at all about you, Mystery Guy.”
    â€œYou will. We’ve got time.”
    We’ve got time. Had anybody ever said a nicer thing to me? It was all I could do not to shake hands with him again.
    â€œDad and I—and our dog—moved out here so Dad could work in Larkfield at the prison.”
    â€œWait. I thought your dad bailed on you when you were born.” I said it before thinking. What was wrong with me? This was too personal.
    But he just smiled. “Dad bailed on Mom, but not on me. I did the every-other-weekend thing growing up, but I’ve been living with Dad since middle school. I guess I got to be a little too much for Mom to handle.”
    â€œWhere’s your mom now?” Amber actually sounded at ease talking to Went.
    â€œSt. Louis. So I’ll get to see her more often. We could use a second chance.” He turned to me. “You and your mom get along? ”
    â€œWith each other, yeah. With the rest of the world, that depends. Money’s always tight in our house. We do okay, I guess. I have got to get a job, though.”
    â€œYeah. My dad wants me to get a job ASAP.”
    â€œBailey?” Amber frowned. “You’re going to try to get a job in Millet? Man, what’s left?” She turned conspiratorially to Went. I loved how he’d put my friend at ease without seeming to try. “Bailey can get jobs. Keeping them, that’s another matter.”
    I shrugged. It was the exact thing I’d been thinking about Mom earlier. Spooky.
    Lunch ended, and Went followed us to the dump line. “Don’t suppose you have English this hour?” he asked, studying his class schedule. I considered skipping history and going to English again.
    â€œWe’ve got history now,” said Amber the Big Mouth.
    â€œDid you get Weaver?” I moved in beside Went so I could read his schedule. He smelled like a California breeze, a sandy beach, the Pacific at sunset. Somehow I knew this even though I’d never been farther west than Nebraska.
    â€œDo you have Weaver now ?” Carly’s strident voice interrupted us, followed by her strident self. She strutted up on the other side of Went. “ I’ve got Weaver now!” Carly made this sound like the most amazing coincidence since lightning had struck the same place twice. She slipped her arm through Went’s, and they disappeared into the throngs.
    Amber and I trudged in silence to history class, a funeral procession in the middle of a circus. “Well, Went was fun while he lasted,” she said. “Now that Carly’s made her play, we’ll probably never get a chance to get to know him.”
    Know him, know him, know him . . .
    Amber was right. Even with my New Year’s resolution, I’d never get a boyfriend like Went Smith.
    In history class a dozen kids fired questions at me before our teacher so rudely