New Beginnings Read Online Free PDF Page B

TV.
    I shook my dad. “Pops, time for bed.”
    He stopped snoring and opened his eyes. “Sorry. Pasta puts me to sleep.”
    “It’s okay. I just don’t want you to hurt your back.”
    He yawned. “I’m going upstairs.”
    “Good night.”
    My dad moved like a sloth up the stairway. I came back to Scarlet then ran my fingers through her hair.
    “What were you really doing with Mike?” she asked.
    I smiled. “How’d you know I was lying?”
    “I know when you lie, Sean.”
    “But I never lie.”
    “That’s exactly why.”
    My hand rested on her neck. “I picked out an engagement ring with him.”
    “Are you shitting me?” She sat up, eyes wide.
    “Nope. He had it engraved and everything.”
    “Wow…that was quick.”
    “I said the same thing but he sounded sure.”
    She smiled. “That’s great. Mike deserves his happily ever after.”
    “Yes, he does.”
    “That was really sweet that he took you.”
    I felt the emotion in my throat. “It was.”
    “He’ll turn to me for certain things, but I’ll never beat you, Sean. You’re his brother.”
    “I guess he does love me after all,” I said quietly.
    She kissed my cheek. “He adores you.”
    I shrugged. “He’s alright…”
    She snuggled into me again.
    “There’s something I need to tell you but I didn’t have a chance.”
    “What?” she whispered.
    “I arranged a lunch date with my parents but my dad wasn’t interested in something more.”
    “I’m sorry, Sean.”
    “But my mom told me something…”
    “What?”
    “She went to the doctor and found out she had a brain tumor. It’s benign and not cancerous but it was the culprit for her mood swings and anger. She’s on medication now. That’s why she’s been so different.”
    Scarlet sat up again. “Is she going to be okay?”
    “She’s fine. It’s nothing to worry about.”
    She slapped her forehead. “Everything makes sense now.”
    “It does,” I said. “Now I feel guilty for yelling at her so many times.”
    “It’s not your fault, Sean. No one would have known that.”
    “I guess.”
    “Does your dad know? That would change everything. He would go back to her right now.”
    I sighed. “She doesn’t want him to know. He isn’t in love with her anymore and she wants to win him back on her own. She says she doesn’t want him out of obligation.”
    “But…I’m sure Andrew still loves her.”
    “I know he does. But my mom doesn’t think so.”
    “Are you going to tell him?”
    I shook my head. “It’s not my secret to tell.”
    “Well, what if they never get back together? He’ll never know.”
    “In that case, I’ll tell him. But I’m going to give her a chance first.”
    Scarlet processed what I said for a long time and I did the same. A lot of things were changing and they were changing fast. She and I were the only thing that was unaffected.

3
    Hazel
    When I saw a cockroach the size of my hand in the bathroom, I screamed and ran out. I locked the door behind me then put a chair in front of it just so the killer couldn’t get to me. Then I stuffed a towel under the door so he wouldn’t be able to fit his fat body through the cracks.
    “Eww. Eww. Eww!” I paced in a circle, unable to think about the disgusting parasite in the corner of my bathroom. “So gross!” I didn’t want to touch that thing. But I just woke up and now I really had to pee. I hopped on my feet, knowing I had to kill the cockroach in order to use the bowl. We were going to battle, and the urinal was the prize.
    But I couldn’t do it. Bugs grossed me out. Anything with more than two legs needed to stay away from me. But I didn’t know what to do. It was nine in the morning on Sunday. I didn’t want to bother any of my neighbors. Actually, I was pretty certain my closest neighbor grew weed on the roof. That wasn’t a good idea.
    I decided to turn to Flynn. I thought about calling him but I didn’t want to wait in the apartment when only a door was separating me from