Over the Wall Read Online Free PDF

“You’re asking me to ignore what I feel in my gut, what I feel deep inside. I can’t shut that down.”
    Jamie sank to a kitchen chair. “I don’t want you to ignore your gut. I want you to believe in my gut.”
    “You haven’t even thought this through.”
    “Mom, this is the kind of break I’ve been waiting for. Instead of racing in Dad’s shadow, I can make a name for myself. I can learn from the best. I can follow my heart, like you’ve always said. Instead, you want me to follow your gut.”
    “You know that’s not fair,” her mom said. “You’re using my words against me.”
    Jamie stood, her arms held up as if in a prayer. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t get you to see this. I’m still your little girl asking for cinnamon on my applesauce.” She headed for the stairs.
    “Jamie, don’t leave.”
    “I can’t talk, Mom. I’ll say something I’ll regret.”

Chapter 9
Swamp Confession
    TIM STRUGGLED AGAINST the three guys, but Jeff had seized his arms and held them behind his back. The other two grabbed his legs and carried him toward the old beater of a car.
    Someone behind the counter at the store walked out and yelled at the guys, but one of them said, “He’s a friend of ours. It’s his birthday, and we’re taking him to his party.”
    “It’s not true!” Tim shouted. “Call the po—”
    Jeff clamped a hand over his mouth and whispered in his ear, “If you want to survive this, you better keep your mouth shut.”
    He threw Tim in the backseat, and the other two sat on either side of him. Jeff started the car after a couple of tries—Tim listened to the engine and was pretty sure it needed a newhead gasket and probably wouldn’t last another 100 miles—and sped away from the store. They zoomed past Tyson’s trailer, going too fast through the trailer park.
    “You might want to slow down,” Tim said. “Kids play in the street here all the time.”
    “Thanks, officer,” Jeff said with a straight face, then broke into a laugh. “If kids are playing out here this time of night, they deserve to get hit.”
    Jeff’s friends tightened their grip on Tim’s arms as they drove past the playground and onto a gravel path. A sign said No Autos Allowed beyond This Point. Jeff turned on the radio to a country station, and the guys laughed loud and pretended to enjoy it, making fun of a song about a guy kissing girls and shooting squirrels.
    The headlights illuminated a man and a woman walking on the path. The man waved his flashlight wildly, and the two had to jump into the weeds to avoid getting hit.
    Jeff drove faster and slid to a stop in a hail of dust and gravel. They were at the pier of the lake. “Time to go for a swim, little buddy,” he said.
    Tim hated hearing those words coming from Jeff’s mouth because his father had called him little buddy when Tim was young. He seethed, clenching his teeth as they pulled him from the backseat. As a kid, Tim hadloved playing the Hulk. He’d turn into a strong, menacing character and win any battle single-handedly. He shut his eyes and tried to turn into the green monster, a maniac with rippling muscles. He didn’t necessarily want to split his clothes—he just wanted to show these guys who was boss. Unfortunately it was a kid’s game and only in his mind.
    They easily dragged him to the railing of the pier, where couples in love usually stood to watch the sunset and kids threw pieces of bread to ducks who survived gator attacks. A sign by the overlook said Danger: No Swimming.
    Jeff’s friends held Tim against the railing and pushed his head toward the water.
    Jeff put his face next to Tim’s and spoke through clenched teeth. “You have no idea the trouble you caused me. I promised myself that if I ever found you again, I’d make you pay.”
    “You’re the one who stole my tickets to Daytona,” Tim said. “I’m the one who deserves to get payback.”
    “After what you did at that church?” Jeff yelled, jerking