Pieces of My Sister's Life Read Online Free PDF Page A

her.”
    Justin flashed a sideways smile. “Are you asking what I think you’re asking? I have a girlfriend, remember?”
    “It’s just she was telling me today she thinks maybe you have a crush on her. She said something about the way you look at her, I don’t know.”
    “You serious? Guess I’ll have to stop looking at her then.”
    I grinned. “Or maybe just act grossed out next time you see her. Tell her she has a booger on her nose and she could use a shower.”
    Justin studied my face. “She’s been coming by the garage every day for the past couple weeks. And last night she showed up there pretty late and found me with Leslie. Don’t know how long she was watching before we saw her.”
    I watched the little red spider emerge from his shirtsleeve, scurry down his arm and drop to the floor. “Were you guys kissing?” I said.
    Justin raised his eyebrows and I shook my head. “I can’t believe Eve would sneak around like that.”
    “You think she’s jealous?” He started to laugh, then suddenly cut short and looked into my face. He watched me a long while and when he spoke his voice was deep and gentle. “You remember when we were kids and I used to tell my stories? Eve, she’d be laughing when she wasn’t supposed to laugh, sitting there munching on snacks and slurping pop like she was sitting at some movie.”
    I rolled my eyes. “One time she compared your stories to
Lost in Space
.”
    He kept his eyes on my face like he was searching for something. “But you, you’d close your eyes and everything about you would get so perfectly still.” He smiled quickly and turned away. “Which was actually one of the reasons I thought I had to write these stories down someday.”
    “Well I’m glad,” I said, because I couldn’t think what else to say.
    “When I get published I’ll write you in my acknowledgments: To Kerry, who was my inspiration.”
    His inspiration. My face was hot. I looked down into my lap, then back up.
    Justin grinned. “Even though when she talks to me her face turns so red I get scared of explosions.”
    I felt a stabbing mortification and erupted into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. I grabbed a pillow from under his arm and aimed it at his head. He hooted, wrenched the pillow from my hands and pressed it over my face.
    I fell back against the floor, hands grasping at him, fingers brushing at hair and cotton shirt, at the same time pulling him closer and pushing away. Words streamed through my head like an insane mantra,
Now, now, now.
He pulled back the pillow and looked into my eyes; the words stopped, time stopped, he leaned close. I could feel his breath on my face.
    The door opened. “Kerry?” Mrs. Caine called.
    Justin pulled away. I lay there in the burning glow, stunned.
    “Kerry, honey, you have to go home now. Justin, why don’t you bring her home.”
    Justin jumped to his feet, sounding winded. “You okay, Ma?”
    She shook her head. “There’s people waiting for you, Kerry. There’s people who can explain.”
    Was she crying? I sat up and stared at her, sure I’d had this dream before. A fantasy turned nightmare at the last second before I woke.
    But her clutch felt real as she pulled me into her arms, the crush of her hands against my head. “It’ll be okay,” she said. “I promise everything’ll be okay.”
    These same words have, I’m sure, been said many, many times in many different situations. But I can tell you that always, they are a lie.

3
    I T WOULD’VE BEEN EASIER, I think, if we’d had an older sister to lean on, or a younger one to take care of. But as it was, there was only Eve and me, and we were no more comfort to each other than we were to our own selves. We held each other wordlessly, slept in one bed like we had years ago. Each morning before I opened my eyes I expected to hear Daddy clattering in the kitchen, hear him whistle “Sweet Molly Malone,” fuzzy through his beard. I lay in bed disoriented, like you feel when you