Shattered Read Online Free PDF Page A

 “Let’s go. We‘ll work on your pick up lines.”
    That afternoon, Garrett and I walked out to his garage to get our four-wheelers.  I left mine at his house, since my house was in town and we always rode out in the country.  I hadn’t said much since we left school.  I couldn’t get the image of Alyssa out of my head.  I kept trying to figure out why she was so sad.
    “Where you wanna go?”  Garrett asked as he sat down his four-wheeler.
    “I don’t care.” I shrugged.
    “Still thinking about that girl?”
    “No.”
    “Liar.” He smirked.  “You should have talked to her.”
    “And said what?”
    “I don’t know.”  He tossed his hands up. “Anything.  At least then you wouldn’t be moping around wishing you would have.”
    “She just looked upset.”
    “Probably because her BFF is blowing her off for her new boyfriend.”
    “Hmm?”
    “Her and January were like joined at the hip before Hap moved here.”
    I knew what it felt like to get left behind.  My parents did it to me all the time. “I feel bad for her.  That sucks.”
    “Yeah.” Garrett nodded.  His eyes widened with a smile, as if he’d just come up with the greatest idea in the world. He cranked his engine.  “Let’s go.”  He peeled out of the shed, leaving me no choice but to follow.  
    I was a little surprised when he turned onto County 5.  We usually stuck to the back roads.  I pulled up next to him as we approached the driveway of a big white farmhouse.  It was two-stories and had a covered porch that stretched around the whole thing.  It sure beat the apartment above the bar where I lived. There were a couple of outside buildings, including a big red barn on the edge of the property.  I was pretty sure it was the kind of place people painted pictures of.  I’d probably been by a thousand times and never noticed its country charm.  Guess I never had a reason to.  This time I did.  I saw her pushed up on the tips of her toes with her arm reached in to the giant metal mail box that sat at the end of the drive.  It looked like it could eat her alive.  Garrett smiled as he pulled up and shut his engine off.  I followed his lead and turned mine off.  What was he doing?
    “Hey!” he shouted out. Startled, she jumped back, dropping the handful of letters that she had worked so hard to retrieve.  She whipped her head around.  The soft curls of her hair followed.  Garrett leaned over, stretching his hand out to slap me in the ribs, “Now you can talk to her.”  The smug grin on his face was full of self-praise, like he had just done me a huge favor.  I had no idea what to do.  I felt my palms start to sweat as I watched her pick up the letters and walk over to us.  After Garrett asked her to go with us, I knew he was trying to get me to let her ride with me, but I couldn’t.  She made me nervous. I tried to play it cool and came off like a complete tool.  She went with us anyway.  Even though she rode with Garrett and I hardly spoke to her, I was just happy that she was with us.  And smiling.  I watched as her hair whipped around as she held on tight to the back rack of the four-wheeler.  When I heard her laugh, I knew I was in trouble.  It wasn’t forced or contrived; it was pure and full of life.
    It took me a while to work up the courage to actually converse with her and by that time the three of us were such good friends, I never told her how pretty I thought she was.  I didn’t want to risk ruining anything.  I was just happy the sad look on her face was gone.
     
    I could have easily honked the horn and stopped to talk to her, but I wasn’t sure what to say.  I’d been gone for nine months and the whole reason I left was because she wanted me to.  I waited until she was inside, before driving by.  I parked in the small carport behind the bar, hoping that she wouldn’t see my Jeep.  How was I going to convince the girl that wanted me gone, that she was the reason I