Soldier On Read Online Free PDF Page A

hall. A few stores and restaurants, most of them locally owned.”
    I sit back and listen as my two best friends interrogate my . . . whatever he is.
    This should be awkward—sitting at the kitchen table with my foot propped up on a chair while Tessa and Xavier grill Brandon on all the personal details of his life—but it’s not at all. And if he’s uncomfortable, it certainly doesn’t show. He just keeps answering questions while Tessa continues refilling his plate. So far, I’ve learned he’s a senior, majoring in computer engineering, and has a dad and an older sister who both live in Kentucky.
    Brandon groans appreciatively as he takes another bite. “This is so good! I don’t think I’ve ever had . . . what is this again?”
    Tessa beams. “Turkey chimichangas. It’s my Abuela’s recipe.”
    Xavier slides his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder. “I don’t even ask what she’s cooking anymore. I don’t ask what’s in it. I just smile and eat.”
    “And you occasionally do the dishes,” I reply.
    Xavier groans a little.
    “We should do that,” Brandon says, before wiping his mouth with his napkin. He shoots me a grin before reaching for my empty plate. “How’s the foot?”
    I glance at my poor, elevated ankle. “It aches, but I don’t think the swelling is getting any worse.”
    “That’s a good sign.” He nods toward the kitchen. “I’m going to help Xavier, and then I’ll get some fresh ice for your ankle.”
    “Thanks.”
    Brandon and Xavier gather the dishes and head toward the kitchen. It isn’t until we hear the faucet running that Tessa moves to the chair beside me.
    “I like him,” she says.
    “I can tell. Since when do you dust off your grandmother’s cookbook for traditional Mexican on a weeknight?”
    “Well, this is a special occasion. You brought a nice guy home. That hasn’t happened in . . . okay, it never happens.”
    I roll my eyes. “You are far too excited about this. But yes, he seems nice.”
    “But?”
    “But I really know nothing about him.”
    “Well, Steph, there’s this amazing thing called dating . It’s when a guy and a girl invent things to do and places to go, all in an attempt to get to know each other. I realize this is a foreign concept since you haven’t gone out in forever —”
    “You’re such a smartass.”
    “Seriously, it’s been like a hundred years.”
    I sigh and shift uncomfortably in my chair. “Tessa, I have six classes and a part-time job. I don’t have time to date.”
    “That’s just an excuse to keep your nose buried in a book for the next four months. Besides, you know what they say about all work and no play?”
    “Steph graduates in May?”
    Tessa smirks. “That rhymed. Impressive.”
    “Thank you very much.”
    “All I’m saying is Brandon seems like a really nice guy. Why don’t you get to know him before you totally dismiss the possibility?”
    Before I can answer, the sound of breaking glass against linoleum echoes from the kitchen, followed by Xavier’s muffled curse.
    “Those boys are going to destroy my kitchen.”
    Tessa sprints out of her chair and runs toward the commotion. I’m still laughing when Brandon returns to the table moments later.
    “I didn’t do it,” he says as he slides back into his chair. “But she threw me out anyway.”
    Of course she did, the little matchmaker.
    “Yeah, she’s territorial when it comes to her kitchen. She wouldn’t be mad at you, anyway. You’ve charmed the pants right off her.”
    “Is that right?”
    “That’s right.”
    “And what about your pants?”
    “My pants aren’t coming off anytime soon.”
    We grin at each other, and it dawns on me that I’m actually flirting.
    I never flirt.
    “Well, I’m glad she likes me. I have a feeling I might need her help, what with you being so stubborn and all.”
    “Why would you need her help?”
    “To convince you to go out with me.”
    My face heats, and I wonder if he can actually see my