Torn Read Online Free PDF Page A

the good-looking dude on the left is my younger brother, Josh, and this
here is Billy, our cousin, both eighteen. This is Sky, she’s just moved here
from San Francisco.”
    “Hi,” she smiled at them both. I
gave them a look that made it clear I wasn’t impressed with the looks of
infatuation they were already giving her. Both of them had puppy-dog eyes as
they stared at her. A girl this pretty wasn’t going to be lacking offers in
this town.
    “Hey,” both of them replied in
unison, seeming tongue-tied, which was unusual for Billy.
    “So, have you transferred high
schools?” I asked, and she burst out laughing. “What?”
    “I’ve graduated high school, I’m
starting at NSC in the fall,” she replied.
    “No way,” Josh exclaimed, his
eyes lighting up immediately, and I felt an irrational twinge of jealousy surge
through my body at that bit of news. “Me and Billy are, too. What’s your major?”
    “Public administration in law
enforcement. You?” she asked, and my heart sank. What were the fucking odds?
    “The same,” Josh and Billy said
at the same time, then high-fived each other with stupid grins plastered on
their faces.
    “Thank God.” Sky let out a
relieved sigh. “I’ll at least have two faces I know on day one.”
    “Why don’t you give us your
number, Sky?” Billy suggested, taking out his phone. “We can arrange to meet up
before college starts, show you around town, introduce you to people.”
    “That would be great, thank you
both.” She leaned to one side and stuck her hand in those nearly indecent
little shorts she was wearing. Well, that was a double strike against Nate
Hudson. They’d both managed to get her damn phone number before me.
    “Here you go, Nate, enjoy.” Rosie
put my drink and lunch in front of me and I reluctantly removed my arm from
behind Sky to grab my sandwich, I was starving. “Thanks, Rosie, you’re the best.”
She blushed and headed back to the counter as I scarfed down my food, while the
three new amigos exchanged numbers and chatted excitedly about attending
classes together. I was unusually quiet, just eating while I listened to her
sexy lilt and watched her expressions, feeling oddly at peace. It was like
listening to her drowned out all the other thoughts that were usually jumbling
up my brain and made me feel calm. I was just slurping up the last of my shake when
I heard JT yell for me. I groaned and looked at my watch, wondering if I’d run
over time, but I still had five minutes left.
    “Hey, kid,” he hollered from the
door. “I need you back. Mr. Smith’s Buick needs a rim leak fixed and I’ve got
my hands full upstairs with the contractors. And why is there a damn bike in
the workshop?”
    “Sorry, JT,” I called, looking
over my shoulder. “Just doing someone a favor.”
    “Well, next time send them to
Charlie’s Bike Shop. I’ve got enough on my plate with damn cars,” he grumbled,
as he tapped the face of his watch and raised his eyebrows.
    “I thought you said that you did
bike repairs?” Sky asked, as I turned back to face them and pulled out my
wallet.
    “Not as a general rule, but you
looked too hot to send on your way,” I replied, wondering if she’d read the
real meaning behind that.
    “I wouldn’t have let you do it if
I’d known it would get you in trouble. How much do I owe you?”
    “Nothing, it’s on me,” I replied.
    “Nate!” JT yelled, and I gritted
my teeth. He was doing me a massive favor by being so flexible, so I could
hardly complain and refuse to head back.
    “Two minutes, JT,” I yelled back without
looking around. I heard the sound of the bell as he pulled the door shut and
silently cursed that I was going to have to leave. Sky reached out and put her
hand on top of mine as I tried to wrestle some dollars out of my wallet.
    “Don’t. If I can’t pay you, at
least let me buy your lunch,” she offered. That was new, the four witches of
Boulder City behind me would never have offered to