Wishing Pearl Read Online Free PDF Page B

go get a refill.” She nodded her head toward the keg, feeling happy for the first time in weeks. Months. Years. In fact, she couldn’t remember why she hadn’t been happy all along.
    Jordyn held up her empty cup. “I’ll join you. But we’re coming right back to this spot. I’ve got my eye on a real hottie.”
    “Oh, I’m sure you do.” Olivia giggled and spun around toward the house, running smack into a brick wall. She stumbled forward and dropped her cup in the grass as an arm reached out to keep her from falling. She squinted her eyes against the darkness, expecting to see the familiar face of a student from school. It definitely was a familiar face.
    Jake
.
    “Oh, sorry. Here, let me help you.” Jake stumbled through his words as he felt for her cup in the grass while maintaining his grip on a can of Coke.
    Didn’t he know it was her? Olivia glanced to her right and her left. Maybe she could get away without him looking at her. What if she just started running into the dark? Could she make it to the tree line before he recognized her?
    Handing her the empty cup, Jake leaned in toward her face. His eyes grew wide at first, and then they sparked with anger. “Liv?” He turned her toward the light and looked into her eyes. “What are you doing here? Are you drinking?” He tipped his cupped hand up to his mouth.
    Oh man
. Jake would be so mad. Should she lie? No point, really. She held an empty cup of beer in one hand, and a lit cigarette dangled from the other. There’d be no convincing him that she was innocent. She opened and closed her mouth as if to speak, but no words came.
    He pressed two fingers hard to his lips. “You’re smoking, too?” Jake’s eyes grew wide, and he yanked her away from the group. He pulled the cigarette from between her fingers, threw it onto the grass, and ground it to bits.
    “So what? I’m sixteen. You don’t have to worry about me.” She turned away after she finished signing.
    Jake pulled her chin back around until she faced him and shook his head. “No way. That’s not how this is going to go. You’re coming home with me right now.” He signed so fast he gave up trying to speak the words. He only did that when he was really mad. “I’m not leaving for college with this to worry about. Mom’s going to have to deal with it.”
    “What?” Olivia spoke through a clenched jaw. “You’d better not tell Mom. How could you do that to me?” So much for Jake being on her side.
    “You did this to yourself, Liv.” Jake’s face softened. “I love you.” He crossed his forearms and pressed his fists to his chest. “I don’t want to see you go down this path—no good can come of it. Come on, let’s go. Is Mom’s car here?” His eyes roved up and down the rows of parked cars.
    Olivia nodded and stared at the ground. Where was Jordyn? She could talk their way out of this.
    “We’ll take hers home, and I’ll come back for mine tomorrow.” He squeezed her elbow and steered her toward the street.
    Olivia pulled against his grip on her arm and finally jerked free. She tugged on his wrist and stepped in front of him, forcing him to look at her face. “Jake. You can’t tell Mom. She’ll tell Charles, and then who knows what will happen?” She lifted her hands in despair.
    “Mom has to know, Liv. Maybe she won’t tell Charles. But that’ll have to be her decision.”
    Oh, she’d tell him. No question about it. And he would use it against her—any excuse to punish her was enough for Charles.
    “I’m concerned about you.” He waved two fingers from each hand in circles in front of his face.
Worried
. Jake helped her into the car. “I can’t leave for school if I’m worried about what you’re doing to yourself.”
    “What
I’m
doing?” Olivia sighed in disgust. He’d never get it.
    “What does that mean? What are you getting at?” Jake shook his head when she remained silent. “I wasn’t the one drinking and smoking tonight.”
    “That’s