With Friends Like These Read Online Free PDF

on Jay Leno?” he asked.
    “Nah, I don’t watch Jay Leno. My mom says ever since Arsenio Hall went off, she stopped watching late-night TV, so we never really watch it.”
    “Who is Arsenio Hall?”
    “I don’t know. Somebody who used to have a popular talk show, I guess. My mom is always raving about how funny he was,” I replied. “But I like Taylor, even though I’m still surprised he won. Personally, I was rooting for Paris. I’m surprised you even know who Taylor is, though. You don’t seem like the American Idol type.” Walter was one of the smartest guys I’d ever met. Since I met him in the mall last week, we’d talked almost daily. He had me laughing all the time. I was especially impressed with the fact that he got straight A’s and had already been accepted to Princeton. But I guess that shouldn’t really surprise me, since his father was a state senator and his mother was a former Miss Texas.
    “I only watch the show because my sister is a die-hard fan,” he said, snapping me back to our conversation.
    “So is my friend Alexis.” I laughed.
    “Was she the one at the mall with you?” he asked.
    “Yeah, the one Sam was trying to talk to.”
    Walter laughed, and we started talking about something else. After a few minutes he asked me to hold on a minute. When he returned to the phone, he said, “So you ever been to a drive-in movie?”
    “Nope, never have. I mean, I’ve seen some in movies, and I even saw on the news last week about this new one that opened up between here and San Antonio, but I’ve never been to one before,” I said.
    “Hmm, well, looks like I may have to take you, then. We could go with a few of our friends and make a road trip out of it. I think you’ll like it.”
    “Really?” I asked. I thought there was no way my mom was letting me go on a road trip with a boy, even if it was with a group of people.
    “Man, it is so much fun. We used to go to the one near Gatesville when I lived in Killeen. My dad was stationed there for close to fifteen years. It was off the chart,” he said excitedly.
    I just loved how his slang seemed so natural, not like a white boy trying to be black, like this guy named Mark at my school.
    “Sounds like fun,” I said. “So y’all would just pile up into a car and go to the drive-in, huh? But what about privacy?” I asked.
    “You don’t think about that when you’re at the drive-in. I mean, either you’re in a minivan, which is way cool, or—”
    “A minivan?” I balked.
    “Well, I’m just telling you what some people used to do. Me, well, I’d hop into my dad’s Chevy Impala and bring along a couple of big thick blankets. Talk about a proper drive-in date experience. Now that’s what I’m talking ’bout.” He chuckled.
    I was thinking about the picture he was painting for me. I started getting all excited thinking about me, Angel, and Jasmine, with our dates, of course. Yeah, that would be tight.
    “You sold me. So whassup? When can we go?” At this point, I’d go to the moon with Walter. Even if it meant having to lie to my mom.
    “You serious?” he asked, sounding all surprised.
    “Yeah, let me talk to my girls and we can plan a group trip.”
    “Okay, cool, that sounds good.”
    Suddenly a voice rang through, interrupting our conversation.
    “Walter, are you still on the phone?”
    “Um, yes, ma’am,” he said.
    “I need to use it, sweetheart,” she said.
    “Okay, Ma. Let me just say ’bye to my girl. I’ll call you when we’re off,” he answered.
    I started feeling all warm and tingly inside. He had just referred to me as “his girl” to his mother. Yeah, things were really starting to take off between us.
    I was glad he couldn’t see me blushing. I don’t know why he had my stomach fluttering and stuff. I had never been remotely attracted to a guy of another race, but the funny thing was I didn’t see any color when it came to Walter. I just saw a really cute guy who I enjoyed talking