Young Squatters Read Online Free PDF Page B

haven’t you aired your concerns to me sooner?  I could have quickly put your mind at rest if you had.”
    Colin looked up at the principal with total confusion on his face.
    “Bradford had some bad news about a relative and had to have some time off until the situation improved.  But he should be returning to school next week, so you needn’t worry anymore.”
    Colin was relieved as he’d missed Bradford.  It was mainly due to him feeding his ego, but he also had to admit he had become fond of him.  There was something secret and intriguing about Bradford, but Colin couldn’t quite put his finger on it.  Just as cologne masked the cigarette smell on his clothes, Bradford’s strange upbringing and cluelessness about technology made him seem worlds away from Colin’s little niche in society, and that made Colin curious.
    “Thank you, sir, for telling me, at least I can stop worrying now.”
    After a few minutes, Colin left the room and walked back to his class, taking his sweet time and even stopping to get some watterat the drinking fountain.  He couldn’t wait to see the look on Birk’s face when he walked back into class, completely unscathed by the visit to the principal’s office.
     
    ***
     
    Harper stood back and let Bradford do the talking.  She watched from inside, focusing on breathing correctly as Bradford had instructed her to do so she didn’t get into a state.  Her hands played out over the shiny countertops, feeling their smoothness as she witnessed the scene unfold.  Nora was freaking out, but Bradford just stayed calm, and kept his hands where she could see them.  He kept the two of them out on the front lawn, while Harper watched from the kitchen window.
    “What do you mean this is your house?” yelled the woman, the mother to Colin and Clara, who Harper had never met but who Bradford knew a lot about.  Nick and Nora, Colin and Clara—she wondered if the similarity of the names had been done on purpose of if it was pure coincidence.
    “We moved in today.  It’s our house now.”
    “Listen, young man, I don’t know what game you’re playing, but this is most definitely not your house! When I left here this morning, I had the keys to this house, and….”
    “Look, lady, we’re not playing any game.  I do not know what you expect to achieve standing here on my front lawn shouting at me and causing a scene,” Bradford calmly told Nora, which incensed her even more.
    The woman, Nora, wore a pencil skirt that looked too young for her.  She had a dark purple blouse on, which loosely sat on her thin body.  Her hair was what caught Harper’s attention the most.  Harper had always wanted platinum blonde hair, like the models she used to see in magazines when Bradford would manage to get some for her, but looking at Nora, she wasn’t so sure.  The color, which obviously covered grey streaks on the older woman’s face, didn’t look right on her.  It made her look pale, and droopy.  Harper suddenly felt grateful for her looks; even if she was ugly, at least she didn’t look as fake and as old as this woman.  Besides, Bradford liked her black hair the way it was.
    “I’m causing a scene! You wait until the police arrive and escort the two of you off my property.  Then you will see who is causing the scene, as I can imagine you won’t go quietly.”
    The woman’s words did not have any effect on Bradford, who calmly replied once again the house was theirs and they had done nothing wrong.  Harper thought his shoulders looked very nice in this light; he always looked so strong to her.  He was about a foot taller than she was, and always dressed so smart, with a polo top and khaki pants.  Right now he wore his sunglasses, obscuring any view that the lady could have of his face.  She wished wistfully that she could look as smart as he did.  It seemed like despite everything she did, whether with makeup or with trying to style her mousey black hair, she could never live