Page 92 (2/2)

The Oak Run Plantation was about thirty h the air was thick with hu onabout stuff that made me more depressed than I already was

“I’ll head over,” I answered

“It’s hot as hell out there, boy I don’t want you to have heatstroke Your mother will tan my hide if that happens”

My parents had gone north for the week in a bid to escape the heat, so at the moment, I was stuck home with no wheels and no one to take me anywhere I could die of heatstroke and they wouldn’t know until Sunday night when they returned, because they never called when they were away—and I knew not to call them unless the house was on fire

I could say it was because cell reception was bad, but the si each other—still—and they kinda forgot about the world when they went away

I used to think it was gross—the wayspecial, and that’s a hell of a lot more than I could say for a lot of my friends’ folks

“I’ and e down to just above my shoulders, and splattered drops of water across irlfriend, Rachel, loved it

Rachel had told me once that if I ever cut it off, she’d du, of course, but for a while there I wasn’t so sure

It was hair; I didn’t see what the big deal was, but Rachel thought it , all about looks I guess when you are a hot little blonde, it’s not surprising

“Thanks, Nate You’re a good kid”

Tell that to Trevor, I thought

“The paint and brushes are already there, so you just need to get started and knock off around five, or earlier if need be It’s Friday, you got plans?”

Rachel had left for the lake about an hour ago with a group of friends we hung out with, including one of the guys in my band, Link

I could still taste her cherry gloss inthe ski with the shortest jean shorts she owned If I cared enough, I would have given her crap about it, but since I didn’t any

She’d jus aroundme to reconsider and come with the that I didn’t