After Dakota by Kevin Sharp

Author:Kevin Sharp [Sharp, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Young Adult
ISBN: 9781480263826
Amazon: 1480263826
Goodreads: 16404156
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2012-11-27T18:30:00+00:00

58

On Christmas Eve, Ricky holds two purple pills toward Claire.

The dinner reservation had been set for six people at 5:30. Bryce and Claire both balked, saying they wouldn’t be hungry that early. Claire didn’t know what was true for Bryce; for her it wasn’t only the lack of hunger but being sick of her grandparents and the weird habits they’d developed as they’d gotten older.

Claire’s mom reminded the kids that their grandparents were used to Central time and ready to eat by 6:30, but Grandpa said to let the kids stay.

“I’ll see you both at church later,” her mom said as the party of four walked out. She looked at Bryce to add, “Don’t be late.”

Bryce retreated to the basement. Claire waited until the car was safely around the corner, then went into her mom’s closet. She put on her new coat, carefully tucking the tags inside the sleeves. Makeup. Dakota’s shoes.

“I’m going out,” she yelled down the basement steps.

“Where?” came the reply, a voice from a cave.

“None of your business. See you later.”

“We have to leave by seven-thirty!”

The bike ride to Ricky’s apartment building took fifteen minutes of hard pedaling, or twenty-five of normal Claire chose half and half tonight, trying to get there fast but without messing up her makeup She’d need to leave at 7:10 to be home in time to put the coat away and change for church Make it 7:15

She set her bike under the outside staircase. The sounds of laughter and music came from his mom’s apartment, the party where Rick Sr. would be getting drunk all night. Little Christmas lights grew all along the railing, up the stairs and straight to his door. She checked her coat once more in the window reflection before knocking. Ricky would be impressed to see her wearing real fur.

He didn’t say anything about it when he opened the door. Nor when he offered her one of his dad’s beers. Nor when they were kissing on his bed (even though she was still wearing it).

Finally she said into his mouth, “Do you like my coat?”

He pulled his head back, rubbed the fur on the collar between his fingers. “Nice.”

“It’s my Christmas present. I’m not supposed to get it til tomorrow but I wanted you to see me in it first.”

“My mom gets me something every year. My old man just gives cash.”

“Then you can buy whatever you want.”

“I guess.” He picked up his beer can off the floor and drank deeply.

“You can have my beer, too. I have to go to church later and my mom will sniff my breath or something.”

“You have to what?”

“It’s Christmas Eve.”

“Since when do you go to church?”

“Since I was, like, a baby and got baptized.” The heater clanged and banged through the wall, followed by a purr of warm, musty air.

“How do you not crack up watching all those dopes praying to their invisible buddy in the clouds? I’d be pissing myself laughing.”

“I go because I don’t have a choice, Ricky.” The heater kept pouring down on them; Claire wanted to take the coat off and leave it on.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.