The Goon by Sara Hubbard

Author:Sara Hubbard
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 15

The inside of his home surprises me. I assume he lives with some other guys so I expect it to be messy. It’s not like this at all. In fact, it’s way cleaner than I could ever imagine. Though I’m not a good point of reference. Charlie thinks I’m the definition of messy.

On one side of the entryway are neatly organized shoes on a shoe rack, and on the other side stands a bicycle. The sound of a television plays nearby, and I kick off my shoes and take a few steps inside. I chuckle when he picks up my shoes and puts them on the rack. It’s exactly the kind of thing Charlie does to me at her place. I don’t even notice her doing it anymore.

“How many people live here?” I ask, taking in the large living room. I peek around the corner at the renovated kitchen with granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and a long island with hanging pots above it on a metal rack.

“Four.”

“Do I know them?”

He shrugs. “Maybe. One’s on the swim team, one plays hockey with me, but the other one works full-time in the army reserves. He’s away a fair bit.”

“Neat.”

“Neat?” he parrots, as if my choice of words is somehow unusual.

“Man, I’ve been in some rental houses before, and none of them looked like this. I could lick cereal milk off your floors.”

“Please don’t.”

I grin at him. “You’re a neat freak. Wow. I didn’t expect that, but then, you’re full of surprises.”

“How’s that?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. You just are.” I glance at the old, dark-stained wooden staircase. “Are your roommates home?”

“Jeff—he’s the corporal in the reserves—is on a course in Borden, and Greg and Tate are at Pilgrim’s.”

“Ozzie’s there tonight, too.”

He nods. “I ran in to him earlier after practice.”

“Are you going to show me around?” Because I’m nosy as hell and want to see everything.

“Follow me.”

He guides me through the house. It’s bigger than my dad’s, and he earns a really good living. We start on the main floor, ignore the basement since it’s not finished, and head to the bedrooms upstairs last. There are five, though the fifth is empty. They had a hard time filling it because the rent is pretty expensive. I assume that means the guys living here come from money, rather than living on student loans or scholarships. Except maybe the corporal, but he’d have his own money since he’s not a student. We don’t enter the first four he shows me. He opens the doors so I can look in and that’s all. Every single one is clean except for maybe some clothes on a chair or an unmade bed.

“Frig, remind me never to show you my dorm room.”

“Why’s that?”

I shake my head. “I’ll let you see for yourself one day if you’re lucky.”

“Promises, promises.” He pushes open a door near the back of the house. I look down into the backyard through an adjacent window. A fire pit catches my attention, and then the big deck with patio furniture.

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.