Abiding Hope by Angela Benson

Author:Angela Benson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Angela Benson
Published: 2011-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Shay closed the study guide and patted Bo on his knee. "Good job," she said. "I think you're ready."

Bo raised skeptical eyes to hers. "I'm not good at tests."

She took his chin in her hands and spoke, looking directly into his eyes. "You're better than you think. We've been studying for almost four weeks now, and you're ready. You're going to do wonderfully well on that practice exam next week."

Bo turned away and opened the book she had closed. "Maybe I should study some more."

Smiling, she took the book from him. "Not tonight. Studying is over for tonight. Now it's time to eat."

"Did somebody mention food?"

Both Shay and Bo turned at the sound of Marvin's question. He entered the sitting room, arms loaded with a large pizza box and a two-liter bottle of soda. He placed both on the coffee table in front of her and Bo. "I'll get napkins," she said, getting up. She wagged her finger at Bo and added, "No more studying for you."

Marvin dropped down on the floor next to the table. "So you're ready for your test?"

Bo lifted his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug. "Shay says I am, but I'm not too sure."

"That's why it's good you're taking the practice test. This way, you'll have a better handle on how well you're going to do under actual test conditions. I know this is easy for me to say, but you should try not to sweat it."

"Yeah," Bo said, "that is easy to say."

Marvin lifted the lid on the pizza box, plucked a pepperoni off the pizza, and popped it into his mouth. "Try to think about something else," he suggested. "Have you decided about our pool challenge? That should keep your mind off the test."

Bo grinned. "Yeah, I've thought about it, and I've picked a place. How about Jo-Jo's out on the highway?"

Marvin knew the place, and he could guess why Bo had chosen it. Jo-Jo's Last Chance Bar and Grill was a dive located out on the highway just beyond Odessa. All manner of activity, legal and not so legal, was reputed to take place there. He knew Bo had chosen it for just that reason.

"You've heard of it?" Bo asked when he didn't respond.

Marvin popped another pepperoni in his mouth. "Sure, I've heard of it. I've even driven by there a couple of times, though I've never been inside. Looks like a rough spot."

Bo met his gaze. "It is, but you can pick another spot if Jo-Jo's is too much for you to handle."

Marvin shook his head. "I can handle Jo-Jo's, all right." This was a test, he knew. Marvin understood well Bo's thinking because he'd held similar thoughts in the past. Show people your worst side and see what happens. If the kid only knew that Marvin had been in and out of places much worse than Jo-Jo's before he turned fifteen. "What time should I get there?"

Bo copied Marvin's actions and plucked off a pepperoni for himself. "Eight o'clock," he said.

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.