Rites of Passage by Hensley Joy N

Author:Hensley,Joy N.
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

..................................................................

TWENTY-ONE

I PULL ANOTHER HANDFUL OF CEREAL OUT OF THE BOX I’D bought at the school store before everything shut down for break. Only about sixty-eight hours until everyone starts showing back up on campus. Not that I’m counting or anything.

It’s my own damn fault, really, feeling this alone. I’d sworn Katie to secrecy—she wasn’t allowed to tell Kelly that I’d be here by myself. I didn’t even email Jax. If no one in my family cares enough about me to want to spend time with me, I’m not going to force my crappy mood on anyone else.

I close up the cereal box—it’s the second one I’ve gone through since everyone disappeared—and stretch. I promised myself I would go for a run after my afternoon pity party and the light is fading fast.

A big crash outside my door makes me jump. I wish there was a peephole, but there’s not. I grab my rifle from the rack. It’s not loaded, but I could still leave a mark if someone’s sneaking around.

When I open the door, though, Drill is standing outside my door. “Sorry,” he says.

I’ve got to keep my smile at bay and my heart calm. “Drill Sergeant Stamm, this recruit—”

“We’re on break, Mac. Quit with the third person.” He smiles and I feel my face go red. “And don’t you dare sandwich my name.”

“Thanks, Drill. But . . . how did you know I was here?” I let out a relieved breath and slip the rifle back into its place against my wall. He notices, though, and laughs.

“Rev might have mentioned you’d be here all alone over the break.” He gestures at the broken glass on the floor. “This was a plate of dinner for you.”

My heart almost stops. He thought about me and brought me Thanksgiving dinner? That’s not something a drill sergeant would normally do . . . is it? “Oh.”

“But it’s obviously not anymore. At least the pie didn’t get ruined. I’ll run out to my car and get it.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and starts to walk away.

“Wait. You brought me pie?”

He stops and turns back. The grin on his face is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. “I come from a military family, too. I know what it’s like to not have family around at the holidays.”

I let him think that everyone is just away—not that they don’t want to spend time with me. It’s nicer than the truth. “Thanks.”

“I’ll go get the pie.”

“I’ll clean this up.”

By the time Drill is back, I’ve swept the remains of the broken plate into the trash and mopped up around the spill. He stands in the doorway, looking strikingly different in civilian clothes. It’s just jeans and a green T-shirt with an old-school video game character on it, but tonight he looks like he’s just a guy coming to visit, not someone I’m not allowed to be friends with.

“I can just leave the pie here,” he says, though he’s holding two plates, and the words come out slowly.

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.