Bullet

Bullet Read Free Page A

Book: Bullet Read Free
Author: Jade C. Jamison
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scenery.”  And she decided to leave it at that.
    “Well, this is definitely a change of scenery.  Anyway, my parents and brother are going to help me drag all my stuff in here.  You don’t mind, do you?”  I was hoping she’d take the hint and change into something a little less comfortable.
    “It’s your room, too.”  Luckily for me, she reached in one of her dresser drawers for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and pulled them on.
    “Be right back.”  As I walked down the hall, I thought, Everything’s going to be all right.  She seems nice.  First impressions aren’t always right.   I guess I was too young to know I should follow my intuition.
    My parents, brother, and I started taking boxes out of the back of the truck and placing them on my side of the dorm room.  When everyone had set down the first load, I said, “Mom, dad, Danny, this is my roommate, Charlotte Edwards.  Charlotte, this is my family.”
    Danny, a good-looking junior in high school, could hardly keep from drooling on his shirt.  Charlotte’s long, shiny black hair draped over her t-shirt, the little piercing in her nose flashing every time she tilted her head in that way she thought made her look cute, and her brown eyes smoldered with continual lust… for my little brother?
    My graying parents seemed neutral—they showed nothing positive or negative toward my new roommate, but they did notice the poster above her bed and seemed dismayed.  Did I already mention my parents were deeply religious?
    “Hello, Charlotte.”  My father put out his hand to shake hers.  Maybe that’s where I got my politeness—from my dad.
    “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Quinn, right?”  She accepted my father’s handshake and then shook my mother’s hand.  “Danny.”  She extended her hand to his, a smirk on her face.  Well , I thought, this is one boy she won’t get.
    But she too was polite as we carried in my boxes.  She even offered to help with a few.
    When the truck was entirely unloaded, I walked with my family to where it was parked so we could exchange goodbyes.  “Valerie,” my mother said, “I hope everything works out.  Charlotte seems nice, but…I don’t know about her.  I hope you can get along with her.”
    “That makes two of us.”
    My mother was having a hard time seeing me in this environment, leaving her nest for good.  Out of Danny and me, I was the oldest child, so she’d never gone through this before.  Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged me.  “Keep your grades up, honey.  Have fun.  And remember we love you.”
    My father kissed me on the cheek.  Then Danny, Mr. Cool , said, “Bye, sis.  Don’t miss me too much.”
    “Come here, you little twerp, and give me a hug.”
    He did and then whispered, “I’m gonna miss you, ya know.”
    “Yeah, I’ll miss you, too.”
    They got in the truck, and I stood there for a few minutes after they’d left.  I’d waved goodbye to my family, my home, my friends…and my childhood.
    * * *
    I set the last box on my bed and started sifting through its assorted contents, deciding where to put them (not that there were a whole lot of choices).  Charlotte lay on her bed, once again clad in just her little red teddy.  She thumped her hand on her bed to the beat of the music she was playing, some Lady Gaga song I’d never heard before.  “Hey, Valerie, why don’t you invite your little brother up to visit for a weekend?”
    My back was turned from her face as I continued sifting through my box.  I was glad, because I’m sure my expression was one of shock at the very least.  This girl wasn’t trying very hard to make a friend.  “Why?  He’s busy.”  I suspected I knew why she was interested in my brother, but I figured she was just asking to get under my skin.
    “Busy?  Doing what ?”
    “For one thing, he’s on the football team.”  I pulled some pencils out of the box and put them in my desk drawer.  Once again, I repeated my question,

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