Dead Ends Read Free Page B

my name, and I’m gonna kick his ass later for calling me a dick.”
    â€œOkay, then will you tell
me
your name so I don’t call you a dick and get
my
ass kicked?”
    I sighed and covered my face with my hands. “Dane, okay? My name is Dane Washington.”
    â€œWashington like the president?”
    â€œYeah. Like the president.”
    â€œThat’s awesome.”
    â€œIf you say so.”
    His steps became lighter, almost a skip. “Now I’ll call you Dane, and you won’t kick my ass.”
    â€œI might kick your ass anyway if you don’t shut up.”
    â€œYou said you don’t beat up retards.”
    â€œYou said you weren’t a retard.”
    â€œI’m not.”
    â€œOkay, then.”
    â€œOkay, then.”
    He fell quiet for a few blissful seconds, then:
    â€œDoes that mean you can still kick my ass?”
    I dropped my chin to my chest and closed my eyes. This was going to be the longest walk to school ever.

Chapter 4
    The trek across the baseball diamonds was treacherous. I half sped, half slid across the damp grass, intent on getting to first period on time. Billy D. struggled to keep up, and the panting from exertion kept him quiet. I moved faster, but he managed to stay at my side. I was secretly impressed by his speed, given his short legs. I allowed myself a quick sideways glance to see how he was moving so quickly, and just as I looked, his whole body lurched forward, and I heard the squeak of his sneakers slipping on wet grass.
    My arm shot out instinctively, my fingers finding his elbow.
    â€œOw!” he complained as I pulled his arm backward to stop the fall.
    We both skidded to a clumsy stop at the edge of the school parking lot. He pulled his arm away and squirreled up hiseyebrows. I tried to figure out whether it was anger or confusion on his face, but I just couldn’t read it.
    â€œYou were about to fall,” I said. It came out sounding like an apology, so I added a snort to my next words. “You’re welcome.”
    â€œOh.” Billy’s brow smoothed out, and he rubbed his elbow. “Thanks.”
    â€œWhatever.”
    His face broke into a smile that showed off more of that oversize tongue and revealed tiny gaps between all his teeth. “Meet here after school? To walk home?”
    â€œListen, Special Ed, I’m not meeting you anywh—”
    â€œI’m Billy D. And I’m not in special ed.”
    He stomped off before I could reply, and I was left once again wondering how the kid managed to get the last word while I stood around looking like the idiot.
    â€¢ • • X • • •
    I slipped into my first class just before the bell. Raindrops smacked the window, cutting through the drone of Mr. Johnson’s lecture. I scowled at the clouds gathering outside. The drops were going to turn into a downpour, and the walk home would be even more slippery than this morning’s.
    I glared around at the rest of my classmates, wondering how many of them had four wheels and a roof to carry them home warm and dry after school. Getting through winter without a car was rough enough, but at least you could bundle up. Spring brought the cold rains that soaked through everything, no matter how many layers you put on. And even though thecalendar had barely flipped from February to March, spring storms had already arrived.
    My eyes fell on a waterfall of wavy dark hair. Nina Sinclair was good scenery, so lucky for me we had almost all the same classes. She also didn’t treat me like a thug, which meant she was one of the few people at school I actually bothered with. Unfortunately, bothering with her bothered her boyfriend. I slid my gaze to the right, and sure enough, there he was, next to her, giving me the evil eye.
    Calm down, asshole. I’m just looking.
    I made sure he was still watching me and deliberately aimed an air kiss at the back of Nina’s head. The