Edge of Time Read Free

for you to throw it all away with lousy grades and petty crimes. Neither of us wants you working in a fast food joint for the rest of your life.”
    â€œYeah, whatever.” Alec got up and scraped his plate into the garbage. He dumped the cutlery and the plate into the dishwasher and shoved the door closed with his hip. He eased past his mother’s chair. As almost an afterthought, he bent down and dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head.
    There wasn’t anyplace he could go except the living room or back to his bedroom. The apartment was far smaller than their house had been, but that, like his father’s good mood, had disappeared a long time ago.
    His father was clicking his way through television channels and shaking his head at the repeated scenes of police and fighting. Peter was sprawled on the couch, a paperback between his hands, ignoring his father’s repeated “will you look at that” remarks.
    It was too late to go out and hang with the guys. His dad would have a fit if he tried to leave, even though it wasn’t a school night or anything. Hanging out on the street corner was apparently the first step to a life of illicit drugs and organized crime. There was nothing else to do but go to bed. Alec headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. In a couple of minutes he was back in his room and tossing his tee shirt into the laundry bin in the corner. The door opened.
    â€œI’m going to bed. Keep the light off,” he barked.
    â€œI’m just getting another book.” Peter walked past him to the desk by the window and pulled his bulging knapsack towards him.
    Alec tossed his jeans on top of the shirt. He swung himself onto the upper bunk. Peter still had his back to him.
    â€œHeard you went to the mall today.” Peter shuffled through the pile of paperbacks.
    â€œSo?” Alec stared at the ceiling.
    â€œHeard there was a bit of excitement,” Peter continued.
    â€œWhat if?”
    â€œHeard you were right in the middle of it.”
    Alec sat bolt upright, remembering to crouch at the last minute so he wouldn’t hit his head on the ceiling. “Who said?”
    â€œMrs. Lee and Chin. Met them at the bus stop. Chin couldn’t keep a secret if you gagged him.”
    Damn. Alec flopped back down on the bed. If Peter said anything to their father …
    â€œKeep your mouth shut,” Alec hissed. “You owe me.”
    â€œChin said you saw a guy get shot. It was on the news tonight.”
    Alec ground his teeth together.
    â€œWell.” Peter turned around. “Did you?”
    â€œBite yourself.”
    â€œWhen Dad finds out, you are gonna be in such trouble. Honestly, don’t you ever think?”
    â€œStop bossing me around.”
    â€œStop being such an idiot and I won’t have to.”
    Alec vaulted over the side of the bed and landed at Peter’s feet. He straightened up. Peter might have eleven months on him, might have a straight A average, might never cause his parents a moment of worry, but Alec had a good inch of height. Ever since Christmas. He leaned forward, breathing heavily. “I mean it. Leave. Me. Alone.”
    â€œOr what?” Peter answered. His brown eyes were narrowed with dislike.
    â€œTake a guess.”
    â€œYou wouldn’t. You promised.” Peter deliberately turned his back and continued to search. Pulling out a paperback, he laid it on the desk and zippered up the knapsack. The edge of the curtain caught in the zipper and the movement pulled the curtain open. The outside street lamp, only two stories below, flooded the room with its eerie hue.
    â€œYeah, well, if keeping your secrets gets me into any more trouble, you can just kiss my promise goodbye.” Alec crossed his arms. “Think about
that
before you go running to Dad. Or the next time you get surrounded and can’t fight back.”
    â€œI was totally outnumbered. You know it. And I’m not saying