How I Fly Read Free

door. “Patrick! No one is having any benefit-type friendships. ” Mom’s coloring halfway to purple as she stutters, “How can I drive you to Toronto and leave you to live on your own after that comment? I feel like I should go call your mother and lock the three of you in your rooms. Do you think I don’t know what friends with benefits means? Because I do!”
    Patrick pales. “Uh. No. It is just a silly and overused, very inappropriate expression that I should not have joked about. And we are not going to be on our own. There are resident dorm…monitors who will…uh…watch us,” he adds lamely.
    Mom goes on, “Patrick, you are supposed to protect these two innocent girls, yet you are giving terrible advice before we’ve even hit the highway.”
    “Mrs. Foster, don’t worry. I’m not so innocent,” Laura adds. “And Ellen, well, she’s—”
    My brows shoot up in warning and I shake my head, hoping she’s not going to say more. Sadly, Laura does not know when to quit.
    “You know it’s going to be me and Ellen taking care of Patrick, anyhow. He’s going to be a complete mess without his mother, I’m sure.”
    “Thank you, Laura, for the exact information I needed to feel even more worried about all of this. You three grab the suitcases and the last of the stuff by the door, and meet me by the garage before I change my mind. I’m going to take some headache medicine.” She stomps out of the room.
    “Oops.” Laura grins. “But that word sets me off. I’m not innocent! Patrick knows! Ellen, you know! I’m, like…extreme. I suppose I should not have told your mum about my ways, though.”
    “Please. Make her stop.” Patrick colors bright red and then starts laughing.
    I shake my head. “Showing someone your underwear while looking at tattoos is not extreme.”
    “Yeah, because you got caught, busted, and shipped to Canada before ever crossing the second-base line,” Patrick says.
    “And after your celibacy-driven no-date rule for the last six months, I’ll bet you and I are both now listed on the Last Living Virgins in Canada list.” I grin.
    “I am not.” She’s blushing a little and avoiding Patrick’s eyes. “I’ve got Tumblr. I’ve seen and know everything.”
    “Okay, internet bad girl. We believe you.” Patrick’s laughing more now, wheeling my suitcase back and forth. He clearly doesn’t believe her.
    Making sure Patrick’s watching, I hang my necklace on the dresser’s huge square mirror, trying not to wince as it clinks against the glass. I hate how it looks off my neck.
    Laura comes over and gives me a hug. “That’s our wee Thumbelina. You sure you’re okay?”
    “Of course I am. Thanks to Cam, I had a memorable first kiss and second kiss, and without him we wouldn’t have won this amazing summer scholarship. You’re both right that I should move on. I’m really ready for it. And…Cam…he was a great first boyfriend experience overall, don’t you th-th-th-think?”
    “Ellen, please don’t,” Patrick whispers, stepping around my bag and coming over to hug me, too.
    With a huge sniff, I chin up. “I was all good until I stuttered on that last sentence, wasn’t I?”
    “Yeah.” He hugs me tighter.
    “For the record, I’m only crying because my leg really aches right now.” It’s another lie, but because it’s the lie I’ve told all along, he doesn’t call me on it, only layers on his wry smile.
    Laura pipes in, “Well, if we’re talking on the record, I’d like to mention it was the worst ‘first boyfriend’ experience ever recorded, what happened to you. And should I ever see Cam Campbell’s ridiculously handsome face ever again, I mean to smash it with both of my fists and scratch out his stupid eyes. If-you’z-don’t mind a wee-street fight, that is.”
    I crack a smile through my tear-heavy eyes and hug her. “Laura, how is it people from Ireland can utter such violent and inappropriate things and still seem so c-c-c-cute all