Sometimes Never Read Free Page B

shaggy blond hair that stuck up in every wrong direction or his super cute baby face. It was the bright pink tie he wore. When I saw him, I laughed. I laughed at my mom’s funeral. While everyone else stared at me like I was a sick, twisted, freak, Guy looked at me and smiled while he straightened his ridiculous tie. He looked at me like he knew what was inside of me. Like he saw the tears I didn’t cry. Like he saw the scars hidden on my legs. He understood.
    During the wake, I stayed outside hiding in the tree house Alec had built for the other kids. Guy brought out a bunch of food and we ate and talked until everyone left. That night, he snuck downstairs to the couch where I slept before I had a room. We talked half the night. Like, really talked. He asked me questions that I had never been asked befo re. Guy wanted to know me. When I admitted I had never kissed anyone, he leaned over me. With the tips of warm fingers, he brushed my hair off my shoulder. Then he put his hands on each side of my face, positioning my head up toward his. He kissed me. Softly at first, then he slipped his tongue in between my lips and found mine. He tasted like cinnamon toothpaste and it burnt my mouth. He slid his fingers down my neck, across my shoulders, and as he made his way down my arms, I pulled away.
    “Interesting,” he sighed as his eyes appraised me.
    “You’re my cousin,” I said to him and wiped my mouth.
    He smiled and shook his head. “No I’m not. Jenny is my ste p mom, not my real mom. You aren’t even related to her, technically. Besides, foster parents aren’t real parents anyway.”
    We stared at each other for the longest minute before he finally smiled again and asked, “Did you like it?”
    “Like what?”
    “The kiss.”
    “Yes,” I said quietly. Because I really did. I could still feel it everywhere in my body and it scared the shit out of me.
    “It wasn’t bad ,” he said wonderingly. “I usually just kiss guys.”
    “Wait. What? Really?”
    He smirked and nodded. “Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?”
    I shook my head. “No. But why would you kiss me if you’re into dudes?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe we should do it again so I can figure it out.”
    We did do it again. A few times actually. I don’t know what he ended up figuring out, but by the time I hung out with Guy and his friends, it was clear I had nothing to be scared of. He definitely was attracted to men. I put a stop to the kissing, which he had no qualms about. He’s been my best friend ever since.
     

3
    Mason
     
                  Mom sets a plate in front of me with three grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Hell yeah . “How was your first day?” she asks.
                  My mind instantly flips to the girl from this morning. I found out her name in second period when everyone was talking about “the incident”. Hope Love. What kind of name is that? It’s as if karma is straight up screwing with me. Hope Love .
                  “I think I’m in love,” I say. And then I laugh because I hear some kind of pun in my statement. I play around with the words in my head. I Hope I can get in Love. I’d Love to have some Hope.
                  “Mason, don’t play with me,” Mom says, but I hear that little sliver of hope in her voice. Ha, I’d Love a little sliver of Hope . I could do this all day.
                  “Mom, I promise you, I am not playing. This girl is amazing.”
                  Mom glares at me, trying to get me to admit something. What, I don’t have a clue because I’m not lying. “What’s she like?”
                  “She’s fucking gorgeous.”
                  “Don’t say fuck.”
                  “You say fuck,” I say.
                  “Well I’m an adult.”
                  “Mom, last time I checked, eighteen was the legal age of