Tattooed Soul Read Free Page B

like
heaven. When I was sitting next to him, I felt… better. I really couldn’t
explain it more than that.
    His presence just calmed me, which was
odd since he was extremely unapproachable. There was a part of me that saw
something was just as broken in him as it was in me. I wanted to get to know
him. I wanted to help him. I needed him to help me.
    I pretended to drop my pencil so I could
get a good look at the boy sitting next to me. Marcus Roberts was a mystery,
but he was my mystery. As with most times I dared to take a look, he was
hunched over his book either reading or sleeping.  Other students would
think he was just weird, but I knew that he just wanted to be invisible. 
    I caught a glimpse of him as he exited
the classroom at the end of the day.  For just a second, I thought I saw
him looking back at me from under the hood of his jacket, but it was over
before my stomach could even drop. 
    I started for home as soon as school was
over. Seeing as I planned on spending the afternoon with Caleb, I wasn’t sure
what I should do with myself. If I went with him, that meant lounging around at
the Smith’s Garage and Auto Shop in town. I had gone with them on occasion, but
I could only talk about the ‘awesomeness’ of a carburetor for so long.  It
didn’t matter in the least if I was there are not.
    I often swore that if Caleb could make
love to one of his cars, he wouldn’t need me at all. Not that we were sexually
active. That was another problem in our relationship. He was always pressuring
me to “just do it.” He liked to make fun of my abstinence by saying that I was
waiting for “marriage or some shit.” I never denied his accusations, but that
was not why I stayed a virgin. I secretly knew that once he claimed me, he
would leave. I had nothing to offer him but my virginity, so I was holding out
for as long as I could to prolong our relationship. I could hear him bragging
about “being the first with the pastor’s daughter.”  I would hold a high
place of honor on the notches on his bedpost, but there was no doubt he would
leave me for his next conquest. 
    I knew this was not healthy. I knew my
relationship with Caleb was based on lies, but at least it was something. I
didn’t want to go back to nothing. Not having a boyfriend meant that others
would notice me.  It would open me up to new people and questions. 
Staying with Caleb was safe.  He didn’t care enough to ask the tough
questions, and as long as I showed him attention when he needed it, he was
happy. 
    So, I was driving home alone instead of
spending time with my boyfriend.
    I abruptly stopped my car at the end of
the street because I saw my dad’s truck sitting in the driveway. It didn’t
appear to have moved all day. This was not good. I simply could not go home
with him there. Obviously he had stayed home all day and was more than likely
extremely intoxicated. Drunk Dad was a mean Dad, but intoxicated Richard, who
took a day off to drink himself into a stupor, was terrifying.
    I pulled a quick U-turn and headed back
into town. Not really knowing where to go, I realized that I was driving toward
the auto shop. I guessed it wouldn’t hurt if I just hung out in the back while
the guys talked. If I wasted enough time, maybe Richard would be completely
passed out by the time I got home. They probably wouldn’t even know I was
there. If I was lucky, Julie might even be there.
    Julie was a beautiful girl by anyone’s
standards, but she was a complete grease monkey. She loved cars and everything
about them. She could rebuild an engine faster than most of the men in the
garage. Caleb had given her a hard time when she came in asking for a job, but
apparently her father paid Mr. Smith a large ‘reverse retainer’ to help with
the hiring process. She had been working right alongside the boys for about four
months now.
    At first, Caleb would tease and make rude
remarks about how Julie broke a nail, or Julie couldn’t fit her