The Living Dead Boy Read Free Page B

would resent the very thing he had desired.
    “I don’t like this movie.”
    “Yes, you do.”
    “No.”
    “Yes.”
    “I want to see Transformers .”
    “Dad says you’re too young and it will give you nightmares.”
    “I hate you.”
    Josh sighed and tried to read his book.  He was just getting into the story when the book was pushed downward and Drake’s cherubic face came into view. His chubby hand was bending the cover.  Frustrated, Josh gave him a light shove.
    “Lay off!”
    “I want to see Transformers!”
    “Dad said no!”  Josh frowned as he raised the book. “Now shut up.”
    “You’re mean,” Drake pouted.  “Rex is gonna eat you.”
    “Well, I hope zombies eat you,” Josh responded scornfully.
    The scared look on his younger brother’s face made him feel even guiltier, but Josh was too far into his bad mood to do anything more than raise his book and continue to read. Looking close to tears, Drake hurled the dinosaur onto the sofa and crawled up next to it. Stuffing his fingers in his mouth, he stared at the TV.
    Josh tried to concentrate on the text, but he kept losing his train of thought.  He began to feel bad for his behavior, but anger had a good grip on him.  It wasn’t his fault that his Dad didn’t have a good job or that his grandparents had been stupid.  He resented that he had to babysit Drake and pretend everything was okay as his Mom sold off family heirlooms and his Dad paced the creaky wood floors late at night.
    The doorbell startled him and he tossed the book aside. “I’ll get it, Mom!”
    “Thanks, honey,” her voice answered faintly from the kitchen.
    Drake continued to stare at the TV, sucking loudly on his fingers.  His silence was accusing and terrible.
    Ignoring him, Josh hurried to the door and yanked it open.
    Corina, the love of his young life, stood on the doorstep. Three inches taller than him with long chestnut hair and clear gray eyes, she stared down at him through her glasses. One hand set on her hip, the other clutching a wad of dollar bills, she looked as annoyed as he had felt just a few seconds earlier.
    “Hi,” Josh managed.
    “My mom said to bring this over to give to your mom. It’s for some lame quilt or something,” Corina drawled.
    Pushing the screen door open, Josh reached out for the money.  “Okay, I’ll give it to her.”
    “Don’t spend it on lame zombie stuff, okay?”
    Josh could feel his face flushing and he had trouble finding his voice.
    “Josh wants zombies to eat me,” Drake said from beside him.
    “I...uh...err...”  Josh mumbled as his fingers gripped the roll of dollar bills.  For a second, he could feel her soft skin and the tips of her sharp nails.
    Corina let go of the money abruptly, as if knowing he was relishing his brief moment of touching her hand, and dropped to her knees.  “He did!  That’s so mean!  Josh, you’re a meanie!”
    Drake threw his arms around Corina’s neck and sobbed softly against her.  “He is a big meanie.”
    As he always did when around Corina, Josh lost his voice and senses.  He could only stare at her and wonder if she would wait for him to grow a few inches taller and a few years older so he could ask her out. She was two years older, but it felt like a million. She was the forbidden older woman, the love of his short life, and he felt stupid whenever she looked at him. Of course, this was only made worse by the fact she had been his and Drake’s babysitter before his parents decided he was old enough to take care of Drake.
    Ruffling Drake’s blond curls, Corina kissed his brow. “It’s okay, Drake. Zombies aren’t real.  But if they were, they would eat Josh for being a meanie.”
    “Actually, they would just eat me for being...uh...meat.” Josh faltered as his eyes trailed to her neckline.  He could see down her shirt. Her small breasts were tucked into a pink bra.
    Noticing his gaze, Corina stood up, holding Drake, and gave Josh her darkest look.