August Burning (Book 1): Outbreak Read Online Free

really want to be here.
    “Yo, I’m not feeling this,” he heard a familiar voice.
    Jaxton turned, and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he
found his partner in crime. Bennett was three inches from his face. “Let’s
fucking roll, man,” Jaxton stammered. They shoved past the cloudy-eyed girl and
busted out of the dorm-room, passing six people working excitedly and sloppily
together to heat up a pizza.
    “I needed to get clear of there. Jesus, this air feels good.”
    They stepped out of the brick building and onto the sidewalk,
the humidity making their sweaty t-shirts stick. Jaxton felt a strong
attachment to his shorter, stocky friend, knowing they had both taken the
mushrooms together. Here was someone who knew how he felt.
    “Probably not the best call for a banger in the freshman hall,”
Jaxton said, shaking the feeling that all the buildings were buzzing around
him. Or maybe they were fuzzing. Fuzzy buzzing, he thought.
    “Monuments?” Bennett said, clearly wanting to get off the
school’s downtown campus and into the wooded area around the capital’s
monuments of stone and light. Jaxton nodded and they set off at a brisk pace
down the avenue past loud and raucous crowds of unruly students.

 
    Jogging up the worn marble steps, they raised their eyes to gaze
upon a great rectangle of marble columns, soaring to the sky to support a
rectangular slab. Jaxton sighed, appreciating the beauty of the glowing white
marble in the sultry night air. The city stretched out before them. The
hallucinatory properties of his peanut butter crackers had faded on the walk.
Replacing it was an overwhelming need to speak frankly about something, anything . He felt slightly giddy, and
highly appreciative. Jaxton glanced sideways at Bennett. The skinny lad with
the messy blond hair was his best friend. Jaxton found himself examining his
prior lust at his friend’s latest fling with disgust.
    “Where did Adira go?”
    Bennett pursed his lips. “She was there. But she started talking
to two other guys, so I said fuck it.”
    Jaxton did his best to sound casual,
fearing suddenly that one day, the girl would be the end of their friendship. “Have
you guys hooked up yet?”
    Bennett threw a pebble down the marble stairs. “Eh. We made out,
last weekend. I tried to get her back to my place, and she said she wasn’t that
type of girl.”
    “Well, that’s a good sign, dude.”
    “I guess. I just feel like I need to get my body count up.”
    Jaxton chuckled, remembering how long ago it had been since he
felt that way. “Dude, that shit doesn’t matter at all. All it takes is one girl
and she can erase all your insecurities, all your inexperience.”
    Bennett groaned, “Remember the last girl? That chick I met at
that acapella party we somehow got into…yeah, pretty sure I never told you this
but I was so damn nervous I couldn’t even get it up.”
    “Jesus man, look. You gotta stop thinking about it as a trophy.
It’s supposed to be an experience. And once you get that down, you’re golden.”
    “I gotta have this one.”
    Jaxton felt his pulse quicken, seeing how serious Bennett was.
“Why?”
    Bennett hesitated. “She’s the easiest girl to be around, since,
I don’t even know. I mean its natural, effortless. Same sense of humor,
finally. How difficult is that to find? I’ve been looking for years, it feels
like.”
    “And…”
    Bennett chuckled. “Yeah, and she has a great ass. But everyone
knows that. Those dark eyes though, they’re always on my mind.”
    Jaxton didn’t say anything, feeling his jealously rising. Why
hadn’t he asked for her number? They had both been there, that day outside the
gym. He grunted, fixated by the shimmering lake that stretched out like a long
finger in front of them; its water was perfectly motionless.
    “What the hell are we guna do with our lives?” Bennett gestured
out with a quick flick of the wrist, in momentary disgust.
    “We’re guna move to New York, and