Avra's God Read Online Free

hit the table with his
fist. “Cisco on drums.”
    Cisco beat out a quick rhythm on the
table.
    “I’ve got guitar, vocals.” Enthusiasm
snowballed inside him. “Billy, how many years of piano did your ma
make you take?”
    Billy looked around self-consciously.
“Six.”
    “Bingo, we’ve got keyboard!”
    Billy looked unconvinced.
    Cisco jumped up. “We’re in, man!” He
high-fived Jesse and the less-enthusiastic Billy.
    “Hey, Billy, didn’t you get into the snack
bar grooving on our tune?” Cisco said.
    A corner of Billy’s mouth turned up. “Yeah,
that was cool. The girls—”
    “Yeah, man,” Jesse said. “The girls. Hang on
to that thought.”
     
     
    Kallie struggled through the chords to
Jesse’s song for the fifth time, her fingers stilling on the piano
keys. A cooling breeze blew in through the French doors behind
her.
    Aly’s pixie, the exact shade of Kallie’s
hair, popped around the corner from the hall. “What are you
doing?”
    Kallie twisted her hair and held it up off
her neck to catch the breeze. “Quit reading over my shoulder. You
know I hate that. You can’t read music anyway.”
    “I can read the words,” Aly said with
fourteen-year-old logic. “I bet a guy gave you that.”
    “Go away. Scat. Leave me alone.”
    Aly bit her lip. “You don’t have to yell at
me.”
    As usual, Aly’s hint of tears triggered
Kallie’s guilt. Aly would be more stable if she had a dad. They’d
both have a father if Kallie hadn’t screwed it up for them.
    Kallie dropped her hair. “Okay, okay. Give me
a half hour of peace and quiet, and I’ll let you use my iPod.”
    Aly gave her a weak smile. “Deal.”
    Kallie clenched her teeth and forced herself
to focus on Jesse’s You’re Callin’ My Name. She mastered the
chords and added the lyrics.
     
    Something draws me to you, girl.
    You’re callin’ my name
    And I’m hearin’ your voice deep inside.
     
    Kallie smoothed the song sheet with her
palms. Warmth stole through her. Was she the girl in the song? She
sang the next verse.
     
    But you’re that mysterious pond in the
woods.
    Nobody knows how deep.
    Nobody knows you’re even there.
     
    The mood of the song lingered in the air. The
day she met Jesse in the storage barn behind a church she’d taken a
piece of him home without his knowing. This time, Jesse chose to
give her a slice of himself.
    In her mind, she saw him standing over her
desk—his lean medium frame looking taller from that angle than the
five nine she estimated him to be. Flyaway brown hair, kissed with
gold, poked in every direction, as if he scrubbed his fingers
through wet hair on the way to the car every morning. They’d never
swum in the shallows and now they were fifty feet deep. She would
have to swim for her life. The guy had talent and more than a
little ego. No way would she go down.
     
     
     

Chapter 3
     
    “Avra!”
    She heard her name yelled up the stairs as
she stepped out of the shower.
    “Dinnertime!”
    She slipped into sweats, her legs wobbly from
a grueling soccer practice. She ran a brush through her hair and
jogged down the stairs, a towel still draped around her neck. She
breezed into the dining room. She stopped short. “Cisco! Who let
you in?” She hated surprises.
    “I was sitting on the couch when you flew by
after soccer.”
    She narrowed her eyes at him. Great. Why
hadn’t she looked in the mirror before coming down? Irritation and
warmth blended inside her like well-shaken salad dressing. She slid
into her seat. Her calf brushed against Cisco’s and she jerked
away.
    Drew blew out a noisy breath. “Mom invited
Cisco to stay for dinner. Is that okay with Your Royal Highness?
Now, can we pray? I’m starving.” He bowed his gelled head. Eyes
slid shut around the table. Cisco’s gaze darted around the room and
stopped on Avra—the first time she’d ever seen him uncomfortable.
He ducked his head.
    The words of her father’s grace hummed around
her, usually as familiar