Curtis Read Online Free

feet, too big for his
growing body, hadn’t been all that helpful. Curtis had hit her full tilt and
took them both to the ground. When he managed to roll off her she was
unconscious, bloodied, and still holding onto the stupid ball.
    He’d been grounded for a week. His
mother had lectured him for an hour then his father had come into his room and
sat on his bed. He didn’t say anything for a long while, simply sat and stared
at the wall across from them. And when he did speak Curtis had been so grateful
and so relieved that he’d never forgotten it.
    “Girls want more than they should have. I’m
not talking about jobs, mind you. Some of the women I work with should be in
charge instead of the idiots that are there now. No, I’m talking about playing.”
He stopped talking and Curtis looked at him.
    “Playing? You mean sex?” His dad looked
at him and smiled and Curtis knew that’s not what he meant. “You mean football?”
    “Yes, sometimes. It could be a girl
might think she’s built for it; some are, but there are ones that simply want to
do it because someone told them they couldn’t. Like little Kylie. Her daddy
doesn’t let her run wild like you boys do. Probably thinks he’s protecting her,
but he’s only hurting her. Maybe she’ll figure it out, maybe not.” He looked at
him. “You understand what I’m saying?”
    Curtis thought about it. Did he? He wasn’t
sure, but he was going to try his best. “She wants to play with us because her
daddy told her she couldn’t. She doesn’t even care that she can’t do it well,
she just wants to…to prove that she can.”
    His dad laughed. “Something like that. Like
your grades. Remember how that teacher told your mom and me you’d never amount
to much because you had your head in the clouds? What did I tell you then?”
    “That I could do whatever I wanted so
long as I did it with honesty and with all my heart.” Curtis looked at his dad
as he continued. “You’re saying that she’s been told she’s a girl and needs to
stay on her porch and wait for some boy to come along and care for her. But she
doesn’t like it any better than we would.”
    His dad had stood up and ruffled his
hair. “Kylie Washington isn’t always going to have everything handed to her. Someday,
someone is going to have to come along and show her how to survive. But as
Hunters we can give her a few lessons now to prepare her. Curtis, you were
playing. So was she. If she got hurt it was not only your fault, but hers as
well. But more her daddy’s. You owned up to what you’d done, got her care, and
even stayed with her until someone took her to the hospital. I’m proud of you,
son.”
    He’d walked out of his room and Curtis
went to his desk. He pulled out his application to Yale and studied it. He was
graduating from high school in twenty-three days and then to college. He’d only
had three weeks to make a boy out of her.
    Curtis was in the shower when his
brother said his name. He’d come in there when he was sure it was empty and
simply wanted to be left alone with his memories. He’d been cruel to Kylie. Not
that he regretted kissing her, but—
    “What the hell is wrong with you?”
    He looked over at Daniel, who was
standing just outside the showers in his suit and tie.
    “She said you kissed her.”
    Curtis turned off the shower and grabbed
his towel. “You can tell her it won’t happen again. Did you get her to go over
those proposals I made up?” Curtis hoped he’d go away when he went to his
locker, but when he came out of the changing room he was still there. Curtis
tried to ignore him.
    “You were in charge of the paper. Mom
said you were the best at getting the point across without being a hothead.” Daniel
snorted. “I would have normally thought so too, but after this morning I’m not
so sure.”
    He agreed with him silently and
continued to dress. But apparently Daniel wasn’t going to be put off nor, it
seemed, was he going to do as he’d