Equilibrium Read Online Free Page B

holding on to her virginity, wearing it like a hoodie she could unzip for optimal impact when she was ready.
    “Am I supposed to tell you my answer before he even asks me? Take away all the suspense? What would be the fun in that?”
    Cam shoved her with the heel of his hand. “Quit it, Darcy. You’re such a pain in the ass.”
    “Umm.” She totally agreed with him. Even she had trouble swallowing how nasty she could get, how far she’d go to produce interesting reactions. Sometimes, she’d get really quiet inside, and her mind would slow down to listen to words she could hardly believe she was saying. Like the way she spoke to her mother this morning about going to Daddy’s grave.
    From this vile world, with vilest worms to dwell.
    Cam flipped his sweatshirt’s hood over his head. For warmth, he tucked his right hand into the sweatshirt’s left sleeve, his left hand into the right, a ritual he’d practiced since preschool. What would she do without her quirky Cam?
    Cam glanced over at her, responding to her unbending stare, the close scrutiny of his every move. He shook his head, stood up, and guzzled down the rest of his beer.
    She should really be nicer to Cam, instead of treating him like her brother. Cam refused to discuss her father, even though Cam’s father had been the first person her mother had called after finding Daddy’s body. She wondered what exactly her mom had said to Mr. Mathers. Something like, Uh, Tom, I think I found one of your guns. Then Mr. Mathers must’ve told Cam’s mom, energizing the story of her father’s last drama through the small town, leaving no one untouched. Each person took the story way too personally, like Cam, or not nearly personally enough.
    Heather and Nick crunched up the path, walking in perfect unison—right leg, left leg, arms swinging in agreement. Heather had told him. Everything. Why else would he be looking at her like that? Meeting her gaze, then staring at his feet, as if his shoes would tell him what to do next. Stay or flee.
    Darcy pulled her legs up under her, took a sip of beer, and stared out at the lake. Nature never shied away from you. Last week, she’d stood in the yard, catching snowflakes on her tongue. Another six weeks, and spring would come. Then white dandelions would pop up across yards all over town. Then little girls would close their eyes, blow on the fluff, and pray they’d remain their daddies’ sweethearts forever. Then her daddy would be gone for a whole year.
    Nick sat down right beside her, shoulder to shoulder, and took a beer. He held the can between his knees, depressed the tab, and hooked an arm around her shoulder. She didn’t mean to shudder from his touch.
    “I’m sorry about your dad,” he said. “I didn’t know.”
    She tried to gauge his level of pity, how repulsed he might be by the story of her life. His eyes didn’t give him away. Nick had moved to Greenboro a few weeks ago, and nobody had clued him in to one of the town’s most notorious former citizens—writer in residence and crazy person in residence Jack Klein. Well, good. The story must’ve finally died down and been replaced by more recent gossip. Come to think of it, Nick was the most recent gossip.
    The notion of their going out together suddenly made perfect sense.
    “I like your earring.” She slid her finger over the thin gold hoop straddling his left lobe, then dropped her hand when Nick didn’t look away.
    “Want it?” He fussed at his lobe and offered the earring to her. “I have others.” He pushed back her hair to reveal the diamond studs she always wore, a gift from her dad.
    On reflex, Darcy covered her earrings.
    “Okay.” Nick heaved a sigh and snapped the hoop back on his earlobe. “I don’t have a dad, either, you know.”
    “Is he dead?” It was a disgusting thought, but the very possibility of someone finally understanding actually excited her.
    “No, not dead. Just divorced. I only wish he were dead.”
    “Why?”