Falling for Colton (Falling #5) Read Online Free Page B

ride, but you gotta take care of her. Any problems, Mr. Boyd will be able to help. He’s the auto shop teacher at the high school. Do NOT let Mom or Dad take it to some fucking piece of shit garage, they’ll just fuck it up. Take it to Mr. Boyd. Got it?”
    He nods, serious. “Got it.”  
    I hesitate, then spit it out. “Kyle, it’s not that I didn’t notice you. It’s just…I had trouble in school, so I had to work a lot harder than everyone else at shit that comes easy to someone like you. And, honestly, I didn’t want to pull you into my mess. I haven’t been the best brother. I get that, and I’m sorry.”
    He meets my gaze, nods. His expression is knowing, and serious, and understanding. “It’s okay, Colt. I could always tell that Dad’s a lot harder on you than he is on me. It’s not really fair, is it?”
    I scrub my hands through my hair. “Not really. But he’s good to you, so that’s all you need to know about. I’m not gonna talk shit about Dad to you, because that’s issues between him and me. It doesn’t have anything to do with you, so don’t worry about it.”
    “But he’s making you leave, and you don’t know where you’re going, or when you’ll be back.”
    “Pretty much. Although, if I’d let him make me go to some Ivy League university, I could have stayed here, kept the Camaro, all that. But I can’t go to college. I just can’t. So I made this choice. And like I said, I just hope you never have to understand why I left. Just know…it wasn’t because of you, okay?”
    A nod. “Okay. It sucks, though.”
    “It does suck,” I agree. “Now scram, so I can finish this.”
    He unfolds from the driver’s seat, reluctantly. Yeah, he’ll take care of my baby, that’s for sure.  
    “Kyle?” He looks up at me. “Make sure this gets started and run once a month, or have Mr. Boyd winterize it for storage until you’re old enough to drive. It can’t just sit here. Since it’s gonna be yours, you gotta start taking responsibility for it.”
    He nods. “I will. I promise.” He lunges at me, wraps his arms around my waist, squeezes hard and fast, and lets go. “Bye, Colt.”  
    I don’t know what to do with the hug, so I just pat him on the shoulder awkwardly. “Bye, Golden Boy.”  
    An embarrassed grin. “Shut up.”  
    I watch him trot away with the boundless energy of an eleven-year-old, jumping to swipe at a low-hanging branch, tripping over a root and righting himself, kicking an acorn.  

    *   *   *

    It all comes to a head three months almost to the day from graduation.  
    I’m hanging out on the dock, eight at night, pretty early for me, but Lacey has to leave for MSU first thing tomorrow morning. I’ve just dropped her off for the last time, and I’m feeling good about our rough and wild goodbye-romp. I’m high, but not too high. Coming down. Smoking a cigarette. Waiting for him, basically.  
    “Colton. Put that nasty thing out,” he says by way of hello. I flick the butt out into the water. “I didn’t mean throw it into the lake, you degenerate.”  
    I just wait. Slump lower in the Adirondack chair and watch the moon glint off the gently lapping waves.  
    “Well?” He stands behind me, tapping a toe, arms crossed.  
    “Well what?” I ask, not turning around.
    “Which college did you get into?” He says this expectantly. “You had an easy in at three of them. Which one did you decide on?”  
    Asshole, acting like he doesn’t damn well know. Just wants to make a scene out of it.  
    I scuff the heel of my Wolverine boot on the wood of the deck. “I didn’t apply to any of them.”  
    “You what?” I hear him take a step closer. “Tell me I didn’t hear you correctly.”  
    I stand up and push past him. “I have an interview, though. It’s at Hemingway Auto on Thursday. The owner, Jimmy, does custom tuning on the side, so I’m gonna angle for that.”  
    “We had a deal, Colton.”  
    I stop and jab a finger at him.