Gina and Mike Read Online Free Page A

didn’t tell her about the rape, only that Mike and I were having a tough time. Saturday was more or less a repeat of Friday. Mike picked me up after work and we went to the movies and then to the woods. He ended up just holding me like the night before.
    “You’re not going to end up like Dave and Diane, are you?” Sue asked.
    My eyes spat fire. “It’s not that bad. Just a little rough right now.”
    “OK. Just checking. Cause I really like Mike.”
    “Me, too,” I said.  “Sometimes maybe too much.”
     
    ****
     
    I wasn’t prepared to see the bastard at the gas station on Monday, but just as I rammed the nozzle into my gas tank he slid into the pump in front of me. I didn’t look at him. I looked at the ground and then at the pump and then back down at the ground. When the nozzle clicked, I hung it up, screwed on the cap and headed inside to pay. When I came out, Smith was waiting by my car. He had a doozy of a black eye.
    “Look, Gina,” he said. “About Thursday night. Sorry that happened. Guess I got a little out of hand.”
    “A little? No, I’d say a lot, you fuckin’ pig. And don’t you ever think about touching me again.”
    He kicked the ground. “Well, remember what I said. Keep what happened between you and me and Mike gets to be a star. Don’t, and he might just have the worst baseball season ever.”
    My eyes threw daggers.  I knew I had to be brave. I couldn’t appear weak, even though I was shaking and felt fear choking me. I needed to let him know that I meant business. I had practiced what I would say all day Sunday if and when I had the chance to confront him. I just had to keep calm and not lose my nerve.
    “First, I hate your fuckin’ guts and the only reason I’m not saying anything to anyone is because I love Mike and want the best for him. But I have another condition.”
    He tilted his badass bald head. “What?”
    “I get an A in your class.”
    “But you’re barely passing.”
    “Guess that means I’ll be your miracle student.”
    He twisted his lips into a smirk. “No one would believe you anyhow.”
    “Fine with me if you want to take that chance.”
    He kicked the ground again. “OK. You get the A. Slut!”
    He walked toward the store to pay for his gas and I sped away as fast as I could. When I could no longer see the store in my rear-view mirror, I took a huge deep breath.  I couldn’t believe what I had just pulled off.  Somehow I was believable. Even if Smith wouldn’t have agreed to the A, I still wouldn’t have told anyone what he had done because of Mike. But at least now I didn’t have to worry about calc any more. I got an A.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
     
    Mike
     
     
    I hate funerals but Mom shamed me into going. She reminded me, as if I needed to be reminded, that if it hadn’t been for Coach Smith, I wouldn’t have gotten a full ride to Madison. And, if I hadn’t gotten into Madison, I wouldn’t have met Lisa my senior year. And If I wouldn’t have met Lisa my senior year, I wouldn’t have Jack. And Jack is the best thing in my life. He’s the only good thing that ever came out of my marriage to Lisa. 
    When Jeremy called and told me Coach dropped over dead while mowing the lawn, I about had a heart attack. Turned out, that’s exactly what happened to Coach. His wife was looking out the kitchen window when she saw him fall to the ground. By the time she reached him, he was dead. Damn. When your time’s up, it’s up. No negotiating. No pleading. Nothing. You’re dead. End of story.  
    Guess you never know for sure how your life’s going to turn out. I thought I was going to marry my high school sweetheart, Gina McKenzie. God, I loved that girl. And I thought she loved me. Sometimes when Jack’s over at Lisa’s, I dig out the old yearbook and read what she wrote in it.
     
    Mike,
    To the love of my life forever and always. Thank you for loving me and for always being there for me. When we’re old