Lying to Live Read Online Free

Julius?”
    Julius turned off his iPod and said, “Nothing much. Still trying to wake up. I haven’t been sleeping much lately.”
    â€œI’m right there with you. Did you hear about that store clerk getting blasted a few nights ago?”
    Julius lowered his eyes and said, “Yeah, I heard about it. Remy was cool. I hate that somebody took him out like that.”
    Domingo moved closer to Julius and said, “Word on the street is that Viper did it.”
    There it was. Julius didn’t want to think about it or even admit it to himself, but now it was a reality for sure. Viper was approximately twenty years old and had long blond dreadlocks. He had a long criminal history and spent most of his juvenile life in and out of jail. Now he had graduated to murder, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do to stay out of jail, including killing Julius.
    â€œWho told you Viper did it?” Julius asked curiously as he looked around to make sure no one could hear their conversation.
    â€œI said it was word on the street,” Domingo replied. “There’s also a rumor that the police are going door to door, looking for somebody who might’ve seen something or been in the store at the time.”
    Julius’s heart started pounding in his chest. He knew he couldn’t trust the police.
    â€œWhat kind of witness?” Julius asked.
    â€œI don’t know, but if Viper finds out there’s somebody out there who could get him locked, there’s going to be another murder.”
    Concerned for his safety even more, Julius asked, “Who told you all this information?”
    â€œBro, I told you it’s just talk in the streets. If you hung out on the basketball court more often, you would know what was going on.”
    Julius shook his head and said, “I know, but my time is going to be even shorter now that I have a tutor to help me with my grades, especially in algebra.”
    Domingo playfully pushed him and said, “I didn’t know you were failing algebra.”
    Julius pushed him back and said, “I’m not failing, but I have a C, and I want to bring it up.”
    â€œThat’s cool,” Domingo replied as the bus pulled up.
    As the teens waited their turn to get on the bus, Domingo turned to Julius and said, “I’d better see you on the basketball court on the days you’re not getting tutored, because I know you and I both know you have game.”
    â€œI’ll be there,” Julius answered as they found a seat together on the bus. On the ride to school Julius’s heart rate accelerated again as he thought about Viper. If what Domingo had said was true, he was going to have to watch his back very carefully and make sure Viper never found out he was the witness the police were trying to flush out.

Chapter Three
    Denim sat in the library with Dré as she waited for her new client at the physical therapy clinic where she assisted as a technician. Both were studying for upcoming exams, and this also gave them a little time to spend together before they had to go their separate ways. Denim was off work today, but Dré had to meet the basketball team in the weight room for weight training. Just then her cell phone vibrated. She read the message and then blushed. She looked up at Dré and whispered, “You are going to have to stop sending me these nasty messages. What if my parents accidentally see them?”
    â€œI can’t help myself,” he admitted to her. “It’s your responsibility to delete them out of your phone. I love you, so you’re going to get messages like that from me. I’m joking around most of the time, but you know how I feel about you.”
    Tears formed in Denim’s eyes as she got up, walked around the table, and hugged his neck. She gave him a tender kiss on the lips and said, “I love you too, Dré.”
    â€œI’d better go,” he said, then stood and gave