Mia Like Crazy Read Online Free Page A

to know more. I laid my fork down on my plate and gave her my full attention.
    “I turned the anger I felt in on myself,” she continued. “But Drew’s anger turned outward. I like to think things would have been better if we’d met sooner. You know, kindred spirits and all—I’ve really only known he was my brother for less than a year. Before that, he was just ‘the infamous Drew Larson.’”
    “So, he was infamous before you knew him?” I prodded, although I suspected I didn’t want any part of what was coming.
    “Yes. There was...an... incident , a really horrible incident. I guess there’s no good way to say it. He won’t go into any detail about it. In fact, he only mentions it, in general, when he’s trying to scare people off. Anyway, this is what I’ve gleaned from the newspaper articles and gossip.” She cleared her throat. “When Drew was eighteen, and a senior in high school, he was rejected by a girl he was interested in, and she was very harshwhen she turned him down. In fact, she publicly humiliated him at school.” Meridith’s face held a sad, far-away look, as though she was picturing what she was describing.
    “A few weeks later, Drew and the girl both ended up at the same party. She’d had a lot to drink, and she led him to believe she’d changed her mind about him. They went off by themselves, and perhaps she sobered up or maybe she wanted to taunt him again. I don’t know.”
    Meridith paused, making it clear the most distressful information was still to come. “In the police report, she said that she told him to stop, and he didn’t. At least that’s what the court decided. He went to prison for two years.”
    “He’s a convicted rapist?” I asked incredulously.
    “And everyone around here believes it, but it’s never rung true to me,” Meridith said. “It takes a while to get to know Drew at all, but the more I do, the less I can believe he would hurt anyone—I don’t want to mislead you, though. He’s never denied it.”
    I took a sip of my tea so I wouldn’t have to say anything for a moment. I had no idea what the appropriate reply was to information like this.
    Despite his rudeness, and the odd behavior I’d witnessed, I was having a difficult time thinking of Drew Larson as a rapist. All my life, I’d relied on my built-in “creep radar.” It had always served me well, even in my days as an unsupervised child in the housing projects. Why didn’t I feel it when I was with him?
    There was still cobbler on my plate, but I pushed it aside. I was queasy. Was I more sickened by the abuse Drew and Meridith had suffered or the fact that the man I’d met an hour ago had been convicted of sexual assault?
    After a few moments of silence, I asked, “And what does he do now?”
    “He spends most of his time alone in his apartment as though he doesn’t want to interact with anyone. I talked him into going to counseling, and he acts as if it’s a big joke, but I think it’s helping.”
    “Oh, yeah, I can tell,” I said sarcastically, then instantly regretted my words. Meridith had been nothing but nice to me, and Drew was her brother.
    But she kept talking as though she hadn’t noticed. “He’s never gotten a break of any kind until inheriting this money. Unfortunately, the biological father we share had a cruel sense of humor. He was aware of Drew’s situation all along, even though he never came forward to claim him or help him. I learned from my father’s lawyer that after Drew was convicted, my father added the ‘marriage clause,’ knowing it would be the hardest condition to fulfill as an inmate or convicted rapist.”
    “Does Drew know that marriage clauses are invalid?”
    She nodded. “I tried to get him to challenge the will. He refused at first, and when I looked into it further, I was told there’s a no-challenge clause. But something’s changed Drew’s mind now and that’s why he needs you—to figure all this out. My attorneys wouldn’t