Rebels of the Lamp, Book 1 Read Online Free Page A

stop and they turned on me! I should
be getting some kind of a reward!”
    “Don’t. Don’t even...Just don’t.”
    Parker shut his mouth. His mom was wearing her Denny’s uniform, and she smelled like French toast and pancake syrup. That meant that the school called her at work, and
that
meant
that she had to get someone to cover the rest of her shift, and
that
meant that her boss, Antonio, was not happy, and that was bad news for everyone involved.
    “When I think about what a pain it was to move just so you could be in a better school district...” She trailed off. A lot of people told Parker that he looked like his mom. They
both had dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Nobody ever told Parker he looked like his dad.
    “You know you broke that kid’s nose, right? We’ll be lucky if his parents don’t sue. His dad’s a lawyer. Or a tax guy. Something like that. That’s just what
we need.”
    She stopped the car at a red light. Parker looked up at a palm tree. In the movies, they seemed so glamorous, but they were everywhere in LA. This one was outside a liquor store with a broken
sign.
    Parker’s mother sighed. Her sarcastic tone was gone when she spoke again.
    “I’m trying, Parker. I’m trying so hard, but I’m doing it all alone, and you’re not helping me. It’s just...” She looked out her window.
“It’s just not working.”
    The light turned and the car drove on, the two of them sitting in silence.
    “I talked to your principal, and I talked to your school counselor, and they suggested that maybe it might be a good idea if you spent some time someplace where you could stay out of
trouble. Someplace with a yard and some fresh air where you could take a break and maybe make a fresh start. We thought that maybe if you stayed with your cousin for a while in New
Hampshire...”
    Parker was stunned. He had expected the usual riot act, the yelling, the empty threats. He hadn’t expected this.
    “You’re sending me
away
?”
    “No! No!” said his mom. “Just for a little while.”
    Parker couldn’t believe it.
    “It’s hard for you here. I’m working all these double shifts, and you’re alone half the time. It’s not good for you. And you need some positive male influence in
your life.”
    Parker let that one sit there. He knew she was talking about his dad, and he knew that she was right. Parker’s father was nobody’s role model.
    “Let’s just try it. Let’s both agree that it’s an experiment and that we’ll both try to look at it like it’s a positive thing. It’ll be an
adventure.”
    Parker sulked. “Yeah, New Hampshire is known for adventure.”
    “It won’t be for forever. Just until things improve a little bit.”
    “So this is a done deal, then? I don’t even get a say in it at all? I thought this was a democracy.”
    “Don’t be so dramatic, Parker. You’re not going to a mental institution. You’re going to New England.”
    “Same difference.”
    Parker’s mom’s voice turned cold again. “This is happening, buddy, so you might as well get used to the idea. I’ve already talked to your aunt Martha and uncle Kelsey.
You’re going this weekend.”
    “This weekend? I can’t go this weekend! I have things to do here!”
    “Really? Like what, exactly?”
    Parker opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He didn’t have anything planned. Not a single thing.
    “Really, Parker, what have you got to lose? What’s here that you’ll even miss? Maybe you’ll like it out there. You certainly don’t seem to like it here.”
    She had a point.
    “And it’s not like I’m abandoning you. You’re going now, and then I’m coming out in three weeks for Thanksgiving.”
    Parker shook his head. He knew his mother. That was never going to happen.
    “I am!” she said. “We’ll spend Thanksgiving together!”
    “Sure, unless you have to pick up an extra shift or you can’t afford the ticket.”
    “I’ll work it out.”
    “Or you decide to go see dad