Running on Empty Read Online Free

the car and crossed his arms on the edge of the passenger window. “Kyle,” he said, nodding across Pete at his buddy’s brother behind the wheel.
    “Hey, man,” said Kyle.
    “You finally going back to school?” Ethan asked, nodding at the backpack on the seat behind him. Its Velcro flap had opened, spilling a
Physics for the Future
textbook onto the worn black leather.
    Kyle didn’t crack a smile. Even though it had been three years since he’d dropped out, school was still a sore point with him. When he lost his job at the chocolate factory and couldn’t make his rent, he’d had to move back home. The only person in the house who hadn’t minded was Pete, who bummed rides from his brother as often as he could. “You’re funny as cancer, Palmer,” Kyle grunted.
    “Where’re your books?” Pete asked.
    Ethan shrugged. “I’m cutting today.”
    “You think that’s such a great idea after banging up your dad’s car?” said Pete.
    Kyle rolled his eyes at Ethan. “How do you put up with this guy, Palmer? Sometimes I figure the maternity ward lost my real brother and gave us this pussy instead.”
    Ethan grinned. “What d’you say the three of us pick up some pints and hang out by the Arm?” He always enjoyed spending time beside the inlet that opened to the Atlantic Ocean, enjoyed watching the water that was always dotted with sailboats during unseasonably warm days like this one in the middle of October. The ultimate revenge of retirees.
    “I dunno,” smirked Kyle. “That probably means Petey here won’t get his perfect attendance medal.”
    “Screw you,” Pete scowled. “Besides, didn’t you tell Selena you’d help her finish packing this morning?”
    Ethan raised his eyebrows. “She got you whipped already?” he asked Kyle. “Better be careful she doesn’t pack up your balls while she’s at it.”
    Pete chuckled as Kyle flushed, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel. “Guess it’s nothing she can’t handle herself,” he muttered.
    “Get in,” said Pete, opening the door and sliding out. Pulling his seat forward, he added, “Might as well get familiar with the back seat. You and Allie’ll be enjoying it soon enough, right?”
    The smile on Ethan’s face dissolved into a hard line. He’d talked of little else besides the Cobra with Allie during the past two days, only to have his old man ruin everything in two minutes. He thrust himself through the opening behind the front seat, inadvertently bumping his head against the metal door frame in the process. “Son of a bitch!”
    “You okay, man?” asked Pete.
    “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. “Just whacked my head.”
    “As long as that’s the
only
thing you’re whacking back there,” muttered Kyle as Pete repositioned his seat, climbed back into the car, and yanked the door closed. Kyle hit the turn signal, punched a hole in the morning traffic, then turned left onto Cloister Drive. Of course, Ethan had stopped thinking of it as “Cloister” ever since Seth had dubbed it “Clitoris Drive.” One-track mind, that Seth.
    “Your dad give you a hard time this morning?” Pete asked.
    Rubbing the side of his head, Ethan replied, “Making me pay for the damages.”
    Pete turned to look at him over the seat. “How much is the deductible?”
    Ethan sighed. “I have to pay the whole shot.” He felt the worn leather of the seat beneath his fingertips, felt the throb of the motor pulling them forward. Felt his anger flare again.
    Pete whistled. “That’ll run you some serious coin, man.”
    “You
think?
” Ethan muttered.
    “Any idea how much?” asked Kyle.
    “Everything I’ve got. Maybe more, depending on what he gets for an estimate.”
    Frowning, Kyle glanced at him in the mirror again. “So where’s that leave
us?
”
    Ethan shrugged, turned to look out the window.
    “You know I got somebody else who wants her,” said Kyle.
    “Yeah. I know.”
    Except for the throaty rumble from the Cobra’s muffler, they