The Twilight Swimmer Read Online Free Page B

nearly fell out. “Are you serious? They call me that?” His voice quavered a bit, full of wounded pride and embarrassment.
    “I’ve heard it. Probably just one or two people.”
    The boy danced forward and took the sucker out of his mouth, gesturing with the hand that held it, coming dangerously close to tapping Brandi with the sticky globe at the end of the stick. “Totally kidding! Everybody calls me that! Who do you think named me? Me, obviously. It’s a cool as hell nickname, right? If you got these legs, you gotta embrace ‘em, know what I mean?”
    She allowed herself a tiny smile. “Not everyone calls you Spider. Not your grandmother.”
    “She calls me Jesse. But you don’t get to call me that.” He grinned seductively. “Not until we’ve been dating awhile, anyway. I only like the way it sounds when it’s whispered.”
    “Your grandmother whispers it? That’s weird.”
    “No! Not my—” He laughed. “You’re difficult. Anyway, let me make it up to you. For being an asshole before. There’s a party tonight.”
    “When isn’t there a party?”
    “You’re way difficult. It’s tonight, it’ll kick ass. Invitation only, and you’re my plus one. If you want to be.”
    Brandi thought it over for a few seconds, and Spider took her hesitation as interest. He reached for her hand and pulled it up to his lips. “I know a yes when I see one.”
    “I did not say yes.”
    With a chuckle, Spider kissed the back of her hand. “Pick you up at, like, eleven. A block down from your house. And yes, I know where you live. Everybody knows where you live.” He let her hand drop, did a casual spin on his heels, and marched off down the hall, slapping lockers as he went.
    “I didn’t say yes!” Brandi hollered, but Spider only waved over his shoulder and kept walking.
    Brandi looked down at her hand where he had kissed her skin. He had left a sticky pair of lips.
    Blue lips.

             
    CHAPTER THREE
     
    Brandi sat in the front room with her parents, watching television. A nature program, the only thing her father enjoyed. The news was too depressing, history was too depressing, sports were depressing unless your team was winning, and reality shows were a sign of the coming apocalypse. As to scripted shows: “If somebody made it up out of thin air,” he would say, “I can’t take it seriously.” That left nature, preferably underwater footage or jungle footage. “You can keep your lions of the Serengeti,” he would say. “They’re just jerks.” Tonight, an adventurous host was tramping through the Columbian jungle in search of a rare, poisonous snake. Her father was rapt with anticipation, her mother was flipping through home decorating magazines, and Brandi was watching the clock.
    It was five minutes past eleven.
    She sighed, frustrated with herself for getting excited at the thought of a party with Spider. And now, as she should have predicted, he was standing her up. She slipped off the couch and made for the stairs.
    “Bed already, Brandiwine? It’s Friday and you’re a teenager,” said Conrad with a hint of paternal concern in his voice.
    Brandi was about to fake a yawn and make her escape when she heard a honk outside the house. It sounded like it was coming from a distance. About a block down the street, in fact.
    “Actually, Candace and Lacy are picking me up. Gotta go!” Brandi sped toward the front door.
    Conrad eyed her suspiciously, while Sherri lowered her magazine to do the same. “A little notice would be nice, young lady. I don’t like you running out spontaneously, like this.”
    “It’s not spontaneous, Mom. It’s Candace and Lacy.”
    Conrad reached for his wife’s hand and gave it a quieting pat. “She told me earlier. I forgot to mention it.” It was a lie. He was covering for Brandi. They shared a conspiratorial glance, each of them suppressing a grin. “Are you staying overnight at Lacy’s?”
    “That’s the plan, I think. Yup, that’s