Zeke (The Powers That Be, Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

break up with you because of that is a shallow…
bitch,” I repeated. I mean, how else could I describe her? “You’re
much better off without her.”
    He turned to
face the front again and I looked over to see I hadn’t convinced
him.
    “Hey. I mean
it. She sounds like a spoiled brat and will probably end up being
some gold-digging, opportunistic, blood-sucking leech of a skank
when she grows up.”
    This got a
chuckle out of him. Good. I hoped he was starting to see the light.
I mean, I didn’t know this girl and maybe I was judging her
unfairly, but what she’d done to my baby brother was uncalled for
and of course I’d come to his defense immediately. That’s what
family was for.
    “Damn, Scar,
Grammy’s gonna wash your mouth out with soap when you get home,” he
said looking over at me with a grin.
    “Now, see, I
love that you’re smiling. And I love that you’re being funny,” I
pointed out. Then I reached over and smacked the back of his head
as I said, “But what I don’t love is you cussing.”
    “Hey, I only
said ‘damn.’ You said a lot worse,” he whined as he fixed his hair
where I’d smacked him.
    “And I’ve got
ten years on you. Remember that,” I said cutting my eyes at him and
making him chuckle again.
    “Man, you’re
old…”
    “Oh, no you
did not just say that,” I semi-scolded, reaching to smack his head
again but he dodged it, and just like that, things were fine,
Candice, hopefully, a thing from the past for him now.
    Lane was a
good-looking kid who was very athletic and had an awesome
personality. Every time I saw him at his games or anything else he
participated in, the girls flocked all over him. He just needed to
choose more carefully the next time and avoid all the Candices of
the world, and I told him so.
    “What’s for
dinner?” he asked when I finished and I knew his mood was much
improved if he was hungry.
    “Cheeseburger
macaroni.”
    “Sweet!” Well,
that put a smile on his face and mine too. “You coming to my game
tomorrow?”
    “Wouldn’t miss
it for the world,” I said, reaching over and mussing his hair. He
played on the freshman basketball team and was their best player.
He also was the quarterback on the football team and he’d move on
to baseball this spring where he was an ace at pitching. I was so
friggin’ proud of him.
    “Hey! Watch
the hair. Chicks dig this look,” he said, running his fingers
through his locks to fix it again.
    “Oh, they ‘dig
it,’ huh? What are we, in a Brady Bunch episode?” I said
laughing.
    “The Brady
who?”
    I gave him a
“get real” look. “Man, I’m slipping as a big sister. That’s it.
More TV Land for you. And speaking of big sis duties.” I
turned on my radio that was always set to a rock station and a
Nirvana song now blared from my speakers. “Name the song and the
group and you won’t have to do dishes tonight.”
    At his groan I
laughed again. We’d been playing this game since he was, like,
seven, so he shouldn’t have been surprised.
    “’Smells Like
Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana,” he mumbled then almost mechanically held
up his hand.
    I hit his hand
giving him a lame high five which was our tradition when he guessed
something right. “Awesome. So, I’ve got a proposition for you. If
you’ll do the dishes anyway, I’ll give you five dollars,” I
bargained. I had a bit left from Zeke’s tip, so why not use it for
good.
    “Man. You and
your deals,” he groused but I could tell he liked my offer.
“Okay.”
    “Great. I’ve
gotta go back to do some filing at the Dean’s office, so help
Grammy out ‘cause you know she’ll try to do everything.”
    “I’ll try but
you know how she is,” he muttered.
    “I do know.
That’s why you need to try harder.”
    We got home
where I made dinner but skipped eating because I had to get back to
work.
    “I should be
back around seven. Make sure to help out and do your homework,
bud.” I gave Lane a look making sure he knew I was