Read Freeing Carter for Free Online Page B

my little sister whenever she needs it , which is what really matters to me.
    " Story ," Sara whispers.
    " Can ' t sleep? "
    Her head shakes against my shoulder. Another groan tries to crawl up my throat , but I push it down. I grab a few books out of the basket by her bed , along with the flashlight she keeps on her table. There ' s a nightlight , too , but it ' s not bright enough for me to read. " Don ' t tell Mom or we ' ll get in trouble. " Which is a lie since Mom keeps a monitor in here , so I know she ' ll hear us anyway. Sara tries to reply , but it ' s one of her too-happy-to-speak-mumbles.
    And , of course , it ' s a Barney book , but I don ' t care. I read her six of them until she finally falls asleep.
    ***
    " D o you have plans after practice today? " Mom asks as I shovel a bite of Cookie Crunch into my mouth. Whoever the genius is who thought of turning chocolate chip cookies into cereal is my hero.
    " I don ' t think so. What ' s up? "
    " I have to go see your grandfather tonight. I didn ' t plan on it , but one of the nurses called me. She wants me to come in and talk to her. "
    Heat rolls over me. " Verbally abusing someone else , I ' m sure. He doesn ' t deserve any favors from you , M om . " How much does she think she can put on her shoulders? She ' s got enough to worry about without having to deal with the abusive asshole that made her childhood hell.
    " He ’s old and he ' s lonely. He misses Mom. He doesn ' t mean what he says. "
    " His whole life? And if he cares enough to miss her , maybe he should have treated her better. What was his excuse when — "
    " Carter! " She holds up a hand , her voice shaking. " I don ' t have time for this. He ' s my dad . It ' s my responsibility to take care of him. I ' m going to need your help because I don ' t want to leave Kira alone at the shop when she's still learning the ropes . I thought maybe you could go help her if she needs it. "
    It takes a couple minutes for me to calm down enough to think. Ignoring the fact that I really wish she ' d tell the asshole adios , my mind goes to what she asked. T his sounds like a terrible idea. Not that I don ' t want to go—actually it ' s that I do that makes me know I shouldn ' t . First , Mel gets all grumpy when it comes to other girls and we ' ve been fighting enough lately. Second , well , I kind of want to see this girl and I ' m thinking a guy shouldn ' t want to see another girl this much when he has a girlfriend. I have enough drama in my life already.
    " I don ' t know ... I should probably do some homework. " Actually , what I should do is take the probably out of that sentence because there ' s no question—I need to do some homework. A lot of it. And I ' m going to make myself this time , no matter what.
    " You can do it at the store. You ' ve done it before. She might not even need you , but I don ' t feel comfortable leaving her alone on her first day. "
    Ugh. I ' m not feeling this , but it ' s not like I ' d ever tell her no. " Fine. Whatever . But if I flunk out of high school , it ' s your fault. "
    Mom stills. " You ' re not really failing any of your classes , are you , Carter? "
    Yes . " I ' m not gonna fail anything. " I ' ve pulled my grades up before ; I can do it again.
    " You better not. " She kisses my forehead. " Thanks , kid. I don ' t know what I ' d do without you. You ' re growing up way too fast. " She looks at me , a little sad for a second , and then pulls away to call for my sister. " Sara! Come on , sweet pea. We need to get you to school. " And then to me. " See you around six. I love you. "
    " Later , Ma. " Her words stick with me. She ' s right. This is my last year at home. I don ' t know why I ' ve never really thought about it before. What ' s she going to do when I ' m gone? What ' s Sara going to do?
    Trying to ignore those thoughts , I toss my bowl in the sink. Five minutes behind them , I ' m out the door and on my way to school , too. Wondering how I ' m going to get my