Read T.J. Klune - Bear, Otter, and the Kid 1 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid for Free Online

the way that only kids can as Creed carries him back to the living room.
    Otter puts the glass on top of the picture, causing Creed and his mom to look all distorted and broken. He holds out his hand to help me up. I look at it for a moment.
“You ready?” he asks.
     
What a loaded question.
W
E RE in his car, after stopping at three gas stations, none of which carry
    soy ice cream. Big surprise, right? Otter suggests we go to the grocery store where I work, which is almost on the other side of town. It seems kind of weird because theres another store on the way that would probably have the gross stuff my brother eats, but I dont say anything. Its nice to get away for a little bit.
    I know how that sounds, okay? I know that Im in a kind of fucked-up situation with Ty and all, and Im doing my best but sometimes I just want to get away. I feel guilty about it, kind of like how I am feeling now, but every now and then, the sheer joy of it outweighs the guilt. I wonder, not for the first time, if this is how my mom felt. Is this what she was thinking when she decided to sit down and write those letters? That undeniable sense of freedom that seems to loom up out of nowhere? I can see how easy it would be to fall to it, to just get in the car and drive and drive and drive until everything around you is unfamiliar and nobody knows who you are and what youve just done. To start over and become anyone you want to be. Whos going to know the difference?
But then, reality sets in.
    Im nothing like her. Ive learned how to squash those thoughts quicker than they can take root. If I were to fall prey to it, like she did, then how am I any better than her? After she left, it took me a long time to be where I am at right now. I have a responsibility and not just to myself. What the hell would happen to Ty if he woke up one day and found me gone? I sometimes lay awake at night, these things floating around my head. I see him running from room to room, calling out my name, “ Bear, Bear, Bear! ” I see him picking up his cell phone with his little hands and calling me, only to find my number has been disconnected. What would he do then? I know for a fact he would never trust anybody ever again. He has a hard enough time doing it now. Thats about the time I always realize I could never do that, not to him, not to anyone. I am not my mom. I am not my mom. I have to be a good father—
    Shit.
Brother.
I meant brother.
Fuck. Not again.
I stare out the window. Its still raining.
    “
Y
OU cool?” Otter asks me as he shuts his door. I feel my clothes getting wet again, clinging against my skin. My nipples get hard and I blush. I fold my arms over my chest and nod to Otter and start walking inside. I hear him rush to catch up with me, and then he falls into step beside me.
    The automatic doors whoosh open and processed air washes over my skin, chilling it as goose flesh moves in. As soon as we get through the doorway, I hear my name. I look up and see Anna standing at a cash register, the magazine in her hand caught in mid-page turning. I smile weakly.
So Anna. And the grocery store.
    Lets go with the grocery store first
Its where Ive been working since I was sixteen. As soon as I was old enough, my mom said I needed to get a job to help out with the bills. Being
    sixteen and living in Seafare doesnt give you a whole lot of options. To be honest, being any age in Seafare doesnt give you a whole lot of options. It was either become a bagger or a busboy. Since my mom already worked at a restaurant at the time, I didnt want to take the chance of having to work with her all the time, so I chose bagger. Now Im a lead cashier. And before you all grow wide-eyed with amazement over my rags-to-riches story, its actually not that bad. I pretty much get to stand at the front desk and tell all the other cashiers what to do and when to go on break, stuff like that. Its kind of like being a manager without actually getting paid to be one. Oh, and the manager