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

friends She was there for me when I found out Ty was on the way (trust me, I wasnt very happy about that at the time). She was there for me when I stumbled into her house after reading my moms letter, tears of rage blinding me, clenching and unclenching my fists. She has seen the good, the bad, and everything in between that makes me who I am. Dont get me wrong: Creed was there through a lot of that, too, but Anna gets me in a way that he cant. Its not his fault or anyone elses. It just is.
    It also helps that she worships the ground Ty walks on. Trust me, it could have been so much easier for her to walk away and not look back like Mom did. But she didnt, and you have to admit, that takes balls. Annas one of the few people that Ty trusts and has no problem letting her watch him if I need to pick up a couple of extra shifts at the store. Shes the only one who pretends to get his whole vegetarian phase (and I know its just a phase; no brother of mine is going to eat like that forever). She has been there for him better than any woman ever was to him, and I think he needs that every now and then. He cant look up to just me for the rest of his life, right?
    Otter sets her down and leans over to whisper something in her ear. She laughs and slaps his shoulder, and I hear her say “Of course Im still watching out for him! Who else is going to call him on his bullshit?” They both look back at me, and Anna sticks out her tongue. I flash mine back. Otter rolls his eyes and mumbles something about “kids these days.” They walk back over to the register where I still stand.
    “Wheres the Kid?” she asks me.
“Watching something gross with Creed,” I say.
She smiles sympathetically. “That show on killing cows?” “Yeah. Howd you know?”
    “He told me about it last week when I was babysitting him.” Anna looks over at Otter and whispers conspiratorially, “He didnt want me to tell Bear because he said Bear would be too scared to watch it.” I scowl as Otter laughs. Just because apparently nobody I know is normal like me.
“So, Otter, what brings you back home? Getting too famous for California already?” she asks him.
    He shrugs nonchalantly. “Just felt like I needed to come home for a little bit, I guess. Hey, wheres the soy ice cream? I promised the Kid some after he drank my beer.” Anna points toward the end of the store. “Ill be right back,” he says, walking away.
    Anna looks after him for a moment then turns to me. She leans forward a little bit, as if we are going to be overheard. “So whats going on with him?”
“I dont know. Why would I know?”
    “He didnt tell you why he came back home? He never just comes back to Seafare like this. He hasnt been back for over a year. And,” she says, quieter, “he seems a little sad.” This takes me by surprise. I hadnt noticed anything like that, and I tell Anna shes projecting, a word she learned in her Psych 101 class that she uses on me all the time. She slaps me on the shoulder and goes to help a woman who looks older than God and apparently needed to come out into the rain to buy sandwich bags. And thats it.
“Has it been busy tonight?” I ask, looking around.
    She shrugs as she takes the womans money. “A little bit. It picked up again once it started raining, but Mary is here so it wasnt too bad.” Mary is another cashier we work with who smells like menthols and Juicy Fruit. I dont know where she gets the gum from because I dont think they even make it anymore. Anna says shes got a stockpile of it at her house that she bought years ago. I think shes joking, though. I hope shes joking.
    Otter comes back, setting the ice cream on the conveyer belt. I dont think he looks sad. He looks like Otter. Anna doesnt know what shes talking about. What would he have to be sad about? He has a killer job, gets paid lots of money. I am sure hes got a cool house or apartment or something. He doesnt have to worry about someone depending on him to survive. Hes not