Read Walking Disaster for Free Online

“Did
you
study?”
    Abby frowned. “No amount of studying is going to help me with biology. It’s just not something I can wrap my head around.”
    I stood, nodding toward the door. “C’mon.”
    “What?”
    “Let’s go get your notes. I’m going to help you study.”
    “Travis . . .”
    “Get your ass up, Pidge. You’re gonna ace that test.”
    The next three seconds might have been the longest of my life. Abby finally stood. She passed America and tugged on her hair. “See you in class, Mare.”
    She smiled. “I’ll save you a seat. I’ll need all the help I can get.”
    I held the door open for her as we left the cafeteria, but she didn’t seem to notice. Again, I was only horrifically disappointed.
    Shoving my hands in my pockets, I kept pace with her during the short walk to Morgan Hall, and then I watched as she fidgeted with her door key.
    Abby finally pushed the door open, and then tossed her biology book onto the bed. She sat down and crossed her legs, and I fell onto the mattress, noting how stiff and uncomfortable it was. No
wonder all the girls at this school were cranky. They couldn’t possibly get a good night’s rest on these damn mattresses. Jesus.
    Abby turned to the correct page of her textbook, and I went to work. We went over the key points of the chapter. It was kind of cool how she watched me while I talked. Almost like she was both
hanging on to every word, and amazed that I knew how to read. A few times I could tell by her expression that she didn’t understand, so I’d go back over it, and then her eyes would
brighten. I started working hard for the lights-on look on her face after that.
    Before I knew it, it was time for her to go to class. I sighed, and then smacked her playfully on the head with her study guide.
    “You got this. You know this study guide backward and forward.”
    “Well . . . we’ll see.”
    “I’m going to walk you to class. I’ll quiz you on the way.” I waited for a polite rejection, but she offered a small smile and nodded.
    We walked into the hall, and she sighed. “You’re not going to be mad if I flunk this test, are you?”
    She was worried if I was going to be mad at her? I wasn’t sure what I should think about that, but it felt pretty fucking awesome.
    “You’re not going to flunk, Pidge. We need to start earlier for the next one, though,” I said, walking along with her to the science building. I asked her question after
question. She answered most right away, some she hesitated about, but she got them all correct.
    We reached the door of her classroom, and I could see the appreciation on her face. She was too proud to admit it, though.
    “Kick ass,” I said, not really knowing what else to say.
    Parker Hayes passed by and nodded. “Hey, Trav.”
    I hated that douche. “Parker,” I said, nodding back.
    Parker was one of those guys that liked to follow me around and use his White Knight status to get laid. He liked to refer to me as a womanizer, but the truth was, Parker just played a more
sophisticated game. He wasn’t honest about his conquests. He pretended to care and then let them down easy.
    One night our freshman year, I took Janet Littleton home from the Red Door to my apartment. Parker was trying to get lucky with her friend. We went our separate ways from the club, and after I
bagged her and didn’t pretend to want a relationship afterward, she called her friend all pissed off to come get her. The friend was still with Parker, so he ended up taking Janet home.
    After that, Parker had a new story to tell his conquests. Whatever girl I bagged, he usually swept up my sloppy seconds by recounting the time he saved Janet.
    I tolerated him, but only just barely.
    Parker’s eyes targeted Pigeon and immediately lit up. “Hey, Abby.”
    I didn’t understand why Parker was so insistent on seeing if he could land the same girls I did, but he’d had class with her for several weeks and was just now showing interest.