Read Zeke for Free Online Page B

don’t look
like that, and that I needed to pay closer attention to the things I draw. When
I tried to explain it to her, she didn’t listen. So, I gave up.”
    “That’s a good example, bunny.” He
smiled at her and her insides warmed pleasantly.
    Sue desperately wanted Zeke to
think she was smart, cool, and edgy. Like him. The more he admired her, the
less she remembered that little gap-toothed awkward girl she had been, and the
more distance she could put between her present self and those childhood days
of mockery and torment. She hated the shame and pain when the other kids picked
on her. It was still difficult for her to work up the courage to talk to
strangers, or even people she’d known for a long time. Except for Zeke, he was
easy to talk to, and he always listened to every word she said as if nothing in
the world was more interesting. His stunning good looks were just a bonus. Sue
had never expected to feel self-confident, but Zeke boosted her morale like no
one else had ever done, and she was grateful.
    “I bet you could think of more
examples if you really tried. Anyway, the point is that schools are not for
education. In fact, they don’t really want the masses to be too intelligent.
They don’t want independent thinkers that might question the system. I figured
that out a long time ago. That’s why I don’t have much respect for college
degrees. Or even high school diplomas, for that matter. It’s all just
indoctrination.” Zeke’s eyes had a faraway look.
    Sue was practical enough to know
that most employers didn’t share Zeke’s opinion of education, but she kept
these thoughts to herself. Secretly, she hoped there would be a future for her
and Zeke. It worried her that he didn’t seem to have any desire to improve his
situation.
    “You don’t ever plan to go to
college?” she asked.
    “I don’t know.” He shrugged.
“Maybe. If I have to. I’m going try it my way first, though. Someday I’ll own
my own business, you just watch. And I won’t need a college degree to do it.
There are plenty of people out there, making it in the real world, and they
didn’t even finish high school. As far as I’m concerned, that whole college
thing is a rip-off.”
    “What about your career as a poet?”
Sue remembered their first conversation.
    “Poet? What are you talking about?”
    “You told me you wanted to be a
poet,” Sue said, surprised at his response.
    “Oh, yeah. Well, that’s a side
venture.” Zeke shot her a sharp glance. “Why are you acting so stuffy? What’s
your problem?”
    “I wish you didn’t think college is
a waste of my time,” Sue said plaintively. “I’ve already invested so much work
into it.”
    He gathered her into his arms and
nuzzled her neck.
    “I think you misunderstood me. I
don’t care if you go to college, baby. I wasn’t putting you down or anything.
I’m really proud of you. It’s like you’re scamming the system. You’re still
you, no matter what kind of garbage they stuff in your head. You’re sort of a
rebel inside. I love that about you. Nobody but me knows your wild side.”
    With these seductive words, the
situation stabilized. He slipped his hand into her jeans and fondled her. He
was right. She felt like a rebel as she moved against his fingers. Zeke
saw qualities in her that no one else did, and she loved him for it. In fact,
she found it addictive. She never tired of hearing his perceptions of her; even
the ones she felt were grossly inaccurate.
     
     

Daddy’s Bed
     
    They were in the back seat of the
van, parked near the lake. Zeke listened attentively to her recollection, not
interrupting once.
     
    “I was lying in bed with my father.
He was resting because he had to work the night shift that night. The bedroom
was dim and cool, but I felt warm, all snuggled up next to him. I had played
hooky from school, pretended to be sick that morning although I really felt
fine. He probably knew I wasn’t sick, but he hadn’t pressed