Page 212 of Rock Me All Night
I step back, breaking from his touch. His hands go back to his sides. Suddenly, I'm cold. It's seventy degrees and sunny and I'm cold.
"That's not the spirit of the game," I say.
Drew drops into his serious voice. "Do you want to move back to San Francisco to work at your mom's company?"
"It's a great opportunity."
"Yes or no."
"You can't say 'yes or no' in that voice, like that gives you some right to my feelings. I have to take that job. She needs me. She doesn't have anyone else and work is the only place she isn't miserable."
"So what?"
"She's my mom."
His voice is soft. "Kara."
"I know my name." I take another step back, my gaze on the sidewalk. There's a jagged crack going straight through the middle of it. "It will make her happy and I'll make twice as much money."
"Since when do you care about money?"
I shrug. "Everyone needs money."
Drew steps toward me. He brings his hand to my cheek with a delicate touch. "Will it make you happy?"
I look into his eyes for a second. It's too much. I have to look away.
"You applied to grad school for a reason," he says.
"It was no big deal."
"Bullshit." He drops his hand to his sides.
Everything is spinning again. It's so much harder to stay upright without him touching me. I lean against the car to keep my balance.
"You take any tests?" He asks.
"The CBEST is easy."
"You write an essay?"
"Three."
"Did you have an interview?"
"Yes."
"Did you volunteer at a school to get a feel for teaching?"
"That was for my tutoring job."
He grabs my forearm, his voice stern. "Look me in the eyes, Kara."
I do. His eyes are this gorgeous clear brown. Bright and dark all at once. This is my best friend. His gaze shouldn't feel so intense. It shouldn't feel like he's picking me apart. But it does.
"Truth or dare," he says.
"We were over this."
