Free My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking Page A

I was so glad that I had never seen my mom date anyone ever. “So, um, what about school?”
    “I went for awhile, but I dropped out.” Jack shrugged again. “It just wasn’t my thing.”
    “What is your thing exactly?” I asked.
    As far as I could tell, working, school, having a relationship, doing anything that required any amount of responsibility just wasn’t his thing. What was my attraction to him? Then he laughed, looking over at me with an expression that was almost proud, and I remembered exactly what it was. “I’m still figuring it out.”
    “You’re still young,” Mom added quickly, trying to pull his attention back to her. “You have plenty of time to figure things out.”
    “That’s what I think,” Jack agreed, and when he looked back at her, she let out a moan of some kind, and that was it for me. I’d let her stare at him enough.
    “Well, we really should get going,” I announced abruptly.
    “What?” Mom looked sharply at me, her face getting this stricken expression. “Aren’t you staying for dinner?”
    “I misunderstood what Alice meant,” Jack explained, his voice getting overly soothing, but I decided that whatever would get us out of here without a fight was fine by me. “I already ate, and then I made plans for us. We really do have to be going.”
    My mother tried to think of things to keep him trapped in the apartment with her, but I stuck to my guns. I escaped into the hall while they finished saying their good-byes, but I could still hear the unusually sweet tone to my mother’s voice as she cooed all sorts of things to him. Once Jack finally made it out to the hall and shut the door behind him, I shivered visibly, trying to shake off what I had just witnessed.
    “What?” Jack laughed, looking at me as I pushed the button for the elevator.
    “Oh my god, that was so disgusting!” I exclaimed.
    “I thought that went very well, actually,” Jack smirked. “You mom seemed to like me.”
    “Ugh, she wanted to jump your bones,” I groaned. The elevator doors dinged open and we stepped in. Leaning back against the wall, I groaned and shook my head. “It was so disturbing.”
    “Its not my fault everybody wants me.” Jack laughed again and pushed the button for the lobby, and I knew he was only half-teasing. For some reason, everybody did want him, and I wish he would just tell me why.
    “I don’t want you,” I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest. “Yeah, I know.” Jack got quiet and thoughtful for the rest of the elevator ride, but I wasn’t sure if was because he was disappointed that I didn’t want him or he just didn’t understand it. Then, in an attempt to fix my mood, he tried to change the subject as the elevator doors opened into the lobby. “So, your brother’s gay?”
    “He is not gay.” I bristled, then stepped out of the elevator. It wouldn’t really bother me if Milo was gay, but he wasn’t. I mean, I would know if he was. “Oh, so he hasn’t told you yet.” Jack shoved his hands in his pockets, following me as I hurried outside into the cold night air. Once we got outside, I realized that I didn’t know where he’d parked or even what car he’d driven, so I stopped outside the door and waited for him.
    “There’s nothing to tell,” I insisted. He turned to the left, walking a little ways down the block, when I saw his Jetta, sitting in an amazingly good parking spot. He always got good parking spots, like luck was constantly on his side. “Oh, come on,” Jack scoffed. “You had to have noticed the way he looked at me.”
    “Everyone looks at you that way.” I tried to think back at everyone gaping at him and I couldn’t remember if the guys had been doing it too. Everyone reacted to him in a very friendly fashion, like the way the crowds parted for him at the concert, but I was pretty sure that guys hadn’t given him that particular look, not the ones like my mom or Jane.
    “No, everyone does not.” Jack played with