By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) by Jennifer Hendren Read Free Book Online Page B

pulled into our driveway, and she brushed
the hair out of my face. "Positive. But just for my peace of mind,
stick close to town, okay? No going off alone, and especially not
into the woods. Not until we know for certain there aren't any
others."
    "Okay."
    She studied me for a long moment, her
emotions transparent. What if it had been me? her eyes
said.
    When at last her gaze had traveled over every
contour of my face, as if to confirm I was indeed all right, she
turned away. "Come on. I bet your father's starving."
     
    o0o
     
    I couldn't find Ty that afternoon.
    When I emerged from the trees between our
houses after attempting to catch him yet again, David's car was
parked in the driveway. The sight made me want to run in the
opposite direction. But I couldn't do that. I hesitated a moment
outside the back door, rehearsing what I would say until I had it
down.
    "I think we should break up. I think we
should break up." I said the words softly to myself, and at last
buoyed by the growing confidence in my voice, went inside.
    Seated alone in the living room, David stood
when I entered.
    "Hey," he said. "I looked for you after
school. Where were you?"
    I swallowed hard, my mantra suddenly leaving
me. "I got a ride with my mom."
    "Everything okay?" He pulled me down onto the
couch beside him. "You were weird at lunch."
    My brows threatened to quirk up. So that's
what he called it. "No...I..."
    Do it, Mac. Do it.
    "Listen, David..."
    "Makenna! There you are." My mother swept
into the room, a can of soda in hand.
    "Thanks, Mrs. Wilhelm," David said with his
charm-the-pants-off-of-you smile. "I was just about to ask Makenna
if she wanted to hit the movies tonight."
    I opened my mouth to protest.
    "That's a wonderful idea," my mom said, the
worry around her eyes suddenly alleviated.
    "But it's a school night," I said.
    She waved me off. "Go—have fun."
    Take your mind off everything that
happened , her eyes pleaded.
    How could I say no? I soon found myself being
ushered out the front door.
    As I suspected, we didn't go to the movies.
We ended up out at the old drive-in instead. All of our friends
were already there, including Jenna who flashed me a smug smile as
I stepped out of David's car.
    Headlights illuminated the overgrown field
where most of the poles had been stripped of equipment and were
crooked or flattened to the ground—martyrs to the constant
party-goers need to destroy everything around them.
    Surrounded by wilderness, the large movie
screen stood riddled with graffiti. In the center of the lights, a
large metal trash can blazed, casting long shadows over the group
as they tipped back plastic cups filled from a keg in the back of
one of the pick-up trucks. My own beer grew warm, and when no one
was looking, I emptied it onto the ground.
    Loud music blared through the night air, and
one by one, couples started to pair off and head out to the
surrounding woods or into one of the cars' crowded backseats. The
sounds of horny teenagers going at it made me
uncomfortable—especially when David started to give me "the
look."
    He wrapped an arm around my waist and
squeezed. "Let's go for a walk."
    I tensed and pulled away. "Listen. I need to
go home—it's getting late and I have a ton of homework for
tomorrow. Plus I promised my mom..."
    "Come on, Mac! Just a short walk. You
probably finished all your work already, anyway." He lowered his
voice and leaned in close. "I know you're a good girl. I promise to
behave."
    There would be no winning with him. "A short
one...that's it. Then we're going home."
    "Fine." He was all innocence as he grabbed my
hand and laced his fingers through mine. "Come on—there's a spot I
want to show you."
    We walked through the trees for some time and
at last emerged into a small clearing. A blanket was laid out on
the ground, and David bent down to light several candles flanking
it on all sides. A radio lay beside it and he popped it on. Light
strains of one of my favorite Van Morrison songs