Dark Mind (The Dark Mind Trilogy Book 1) by Matthew Goldstein Read Free Book Online Page B

else. “Hi Derek,” he said sarcastically.
    “Who’s this? Your new girl friend?” Derek sneered at Amy.
    Amy recognized Derek, mainly from gym, but she did not know him. “Shut up!” she said. She pounded her foot into the ground. “Go pick on your parents to give you more attention.”
    Cole fought back a smile. That’s what I always thought. “What do you want?” he said, masking his laughter behind nonchalance.
    “I told you. I’m not done with you. I’m going to…”
    “You know what your problem is?” Cole cut him off.
    “Huh?” Derek said more out of disbelief of being interrupted than from not hearing him.
    “You never pick your fights properly. You don’t think things through.”
    Anger flashed across Derek’s face. “What are you saying? You got about three seconds before I pummel you.”
    “You see those teachers standing over there? They may not be paying attention now, but if you hit me, they’re going to know you did it. You’re going to get in trouble. A lot of trouble. They’ll call your parents.”
    Cole knew he hit a nerve. Derek's face had taken on the hue of a bad sunburn and shook as if he might explode. His fist rose higher and Cole had to focus to avoid flinching.
    Derek lowered his fist, but his face remained livid. “You'd better watch your back. There’s going to be a time when no one is around to protect you. Just wait.” He stalked away to take out his anger on an easier target.
    “Wow that was amazing!” Amy shouted. “Way to put him in his place. You must’ve made him feel like an idiot.”
    “Ha, thanks. It’s not that hard to outsmart him.”
    “Yeah , but you should watch out,” she added, her excitement fading. “He seems really pissed at you.”
    “Not worried,” Cole said. “There’s always a way to scare him off. He'd never really hit anyone. He’s just a frightened little kid.”
    “I wouldn’t call him little. Look at us. But seriously, you are…”
    Just then the bullhorn signaling the end of gym sounded.
    “Wow that went fast,” Amy said. “Guess I’ll have to teach you the game next time. See you at the front door after class.”
    She hurried off to her next class as Cole strolled in with the mass of students. Whether or not it was pathetic, overall, it had been the best gym class of his life. The future had never looked brighter.
    A sudden agreement in his head brought back the agreements he had refused. As he brushed his ear against his shoulder and kicked the ground three times, the fear returned, leaving a pit in his stomach as he took his seat in the classroom.
    However, once the end of the day approached, his anticipation outweighed any intangible fears. He had convinced himself that everything would be fine and that he was going to have a great night with Amy. He rushed out of his class, eager to get the encounter with his aunt and Amy’s mother behind him.
    He was first at the front door, with neither Amy nor Beth in sight. Against all logic, insecurity set in once again. Did Beth forget that she needed to pick me up? Did Amy forget about meeting me and rush home?
    Almost before he had finished those thoughts, Beth pulled up to the corner and, a moment later, Amy appeared next to him. You have to stop being so damned pessimistic about everything. It was a tough habit to break since, until recently, all of his pessimistic thoughts had been accurate.
    “Hi, Cole.”
    “Hey. Is your mom here?” Cole said nonchalantly. “My aunt is parked right over there. She doesn’t like to get out of the car so you’ll prob’ly have to get your mom over to her.”
    “That’s fine. She’s coming out of the car now.” She led him over to a silver BMW where a tanned woman in a black suit and white blouse with black hair pulled back in a tight bun, was getting out of the driver’s seat. “Hey, Mom. This is Cole.”
    Amy’s mother looked down at Cole with a kind smile. “Hello Cole. How are you?” She extended her hand down to