Deceived by Julie Anne Lindsey Read Free Book Online

down, defeated, pondering what was happening to me. I hated being afraid. This was the year I had vowed to beat this thing, not be drawn in deeper. I had promised myself a fresh start. I had come to Francine Frances with a plan. First, find out what the heck I had been dreaming about for the past twelve years. Then squash it. Instead, the dream had become reality, like in a Freddy Krueger movie.
    I was stuck. I couldn’t get myself to leave the coffee shop. Logically, I recognized the silliness, but my feet planted me in the booth, unwilling to move. I was living my dream, trapped, afraid to go and afraid to stay. My dream, being ever present with me, had become as real as the seat I sat on. More than a dream, this subconscious thing now affected my real life and real decisions. Maybe Krueger fit the scenario better than I thought.
    Holding my phone, I pretended to text while I decided what to do. After deliberating through most of my latte, I called Pixie for a ride.
    Brian watched me from his corner table without approaching, thank goodness. I prayed he hadn’t seen my grand entrance. He needed to stay put until I got my head together. I didn’t need another awkward situation on top of the one I was in the middle of. It crossed my mind that he’d followed me. I couldn’t be sure who had arrived first, but the idea that he might be following me sent goose bumps up my arms.
    “You make quite an entrance.”
    I slapped my chest with one hand and gasped. I hadn’t seen him get up. My face burned in response. I should’ve known he’d walk over eventually.
    “Yeah.” I had no idea how to respond. Well, you see, handsome boy, I was running from a figment of my imagination … I closed my eyes to shut out the crazy and get my thoughts in order and then opened them again.
    “Is everything okay?” He glanced around, probably checking to be sure no one saw us together. Not what I needed at the moment.
    I tried not to look at him. Maybe he hadn’t noticed that I was having a mental breakdown. He made it hard enough for me to think when I wasn’t mid-freakout. His warm smile gave me pause. I bet Brian never feared anything. Never ran from his shadow. Didn’t fear the dark. My eyes ran to the window beside me in remembrance. Outside, a tiny orange glow near a thick oak tree drew my eye. It reminded me of a firefly whose light lasted way too long. Then it fell and disappeared.
    Brian looked outside, but only darkness stared back. I’d no sooner perceived the glow than it was gone. Only our reflections and the shine of the interior lights against the glass remained. My naturally wide eyes looked like saucers after the scare I’d had, especially compared to the narrow set of Brian’s.
    “I’m fine. Just in a hurry to get some coffee.” I tipped my cup his way.
    “At 9:00 at night.” A cynical statement. “How do you sleep?”
    “I don’t.” I answered honestly before I thought it through.
    “You don’t.” His eyes pinched at the sides, and he sat in the chair next to mine without an invitation.
    I had mentioned that I never slept when we talked at the flea market. Maybe he thought I had a fun or youthful reason. I didn’t.
    The coffee shop door sucked open, and I jumped in my seat. Brian followed my startled gaze. Davis ambled in. He looked at us for a long, drawn-out beat before regaining his pace to the counter. Brian continued to examine him, and Davis stole a look in our direction while waiting for his coffee. Not a friendly how-do-you-do by any stretch.
    “Do you need a ride home?” Brian shifted in his chair.
    My already upset stomach twisted further.
    He looked torn, as if he wished he hadn’t offered. His behavior today had sucked on the whole. Transferring to half my classes so he could ignore me made zero sense. Of course, in a small school like ours, it could be coincidence. The look he had given me outside of English came to mind and irked me.
    “No. No thanks.” I forced my mouth to betray