Embracing Trouble (Trouble Series) by Dee Bridle Read Free Book Online

and my father put it all down to her. I wasn’t going to even try and tell him any different, because he wouldn’t have heard me anyway.
    I practiced different make-up looks, liking the thick eyeliner that made my eyes pop. Sophie came over and practiced with me, looking forward to Nathan’s party. I still hadn’t told her about Zac, even though there was nothing much to say. I hadn’t heard a thing from him, and they hadn’t been on Facebook at all. I knew that we didn’t hang in the same circles as them and probably wouldn’t see them again. But I desperately hoped we did, because I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
     
    * * *
     
    By Saturday night, we were ready to have some fun. I had on a pair of tight black jeans with my Converse sneakers and my hair was down and straightened, thanks to my new hair straightener. I had more make-up on, especially around my eyes, and I felt a little more confident when I walked into Nathan’s party.
    Sophie wore a new tight dress and heels and grinned at me excitedly as we walked through the dancing bodies. I didn’t want to be exactly like her. I had my own style going on, but I knew that grin. We were feeling good about ourselves and wanted some fun.
    Our regular school friends greeted us, and we were shown the drinks area. Antony was already standing there doing shots and poured two for us. Sophie asked him to take a photo of us doing shots with her phone, and then she uploaded it to Facebook, tagging me in it. I finally felt like I was doing what I should be doing on a Saturday night. Sophie’s happiness was infectious, and I laughed and drank with her.
    In the early hours of the morning, the party continued, and I sat out in the front of the house with my head spinning. I had drunk too much, but still felt happy enough. I focused on the screen of my phone and saw it was 2:30 a.m. My finger slipped and opened up the Contacts page and started to scroll through. I went to close it and then stopped. My eyes narrowed on a Contact that I didn’t know I had.
    Zac.
    Totally surprised, I was a little curious on how it got there and then I smiled at the thought of him adding it that night. I wanted to press it, call him and hear his deep voice. Whether it was the alcohol giving me the extra confidence or my current mindset of wanting to rebel, I didn’t really know or care. So I pressed it. My stomach fluttered with butterflies as I waited for him to answer.
    “Hey,” shouted Zac, with loud heavy music in the background.
    “Hi,” I said, wondering if he could hear me at all.
    It sounded like he was in a club or pub somewhere.
    “What’s up?” he shouted back.
    I was about to answer when I heard a girl laughing and then the call ended.
    Right. I glared at the screen and then shook my head. Why the hell did I do that? He was busy with another girl and now I felt like an idiot. I leaned my head against the railing on the front step and closed my eyes. My head spun, and I felt completely annoyed at myself. I needed to stop thinking about him.
    My phone rang in my hand making me jump and I looked at the screen to see it was him. I thought about not answering it, but my thumb had other ideas.
    “Hey,” I said quietly.
    “You okay?” he asked, now somewhere quiet, so I could hear him.
    “Yep,” I answered, closing my eyes and holding my head in my hand.
    “Good girls don’t make calls at 2:30 a.m. unless something is wrong.”
    “That’s what you think I am? A good girl?” I asked in a whisper.
    “Aren’t you?” he returned.
    I didn’t want to answer. I knew the answer and so did he. I suddenly hated that he thought I was a good girl.
    “I can be bad,” I announced.
    “That’s the alcohol talking,” he said next.
    I was annoyed at his response.
    “So, you’re only interested in bad girls?”
    “Something like that.”
    I cringed at my own stupidity. Didn’t I already know that he wasn’t interested? Now I had to confirm it all over again. I really was an