Evolution by Kelly Carrero Read Free Book Online

said with a laugh.
    “She’ll be here soon.” I looked up towards the entry. “Actually…” I couldn’t finish my sentence because as soon as I laid eyes upon her, my stomach twisted in knots. I couldn’t explain it. Why was I okay around everyone except Chelsea? Even speaking to her on the phone had made me feel sick.
    “You don’t have to wait any longer,” Aiden said, finishing my sentence. He put his arm around me, giving me as much of a comforting embrace as he could without everyone wondering what was up with me.
    Ben followed our gaze, and the moment he laid eyes on Chelsea, his face lit up.
    “Sorry I’m late,” Chelsea said, trying not to look at Ben, but also trying not to look like she was purposely not looking at Ben—it was a funny thing to watch.
    “Don’t worry, we only just got here, too,” I lied. “Move down and let the poor girl sit down.” I motioned to Ben to wiggle down so that he would be sitting in front of me.
    I didn’t have to be able to read minds to guess the profanities that Chelsea was swinging at me in her head. But I didn’t care. At the moment, I wanted to be as far away from her as possible. And if that meant only one extra seat away, then that’s where she was going to sit. I really didn’t get why I was feeling like that. Normally, Chelsea and I were practically joined at the hip.
    “Thanks,” she said through gritted teeth. I could tell she wanted to sit opposite me so that she would be able to get swept up in a conversation with me and not have to focus on Ben. Bad luck for her. Besides, I knew the two of them would be perfect for each other—even if she didn’t agree.
    Once Chelsea was seated, she started quizzing me. “So, you look okay… How is that possible?” She was looking me over, obviously wondering how I’d managed to escape death twice in two days.
    “I’m fine, I—”
    Aiden cut me off. “You don’t have to worry, she’s fine,” he said, trying to get her off my back, but Chelsea looked like she didn’t really believe him, so he added, “I’ve seen for myself.”
    Her face turned bright red. I knew exactly what she was thinking, and I knew Aiden did, too. And that was the exact reason he had said it. Right about now, Chelsea would be living her love life through me, which is another reason why she needed a nudge in the right direction—towards Ben, that is. She needed her own love life, and maybe then she would stop obsessing over mine.
    The waiter brought over our assortment of food and, as usual, everyone dug in without any thought about who had paid for it all.
    Thanks to the unexplained sickly sensation I got around Chelsea, I no longer felt like eating. I sat and picked at my food, not really listening to the three of them rambling on about something that had happened at school.
    Before I knew it, Aiden squeezed my leg, letting me know that they were finished and getting up to leave.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” Chelsea asked with a concerned tone.
    “I’m just a bit tired. Sorry.”
    “Well, I guess we can count you out on ice cream,” she stated more than asked, looping her arm through Ben’s. I had to look twice. Yep, I saw right, Chelsea really was snuggling into Ben. What the hell had I missed?
    Chelsea noticed my open mouth. “Bet you never thought you’d see this, hey?” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ben was… glowing. I thought that description only applied to pregnant women, but sure enough, he was glowing.
    You’re going to have to fill me in on what the hell happened there , I thought to Aiden.
    When I turned to leave, Chelsea grabbed a hold of my arm. “Wait—”
    I didn’t hear the rest of what she said because the moment our skin touched, flashes of Chelsea strapped to a chair went through my mind. She looked terrified, as if she was scared for her life. She was shaking her head, begging someone not to hurt her.
    Tears were streaming down her face; seconds later, she let out a blood-curdling