Frayed by Kara Terzis Read Free Book Online Page A

family tradition, so it was no secret where we went every year. It hardly narrowed down the list of suspects.
    But as I thought about it, it was just too much of a coincidence that my sister’s killer had chosen that place in particular.
    My mind flickered back to my last conversation with Rafe. Could Kesley have realized that someone was after her? Had she even known she was going to die ? And if that was the case…then why the silence? The secrecy?
    I felt like the answers were just out of my reach.
    My face must’ve shown that, because at that moment, Jackson shifted our books and came to sit beside me. I tried to rearrange my expression into something blank, but I don’t think it worked very well.
    When Jackson spoke, his lips were at my ear.
    “Try to think about something else for a while,” he said. I pressed myself closer into his embrace, letting his arms settle around my waist.
    “Like what?” I said with a smile.
    “Like this.” And suddenly his lips were at my neck, sparking hot trails where his mouth touched. Something inside me shattered, and I let go. I pulled him close, curling my hands around his collar, and wrapped my legs around his waist. At first, his lips were gentle, but as I sighed into his mouth and slipped my hands into his hair, I felt his arms tighten around me. His warm hands caressed my face—each touch leaving an icy heat behind. He leaned back—just a little—to speak. His hand still rested on my cheek.
    “Better now?” he asked, slightly breathless.
    “Yeah,” I agreed. “Better.”
    He pressed a tender kiss to the right side of my face. Always the right. Never the left, the scarred side.
    That bothered me more than I let on.

Chapter Six
    I woke on Monday with my stomach in a bundle of nerves.
    It took me a whole two minutes of staring at the sunlight-striped ceiling before I remembered why. Amanda would be waiting for me today—and she’d want revenge. She wasn’t the sort to forgive and forget, and after what I’d done to her… I considered pleading illness, but my mother would see straight through that in a heartbeat. Besides, what was the point of running from things?
    It’d all catch up with me eventually.
    I showered, dressed in a pale, high-collared dress with tights, and hesitated at the mirror. I was not a brazen person. I hid behind a curtain of hair and avoided eye contact with people who passed me. But today? Today was different. I was different. Braver somehow. Instead of letting my hair fall over my scars, I tied it into a ponytail.
    I paused before leaving my room, snagging one of the blue ribbons I rarely used in my hair. This was the start of a new Ava.
    A strong, fearless one.
    “Strong” and “fearless” weren’t words that came to mind when I thought of myself. What was so different about today? I looked into the mirror— really looked—but only saw the same girl I saw every other day.
    “You’re up early again,” said Mom as I entered the kitchen. She had an apple in one hand, a phone in the other, and hadn’t even looked up when I came in. She was scribbling something on a piece of paper, brows narrowed in concentration.
    “No,” I said, glancing at the clock. “You’re just late.”
    “Oh yes. Dammit,” she added, glowering at the paper on the table.
    “What’s that?” I asked, moving closer.
    “Kesley’s old piano tutors called… They said they found some things of Kesley’s in the practice room. You know,” she added, looking at me, “old music sheets and small things like that. I thought you’d want them.”
    I did. I wanted them more than anything.
    Fighting to keep my voice even, I asked, “Can I have the address?”
    My mother hesitated. “Ava, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
    “Why?” I shot back, feeling those treacherous tears sting my eyes. Did she think I couldn’t handle it? “They’re just things ,” I said, slightly calmer now. “I-I just think it would be nice to have them.”
    My mother