Hunted by T.M. Bledsoe Read Free Book Online Page A

fell into their routine and it wasn’t long before the Spirit Squad began shouting out their cheers as their own practice started up.  Lanie tried to pay attention to both groups, but she quickly lost interest.  She just couldn’t focus on push-ups and pyramids when one of her friends was…gone.
    Stacy had always loved to sit and watch practice.  She’d wanted to be a cheerleader more than anything, she was always at every single tryout, and she was pretty good.  She was athletic and could memorize a routine quicker than anyone else, but that never mattered.  She wasn’t one of the privileged people, so the Spirit Squad always froze her out.  It made Lanie angry thinking about it.  Just because Stacy wasn’t as well-off as some people, she wasn’t allowed to do something she’d always dreamed of doing.  Stacy had only been allowed on all the school committees because Lanie was on them and she’d refused to let anyone strong arm her into keeping Stacy out.
    Maybe if the Spirit Squad would have allowed Stacy to join them, Stacy would still be alive.  Everyone had met at Devyn’s house last night to watch movies and talk about making up some new routines.  If Stacy had been there instead of…wherever she’d been when it happened…she might still be alive.
    Lanie felt the irrational urge to get up off the bleachers, stomp down the field, and punch Heather Langley, the head cheerleader, right in the mouth.  Heather hated Stacy most of all because her boyfriend never missed an opportunity to flirt with the girl.  In Lanie’s opinion, Heather should have been mad at her boyfriend and not Stacy.  Stacy always shot him down right away and had never done one single thing to encourage him.  But, Heather had always blamed Stacy instead of putting the blame where it belonged. 
    Stupid, jealous cheerleader! 
    With anger swirling through her, Lanie pulled her attention away from the Spirit Squad and looked toward the team, now running a few of their plays while the coach blew his whistle with unnecessary force.  The shrill sound began to shoot through Lanie’s skull and for two cents, she would have walked out onto the field, grabbed the thing, and stuffed it down Coach Rossi’s throat.  The man had a problem!
    Quickly realizing that she did not want to be watching practice, nor did she want to be surrounded by a small horde of parents, all of them talking in hushed tones and keeping their wary gazes toward their children on the field, Lanie decided that she would be better off just leaving and going someplace a little more quiet.  Someplace where it wouldn’t seem as if she might look up and see Stacy coming toward her down the field, her pink face split into a smile and her eyes bright with happiness.
    There was only one place where she knew she would be left alone, one place where no one would want to bother her.  She hadn’t been there in a few weeks, but now seemed like a good time to go.
    Lanie stood, hoisted her bag up onto her shoulder, and started back down the game field toward the entrance, pulling out her phone and pecking out a text to Brady telling him where she’d gone.  She didn’t want him to worry about her.  Figuring that she’d be in trouble if she didn’t tell her dad where she was going, she pecked out a text to him, too, and then hurried away from the field.
    Since Brady had driven her, she would have to walk there and then walk home, which would take some time and might not be the best idea considering what had happened only the night before, but she just couldn’t stay at the game field.  She needed to be…any place else. 
    Once she was away from the noise of the field, Lanie pointed herself down Fairview Drive and took off at a steady clip, wishing she’d driven herself.  Walking was nice sometimes, but not when she was at least twenty minutes away from where she wanted to be. 
    It actually took Lanie nearly forty five minutes to walk to The Fells Pointe Memorial