Liar by Francine Pascal Read Free Book Online Page B

was Phoebe starving herself?
    Heather’s jaw tightened. She could feel the rage returning. Phoebe had brought this on
herself.
Her eyes flashed back down to the page.
    Eating disorders are diseases that provide the illusion of control. Anorexics believe that while they can’t control life, they can control their weight.
    But as quickly as the rage swelled, it subsided. The need to feel in control, to
be
in control, was something Heather could definitely relate to. She certainly had her own control issues. With Sam, for example.Specifically, with sleeping with him. Looking back on it now, she realized sex had been a ploy on her part—an empty, manipulative act to gain the upper hand in their relationship. The thought of it made her sick. God, she had even lied, telling him that her first time with him was her first time
ever.
Her stomach turned. She’d been dishonest with him, with herself, with the world. She’d been playing a role, trying to figure out what Sam was looking for, who he wanted her to be—or who she
thought
he wanted her to be—and she did everything she could to become that girl….
    And what had it accomplished? Did Sam love her any better for all her lies? No, of course not. Their relationship had deteriorated to the point of being hard to recognize as a relationship at all. On some level, Sam probably sensed her dishonesty and hated her for it. Almost as much as she hated herself.
    A tear fell from her cheek, splattering on the wrinkled page.
    The only possible comfort in Sam’s rejection was the fact that he wasn’t rejecting her raw, true self. Sam had never even met that girl.
    Ed Fargo was the only guy who’d had that pleasure.
    It was a strange, strange thing about life. She worked so hard trying to keep it in control, and yet her few genuinely happy times came when she let go of it completely.

ELLA
    Sam Moon.
    It’s a name I say to myself almost every hour of every day. Sam Moon. I can see his face before me: that chiseled jaw, that smooth skin, those pensive eyes. Sam Moon. Even the sound of it is magical. The delicate slither of the S. flowing over the
a
and
m
into the smooth
oo….
It’s like an incantation. A spell. The two words that keep me sane.
    If Loki only knew how I harnessed Sam Moon’s passions, how I
controlled
him on that night, then Loki would treat me with the respect I deserve. But he will someday. I’m sure of it. Sam Moon is my greatest triumph. A veritable work of art. Compared to those teenage sleazebags in the park … but there isn’t really a comparison, is there?
    And at some point in the not-so-distant future, Loki will find out what I accomplished. He’ll tremble at my power to manipulate. Until he does. I’ll keep Sam Moon under my thumb.
    But I’ll never truly let him go, either. Loki may have most of my heart, but not all of it. Sam Moon owns a little piece of it now, too. Forever. I’ll always keep him close to me-and not only for the unspoken bond between us.
    No. I’ll keep him close to me because he’ll always remind me how I defeated Gaia Moore.

GAIA
    The
Raging Predinner Internal Debate:
    It’s a Date
He asked me out.
I took a shower.
I tried on three outfits.
It’s just the two of us.
It’s dinner.
He wants to talk about something really important.
    No, It Isn’t
It was an e-mail.
I took the shower before I got the e-mail.
They were all the same. All I own are T-shirts and cargo pants.
He isn’t picking me up.
He has a girlfriend (who I hate).
Maybe he’s going to propose to Heather and needs advice about what kind of ring to buy, which I—as a girl—can provide.

something inane
    Even now her body ached to be next to his. To feel his breath on her neck. To lose herself in that powerful embrace.

Despicable, Cowardly Rat
    THE WHOLE SCENARIO WAS SHAMEFUL. Completely and utterly shameful. But Sam was beyond caring. All that mattered now was