Mason by Thomas Pendleton Read Free Book Online Page B

of an ass you’re being?”
    â€œWhat?” Lara was totally surprised. “I’m just having fun.”
    â€œYou call this fun?”
    Lara’s eyes sparkled as if her thoughts were bits of light passing over them. Then, in a split second, the lights went out. Her jaw clenched tightly, and her brow furrowed. She yanked herself out of Rene’s grasp. “I should have known you’d start this crap. God. Hunter was so right about you.”
    â€œI don’t care what that loser thinks,” Rene said. “You’re hurting yourself and I’m not going to just sit back and watch it.”
    â€œSure you are,” Hunter said. He stepped between the two girls and glared down at Rene like she was an insect he wanted to crush. Behind his beard, Hunter’s mouth was fixed in a threatening sneer. “I’m the ringmaster of this loser circus. Your friend here is the main attraction, so kick back and enjoy the show. Or move your ass on. Otherwise you might just get fed to the lions.”
    â€œLeave her alone,” Rene said, trying to step around Hunter to reach Lara. But Hunter moved quickly, sliding to the side and blocking Rene’s progress.
    â€œSeems to me you’re the one in trouble here. Not her.”
    Rene felt a sting of panic. She faltered and stepped back.
    â€œYou call me a loser?” Hunter asked, shoving a hand deep in the pocket of his jeans. “I don’t think you have a clue exactly how much there is to lose in this world.Maybe your mama and daddy would like me to stop by for supper one night.”
    As he spoke, Hunter withdrew the handle of a gun. The sight of the weapon unnerved Rene further.
    â€œNow, why don’t you be a good little thing and haul your ass back to the kiddie park? Because if you stay here, you are in for some serious hurt.”
    â€œYeah,” Lara barked. She sounded like her mouth was full of rocks when she spoke. “You belong at the kiddie park. Everything is nice and safe and boring. Go play on the merry-go-round, little girl. You can’t handle the real world. You can’t handle anything. You just want everything to stay the same. You don’t want anyone to grow up because you’re so damn scared to grow up yourself.”
    Needles of fear worked in her chest. Rene stepped back out of Hunter’s shadow. She looked at Ricky Langham, who watched the scene with a blank face, one hand on his earpiece as if he were trying to hear an important call. Tara Mae Holloway grinned as she pushed into Lump’s side and wrapped an arm around his body. Lump dropped his eyes, looked at the lawn as if ashamed. Lara glared at her. It was the most hateful look Rene had ever seen, and it drove the needles deeper into her body.
    We were friends , she thought.
    Turning away, Rene tried to keep her cool. Tried tokeep from crying. She wouldn’t run. No. Hunter would like that. He’d groove on the idea she was fleeing in terror. She felt him behind her. Hatred rolled off him in waves; it crashed over her shoulders and pushed her across the lawn, toward the carnival—toward all of the noisy people having so much fun.
    Â 
    Cassie and the other kids weren’t under the bridge when Rene arrived. She stepped beneath its shadow and looked around. A long line had formed in front of the House of Dread. Children and teens, tickets in hand, queued up between ragged white ropes ready to enter the giant mouth of a devil painted on the front of the building. Miranda Bocage was there, giggling and leaning on the shoulder of a tall, blond-haired man who looked ten years older than she was. He leaned in and kissed her, and once their lips parted, Miranda quickly searched the crowd with her gaze, probably hoping Eric Crawford was around to see her. But Eric wasn’t there and Cassie wasn’t there. Besides Miranda and her date, Rene saw families and couples, smiling and eating funnel cakes from a cart. No sign