Midnight Scent (Amour Toxique Book 1) by Dori Lavelle Read Free Book Online

Friday a month. I’ve never been to one before. I’ve heard they usually watch comedies. Call me cliché, but I’m more of a drama and thriller kind of girl. I prefer the heavy stuff that stirs my emotions and leaves me feeling just a little ruffled.
    I throw back my bed sheet. “Great. What are you guys watching?”
    “No idea.”
    I climb onto my bed. “Have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    Chelsea turns to face me. “Not so quick. You’re coming with.”
    “I don’t think so. I had a brutal day. I need to conserve my energy.”
    “I’m not leaving without you. Ivy, you came here to have a life.” Chelsea places her hands on her hips. Today she has ditched her jeans and t-shirt for a beige romper that shows off her curves and long legs perfectly. “I’m here to help you do that. Now stop fighting me on this.”
    I know she won’t take no for an answer, so I shrug and climb out of bed. Five minutes later, I’m wearing a pair of jeans and an oversized t-shirt. “You win. Let’s go.”

Chapter Nine
     
    The Dunkin Hall projection room, situated next to one of the shared dorm kitchens, has a wine burgundy carpet and resembles a miniature movie theater. There are at least twenty padded seats the same color as the carpet, round overhead lights, and a large popcorn machine. The only difference is that there’s no elevated seating, and instead of a white screen, a massive state-of-the-art flat screen TV covers most of the wall, framed on both sides by a red velvet curtain, which has been drawn back in preparation for the evening’s entertainment.
    As I walk past other students sprawled on chairs—some from Oaklow University, and a few strangers—spilled popcorn crunches under my ballerinas.
    “Hi,” someone says as I walk by. It’s Milton, sitting with legs wide open and a popcorn box tucked between them.
    “Hi,” I say, and push past him. I feel his eyes on me as Chelsea leads me to a seat at the end of the row. I avoid looking back.
    A minute or two later, the lights dim and the screen turns on. I take a sip from the bottle of water I brought with me. On the way down I promised Chelsea I’d try to have a good time, and for the next hour and a half I keep my promise. I force myself not to think about Judson’s letter back in our room.
    The comedy is about four rich guys who take a break after high school to tour Europe. Their misadventures are hilarious, but even though I laugh at the right places, and feign shock at the characters’ outrageous behavior, my heart isn’t in it. At least Chelsea can’t say I didn’t try.
    I give a silent sigh when the movie finally comes to an end, and one of the students, Jacob Ramey, who studies journalism, stands up to go fiddle with the DVD player.
    For a second the screen goes blank, only to light up again with a local news channel. A brunette news reporter with extremely long eyelashes and ruby lips says something, but I don’t hear; my eyes are fixed on a small photo in the upper right corner of the screen.
    The whole room goes quiet, and Chelsea grabs my hand so tight I think she’s going to break my bones. “That’s him. That’s Professor Judson Devereux,” she whispers. “The monster is delicious.”
    “Yeah.” I give a small nod. She doesn’t need to tell me that. His name scrolls by at the bottom of the screen.
    As I listen to the words of the pretty newscaster, hands clasped in my lap, my body tenses up. No one knows I’ve been in touch with him, but I feel as though they know every word I’ve written. My heart is slamming so hard against my chest, the sound vibrates in my ears. I’m barely listening to what the woman is saying, but the words that do hit my ears leave me trembling within. There’s nothing new—the same information I came across online. But somehow everything seems more real on the big screen.
    “On Monday, May 7th, 2012, the murder of Oliver Banes, a student at Oaklow University, shook the town of Oaklow, Florida.