Pawn (Nightmares Trilogy #1) by Sophie Davis Read Free Book Online Page B

in the eighth grade, I would
probably be a loser with no social life. She’d introduced me to
most of the friends I had. And it was her parents who had convinced
my mother that Westwood was safe enough to let me go places without
a chaperone.
    “No way. You would never do it in a
hot tub,” she teased. She meant it as a joke, but it stung a
little. Not that I would do it in a hot tub; I wouldn’t. It was a
reminder that I was the only virgin among my friends.
    I wasn’t exactly a newbie to the
dating scene; I’d had my first boyfriend when I was six. His name
was Nate Shin, and he chased me through our first grade classroom
pulling my pigtails until I agreed to hold his hand. In the second
grade, he gave me a paper flower for Valentine’s Day, with a note
that read “Be my girlfriend? Check yes or no.” I checked “yes” and
we officially became an item.
    For my birthday that April,
he gave me a stuffed teddy bear holding a heart that read, “I love
you this much.” In return, I gave him the chicken pox, which I’d
gotten from Regina Skloven. Later that same year, his family won
nine million in the state lottery and moved to Canada ― although
I’m not sure if the two events were actually related.
    During my third and fourth
grade years, I fell into a dating slump. But in the fifth grade, my
chest had developed enough to necessitate a training bra, instantly
making me the object of affection for swarms of boys. My overnight
popularity faded just as fast as it had blossomed as other girls
began to develop.
    In the sixth grade, I played my first
game of Spin the Bottle. His name was Brent Phizer and he wore
braces. Brent’s mouth jewelry cut my bottom lip, which caused me to
cry. The blood and tears that followed – both mine – had been
humiliating. By the time I was twelve, I had sworn off men
altogether.
    When high school rolled
around, my embarrassing Spin the Bottle incident was ancient
history; but between sports and my mother’s refusal to let me date,
I didn’t have much experience with the opposite sex. And now, the
day after my eighteenth birthday, I had yet to share a meaningful
kiss with a boy that I was actually dating. I had long ago decided
college would be when I finally found my soul mate, unless I met
the kid from High School Musical sometime in the interim.
    My fingers involuntarily went to the
burn on my cheek. Devon’s gaze followed my hand and her blue eyes
turned stormy.
    “What really happened last night, Eel?
When we found you with that kid, you were acting weird. The two of
you were…I don’t know how to explain it. And when I brought him up
last night, you got all flustered.”
    I laughed a loud, nervous sort of
laughter that was unnatural and forced. “What do you mean? I told
you what happened. And I did not get flustered.” Had I?
    “What did you talk about?” Devon
prompted.
    “What did I talk about with
who?”
    “Come on, Eel. Don’t play stupid. What
did you and the kid talk about before we got there?”
    That same uncomfortable laughter
bubbled up in my throat, and I averted my eyes from Devon’s
inquisitive gaze. “There wasn’t a lot of time for conversation. I
was too busy throwing up lake water.”
    I met Devon’s gaze levelly. She pursed
her lips like she wanted to say more but wasn’t sure she
should.
    “What? Just say it,” I
sighed.
    “What aren’t you telling me?” Her
voice was soft and kind, but still probing. She would make a great
trial attorney one day.
    I shook my head and drew my bottom lip
between my teeth. Telling Devon, or anyone else for that matter,
about the lake creature was crazy.
    “You can tell me anything,” Devon
insisted.
    I sighed and scrunched my eyes shut.
Maybe if I couldn’t see her face, the words would be easier to say.
“I think I saw something in the water. Like a person. But not. That
is what grabbed my foot.” The words flew out of my mouth in one
breath.
    When Devon remained silent for several
seconds, I