Payback by Francine Pascal Read Free Book Online Page B

Definitely Young Entrepreneurs of America. Definitely not the type of person who usually talked to Gaia of his own volition.
    "What?" Gaia said, narrowing her eyes.
    He walked over, brushing Gaia's arm with his own, and leaned one shoulder against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He studied Megan from across the room. "Because I think I could take her," he said. "I'm stronger than I look."
    Flirting. Did everyone know how to do this but her? "I don't know," Gaia said flatly, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Girls like that have this habit of scratching. It's not pretty."
    He laughed, and Gaia almost looked behind her to see who'd caused his mirth. But then she realized he was looking at her, his black eyes shining in the soft light. So he thought she was funny. Wittiness had slipped from her tongue.
    "You should stay," he said, reaching past her to a bowl of peanuts on the counter. He grabbed a handful and cracked one open, letting the little shell shards pepper the plush burgundy carpet. He lifted his chin in Megan's direction. "She's a messy drunk. In about an hour I'm sure we could convince her to strip or chop off all her hair or something."
    A short laugh bubbled out of Gaia's throat, and the guy smiled. She felt her face turn bright red. Had she been partially possessed or something?
    "What's your name?" he asked, munching on a peanut and holding out a handful to her.
    Gaia took one and crushed it in her fist, adding her debris to his. "Gaia," she said.
    He glanced at her peanut crumblings with an impressed smirk and held out his hand. "Charlie," he said. "You have no idea how nice it is to meet you."

THE UNATTAINABLE
    THE REFLECTION WAS ALL BLURRY. Heather couldn't decide if she was drunk or if the Racenellos needed to remodel their bathroom. She turned on the faucet, stuck her hands under the water, and immediately pulled them away.
    "Ow. Hot," she squealed, holding the side of her hand to her mouth and sucking on the reddened skin. Then she laughed. "Definitely buzzed," she told herself. She smiled contentedly. It was nice to be buzzed.
    Heather was about to turn toward the door and go when she heard a faint pounding. She paused and squinted around. Where was that coming from? She padded across the large bathroom, looking at the ceiling, the tub, the tiled walls. Then suddenly the glass shelves rattled, and Heather jumped.
    "Oh, Michael."
    It was faint, but she heard it. Accompanied by another rattle of shelves. Heather laughed and covered her mouth with one hand.
    "They're having
sex,
" she whispered incredulously, her eyes wide. As if she didn't know half the bedrooms had already seen a ton of action tonight. She tiptoed over to the wall and put her ear to the cold tile. Somehow she could only hear less that way, so she pulled back again.
    "Baby, you're so hot," Michael said. Heather almost gagged. How cheesy was that? Whoever that girl was, she should wake up and smell the bad cologne. The guy probably didn't even know her name if he was calling her baby.
    That was when the moaning and intermittent yelping started, and Heather couldn't take it anymore. She lunged for the door and ducked out of the bathroom into the crowded hallway. A short guy who was definitely going to be balding in about three years was leading a giggling freshman down the hall toward Michael's Boudoir of Sex.
    "Don't go in there," Heather warned as she shuffled by. "Give them, like, half a minute. He should be done by then." Then she cracked up at her own joke and kept walking, ignoring the couple's curious stares. Heather felt pretty good, especially considering her little encounter with Sam. She hadn't even thought about him once since she'd been here.
    It probably helped that Gaia hadn't had the guts to show after all. If Heather had laid eyes on Gaia, she would have to be reminded of Sam. And how his eyes had finally focused at the mention of her name. And how the thought of Gaia going to a party had made him so jealous, his