Scattered Colors by Jessica Prince Read Free Book Online Page A

that night, letting the weight of my tears pull me under, providing me with an escape from my lonely life, even if just for a little while

    The next morning, Stella met me at my locker with a bright, cheerful smile on her face. “Freya!” she shouted, causing my already-pounding head to throb incessantly. The previous night’s tears might have helped to sleep, but they had caused puffy eyes and an aching head by the time the sun came up. I was in store for a miserable day. I could feel it.
    “Shh,” I whispered.
    “Oh, my God. Are you sick? You look like crap!”
    I shot her a glare and started the process of opening my locker, turning the dial then whacking the door to get it unstuck. “Thanks a lot.”
    She gave me a tiny smile and shrugged. “Sorry, but it’s true. Your eyes are all puffy and red. Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine,” I told her as I reached into my locker for my book before shutting the door. “Just had a long night. Let’s get to class.”
    Thankfully, she didn’t ask any more questions as we walked into Mrs. Wilkins’ classroom. We took our seats and I couldn’t help but notice Parker hadn’t made it in yet. However, his little friend Brynn was there, already giving me the stink eye. Although I’d managed to go a few days without any more unwanted attention from Parker, I hadn’t managed to get on Brynn’s good side. Each morning, she looked at me with the same expression of contempt painted on her face.
    “What’s her problem?” I whispered to Stella as I leaned over to take my notebook out of my bag.
    She leaned closer to me after peeking around to make sure no one was watching. “Brynn is Cassidy’s best friend. That whole crew thinks Parker is Cassidy’s property or something. I guess she saw how he’s been looking at you and didn’t like it.
    Great, just what I needed, some band of Barbies putting a bullseye on my back at the very beginning of the year.
    “All the guy did was talk to me,” I told her. “That’s it. We aren’t even friends.”
    Her expression held a combination of skepticism and concern as she said, “Well, either way, I’d be careful if I were you. Those girls can be really nasty when they put their minds to it. And trust me, that’s pretty much all they put their minds to.”
    “Well, that’s just perfect. The last thing I need is to be on their radar.”
    “Oh, sweetie, I hate to break it to you, but you’re already there, front and center. With how Parker acted around you that first day, it’s all anyone can talk about.”
    I opened my mouth to tell her there was nothing between the two of us when Parker came walking into the classroom just before the final bell rang. I tried not to look, but my eyes had a mind of their own as he sauntered through the room like he owned the place. I held my breath as he walked past, sliding into the desk right behind me. It didn’t do any good. That strange pull I felt every time he was around hadn’t lessened any since the evening before.
    “Hey, Stella. How’s it going?” My bewildered gaze shot over to Stella, stunned that he spoke to her after not having a clue who she was just days before. When I turned to look at my friend, she was wearing the same wide-eyed expression I was.
    “Uh…hi, Parker. I…I’m good.”
    “Awesome, glad to hear it.”
    Mrs. Wilkins began talking from the front of the room as Stella gawked at me, her face screaming what the hell was that ? All I could do was shrug.
    My attention was pulled to the people behind me when I heard Brynn hiss at Parker. “What the hell’s wrong with you? Did you hit your head or something? Since when do we talk to white trash?”
    I wanted to reach around and smack the makeup right off her face. However, I stayed silent, unmoving, too interested in hearing Parker’s reaction to do anything else.
    “ We don’t do anything. I can talk to whoever I want, whenever I want. Get the stick outta your ass, Brynn. You’ll be more