Splintered by Dean Murray Read Free Book Online Page B

out about the idea of
Alec taking us on a trip. I hadn't expected she'd be so concerned
about my having a new guy friend. We'd been arguing for the last
ten minutes and it was starting to look like Alec had been
right.
    "You're lying to me. Don't tell me you're not,
I can tell."
    I opened my mouth to protest and she cut me off
again. "You obviously like him, and based on the way he was looking
at you, he's very much attracted to you."
    That made me pause. It was so easy to forget
Alec really liked me. Without outside reminders I was always
talking myself into believing it was a temporary thing for
him.
    "What have you been up to while I've been gone?
He's probably been over every night."
    I shook my head emphatically. "Mom, I can
promise nothing has happened that you need to worry about. It's
true that I'd like for Alec and I to be more than we are. He's
really a good guy."
    "Alec…Alec Graves?"
    I hadn't expected Mom to know his
last name. That didn't seem to bode well.
    "Yes, he's Rachel's brother."
    "Sweetie, I really liked Rachel, but
the Graveses have more money than is healthy for any six families.
Everything I told you regarding Brandon goes double for Alec. Boys
like that just aren't sincere about things. They grow up learning
how to manipulate everyone around them."
    "Mom. You were right about Brandon,
okay? Alec is completely different though. That's why he and
Brandon never got along. Alec is an incredibly thoughtful, mature
guy who always does the right thing."
    Mom shook her head again. "What kind
of boy dates a girl without coming in and meeting her parents? I
mean, really."
    "First of all, we're not dating. Not
really. Second of all, Alec wanted to come meet you just now but I
convinced him not to. I wanted to prepare you for the idea
first."
    "Adri, you wouldn't have worried about
preparing me if there wasn't something to prepare me for. This is
more serious than you want to let on. I have half a mind to ground
you just to keep the two of you apart."
    I collapsed so fast I didn't even realize I was
falling. When I came to again, my mom was pacing back and forth
with her phone in her hand. It was such a familiar sight. It'd been
so long since I'd really had panic attacks I'd nearly forgotten our
highly-practiced responses.
    "Adri…ana. Are you okay? I should
have been more careful. I guess I've gotten out of the habit of
calling you by your full name. Too much time away at photo
shoots."
    I groggily pushed my way back onto
my hands and knees. "It's okay, Mom. Please believe me though.
There's nothing going on with Alec and me that you need to worry
about. He'll come over so you can meet him and you'll see what I
mean. Until then, can you please not freak out?"
    I could see the decision making itself in her
eyes. She couldn't keep me away from Alec. Not all the way, not as
long as we went to the same school. She could forbid it, but unless
she was ready to move again there wasn't much she could do to
enforce her decree.
    "Okay, sweetie. I'll trust you for
now. I just don't like the way that you don't have any other
friends. It's not healthy to get too attached to one boy at your
age."
    "Oh, that has changed while you were gone. I've
got Rachel as a friend and a few other kids. In fact Sam and Alison
asked me if we could all go to lunch together on
Saturday."
    Mom blinked slightly, almost as if having a
hard time believing that I really had other friends. "Oh. Well
then, that's good news. I'm glad to hear that you're branching out.
What ever happened to Britney?"
    "We don't really talk now. It turns out she was
really jealous when we thought Brandon liked me. She said some
things, I said some things. I don't think we'll be spending time
together anymore."
    Mom
nodded, but she'd picked up her camera and started absently
fiddling with it. There was no surer sign that Mom had moved on to
thinking about another project.

Chapter 8
    School was every bit as depressing and desolate
as I'd expected with Alec gone. I'd