The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris Read Free Book Online Page A

dump me. That’s where you come in.”
    My head spun with questions, but I asked the first one I managed to force out. “Why are you breaking up with Zac?”
    Hannah shrugged. “That’s my business.”
    “Okay. So why not break up with him yourself?”
    “Oh, yes, because that would be great for my reputation, wouldn’t it? In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of people around here really like Zac. There’s talk that he may be voted junior king. If I dump him right before the junior queen vote, I’ll be ruined.”
    Junior queen? Hannah didn’t want to risk losing our school’s biggest, stupidest end of the year popularity contest? Class king and queen didn’t even mean anything. There were no special duties, no extra credit, nothing at all that came with it. It was nothing more than a popularity contest our school had made up so two students each year could have something extra to add to their college applications. I doubted Columbia cared whether or not Hannah won class queen for the third time.
    That was exactly why I didn’t believe in real love. Zac had no clue Hannah was talking to me about breaking up with him. You could go through each day thinking everything was perfectly fine with your relationship and you loved each other so much, when in reality your significant other was plotting ways to get rid of you.
    “Can’t you get him to dump you on your own?” I asked. “I’m sure if you show him your true personality, he’ll drop you in a second.”
    Hannah’s laugh echoed off the tiles around us. “Don’t you think I’ve already considered that? I’ve tried for the last two months to get him to break up with me. I’ve been rude, I’ve canceled dates, I’ve ignored him. He doesn’t take the hint . Getting him to fall for you is my last resort.”
    I leaned against the wall, studying her. “And how will helping you break up with Zac help me?”
    “I told you, it’s a business proposition. You do this for me, I’ll make sure you get to Costa Rica. We both get what we want.”
    No way. There had to be catch. Why would Hannah Cohen do anything to help me get something I wanted?
    “Why me?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. “Can’t you find someone heartless enough in this school to do this for you?”
    “Aren’t you heartless, Avery? You certainly acted like you were that day in Elliott’s basement.” She shrugged. “You already have experience in stealing my boyfriends. This will make us even.”
    “I didn’t steal Elliott from you,” I said.
    “No, but you ruined everything,” Hannah said in a low voice. “It wasn’t just your friendship with the two of us you killed that day.”
    My fingernails dug into my palms. I would not cry in front of Hannah. She would not have the satisfaction of seeing she still had this effect on me, even four years later.
    “Go find someone else to do your dirty work,” I grumbled, trying to push past her toward the door.
    “Don’t tell me you’ve grown a conscience now,” Hannah said.
    I started to pull the door open, but her next words stopped me. “If you don’t do it, I’ll tell Molly all about your make out session with Elliott back in seventh grade.”
    I turned around to face her, heart pounding against my ribs.
    Hannah smirked. “She doesn’t know, does she? She has no idea exactly why you hate Elliott so much.”
    I sucked in a few deep breaths. “You wouldn’t dare.”
    “Try me. You owe me, Avery. This is your chance to make amends for your mistake.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you in or out?”
    I shook my head, but then Hannah played her final hand, the one she knew I couldn’t refuse.
    “I’ll pay you five hundred dollars.”
    I froze. Did she say five hundred dollars ?
    Hannah pulled her checkbook from her purse. “Two hundred now, three hundred when the job is done. Last chance. In or out?” She opened the checkbook and eyed me, her pen poised over the paper.
    Five hundred dollars. It was