Twisted by Amity Hope Read Free Book Online Page B

way through, the same sandy haired guy emerged. Two other guys were right behind him.
    “Who is that?” I asked, nudging Phoebe.
    She frowned. “Ben?”
    “No, behind him. Who are they?” I asked, motioning with my head.
    Her eyes widened just a bit. “The blondish one, that’s Alec Harmon.” She pointed discreetly at the other two. “Blake Thompson, you met him this morning and Ty Donovan is the other guy.” She got to her feet. “We should get going.”
    “Hello!” Hailey chirruped as she seemed to appear from nowhere.
    “Took you long enough,” Phoebe muttered.
    Hailey took a fraction of a second to assess the situation. “Well it’s not like Olivia’s here yet.”
    Phoebe nodded but then seemed to exchange a look with Hailey. Hailey’s eyes flickered toward the north end. I noticed Alec had caught up with Ben. My heart skittered because I recognized the last name.
    “We better get out of here,” Hailey said, her perky little smile faltering.
    My eyes were drawn to Ben. I was reluctant to leave now that he was not only facing Alec but he was outnumbered by two extra. It didn’t look like a very friendly conversation going on.
    “ Maya ,” Hailey said sharply, “we’re leaving.”
    I stood there, feet firmly planted. “What about Olivia? She’ll be looking here for us.”
    “Actually, let’s not worry about Olivia. She got sidetracked by Henry. We probably won’t be seeing her the rest of the day,” Hailey decided.
    I glanced nervously toward the group of guys. The tension was thick. I wondered how something like this could be unfolding on school property and no one seemed to even notice.
    “Wait!” I exclaimed. I was suddenly feeling panicked. “I wanted to say hi to Ben.” Or at least be close to him so just maybe Alec would back off if he had an audience.  
    Hailey’s eyebrows shot up, disappearing under her razored bangs. “Why would you want to say hi to him ?” she wondered.
    “I just...I—,” I stammered, remembering how he requested that I not tell anyone we’d met. I glanced their way again. Ben had his back to me, hands on hips, backpack at his feet. Alec had his face right in Ben’s again. His two friends close behind. Everyone else had scattered.
    “Come on,” Phoebe urged gently. She surprised me when she took my hand and tugged me away.
    I went, though not very willingly.
    “What’s that all about?” I asked.
    We rounded the building, which now blocked Ben from my sight.
    “I told you, personal issues,” Hailey snapped. “It’s not anyone else’s business.”

Chapter 5
    It was clear by the end of the first week that I had, by no merit of my own, landed myself a position in the Beaumont High hierarchal elite. Olivia seemed to be one of the rare queen bees of the high school social caste that everyone—guys, girls and especially teachers—seemed to like. Because of my friendship with Olivia, I slid into a seat in her royal court, right alongside Hailey and Phoebe. It was a position coveted by many of the other senior girls. It was a position I was not used to. In the past, I had barely spent enough time at one school to make more than a friend or two. This position in Olivia’s entourage often made me feel more awkward than admired. But Olivia was the same Olivia as she’d always been.
    She was as sweet and kind as she was smart. She had a cute boyfriend that adored her. She never said a bad word about anyone. Except Ben.
    Ben. He seemed to be in a social class all his own. I had attended half a dozen high schools and they all had similar hierarchies. Yet I had never seen anyone treated the way Ben was treated. Other than the occasional confrontation with Alec, it was as though he didn’t exist. It was almost as though the other students were afraid to acknowledge him as he passed by. He was like a ghost, floating down the halls while the other students appeared to be completely unaware he was even there.
    I heard whispers about him. That he didn’t