Free Bewitched by Cambria Hebert Page A

prettier one, the one with the better clothes, car and, in general, better life. And just like I had predicted (I’m always right), I did grow up to be the prettier one and I did have it all.
    But Heven didn’t seem to get that memo.
    She still somehow managed to claim the head cheerleader position. She was still the most popular girl in our class. Everyone fawned all over her knock-off, knee-high boots and generic ripped-up jeans. I’ll admit, Heven turned out a lot prettier than I thought she would and I was glad, because we were BFF’s and I couldn’t be seen with a hag.
    But Hell-ooo everyone knows that redheads are better than blondes.
    Unfortunately, no one seemed to get that memo, either.
    Still, I never let on that her popularity got to me because with her popularity came mine. If she was Queen Bee, then I was the Princess. I was the caramel to her latté (and everyone knows a latté isn’t good unless it has caramel) and I’ll admit, Heven is nice. She has something about her that people respond to, that draws them in. I guess she does make people feel good about themselves. Like me.
    I wasn’t about to admit that I wanted to be number one. That it bothered me people only saw me when she wasn’t in the room. And besides, Cole had. The minute we all seemed to develop hormones, he only had eyes for me (I’m telling you, it’s the red hair). He was perfect: tall, dark hair, blue eyes, with wide shoulders and a wicked smile. He played football to my cheerleader, and we fit together so well that as soon as I saw that look of interest in his eyes, I made sure everyone knew that he was mine. Even better was the fact that he seemed to realize what no one else had: I deserved to be noticed more than Heven.
    He was a smart guy.
    But lately he’d been acting stupid.
    I lifted the black binoculars to my eyes, focusing on Heven’s yard and the truck parked next to the house.
    Uh-huh. I knew it. He’d come here. The jerk.
    I should have known he was a two-timer when I caught him kissing that hag Jenna. I forgave that little indiscretion (after I taught him a lesson, of course), but this… This was going too far.
    I heard a sound and turned the binoculars in that direction. Damn the darkness. Note to self: make Daddy buy you some night-vision goggles. I heard Cole’s voice and then saw the beam of a flashlight shine down onto the grass. I pressed the binoculars close and watched Cole shield his eyes from the light. I glanced up and saw Heven leaning out the window, looking down at him.
    A minute later, Cole was going around to the porch and going inside. I hadn’t felt this angry since I was at the mall on Black Friday and someone snatched the last pair of black cashmere gloves out of my hands.
    I smirked and glanced at my hands, covered in said black cashmere gloves. That woman didn’t know who she was messing with and neither did Heven and Cole. I took a deep breath and watched the door close behind him, cutting off whatever they were doing. There was a rustle nearby and I turned toward the sound, but it was so dark, I couldn’t see a thing. I listened for a few moments and when no other sounds came, I turned back toward the house to see if anything happened.
    Cole was drunk. He’d been at my house. We were down by the lake and we got into a fight. I never thought he would get in his truck and drive away. Drinking and driving is one of the stupidest things a person can do. I mean, really, it’s just asking to hurt someone or end up in jail. And of all the colors I do look good in… a bright orange jumpsuit isn’t one of them. Talk about a major clash with my hair. I suppressed a shudder and sighed.
    I hadn’t seen Cole act this way before. He seemed different… He was pulling away. So was Heven. At first, I thought she was just spending less time with me because of Sam, because she seemed to be getting her confidence back (just when I thought I would take over the Miss Most Popular spot, Heven went and got