Free Shiver by Amber Garza Page B

was posing for a magazine spread with his muscular tanned body, blond hair and icy blue eyes. As he and Caleb struck up a conversation, my palms clammed up and I wiped them on my jeans.  I’d had a crush on Tanner for as long as I could remember. Of course, he only had eyes for Scarlet. They’d been a couple all through high school.
    Glancing to my left, I saw Scarlet chatting with Chelsea. When she caught me staring , she narrowed her eyes at me. I turned away. A shadow c ast over my shoulder , and a breeze blew over my neck causing me to shudder. I sensed I was being watched.
    I whipped around, but no one was there.
     
    *****
     
    It was late. Mom was still at work. She said she had clients at the salon all evening. I was sure any minute she’d come waltzing in smelling like bleach and hairspray. I sat on the couch flipping through the channels. There was nothing but mindless reality shows on , and I felt myself zoning out. A creaking sound perked my ears. I froze. When I heard it again, I turned toward the window. It was pitch black outside with only a smattering of stars against the inky sky. My reflection stared back at me in the smudged glass.
    I let out a startled gasp when the silhouette of a man appeared on the front lawn . The air in the room shifted and goose bumps arose on my flesh.
    “Kenzie,” the evil voice from my dreams spoke into the silent room.
    My breath caught in my throat and a chill shivered down my spine. With shaky fingers , I reached for the phone that sat on the end table. Just as my fingers grazed it, the lights went out. Darkness swallowed me.
    “Kenzie,” the voice spoke again.
    Paralyzed with fear, I stayed still. I barely breathed. My heart beat so erratically in my chest that I thought I woul d have a heart attack. So badly I wanted to get up and run for help , but I literally couldn’t move.
    “Kenzie?”
    My head snapped up. It was Mom’s voice. I blinked.
    “Kenzie? Are you okay?” Mom stood over me, a worried look on her face.
    I glanced around the room. The lights were on. The TV blared in the background. I held the remote in my hand. Had I fallen asleep? Was it just another dream?
    “Yeah, I’ m fine.”
    Only I wasn’ t. Not at all .
     
    *****
     
    “Is your mom still threatening to send you to your grandma’s this summer?” Haley stretched her legs ou t over my bed . Light streamed inside painting stripes on her pale, freckled legs. It was Friday afternoon , and Haley had come over to help me get ready for my big date with Caleb.
    I perused my closet for something to wear . “Yeah, but it’s just a threat. We all know my mom isn’t one to follow through.”
    Haley chuckled. “Yeah, I know. Like the time she grounded you to your room for two weeks and it only lasted two hours ? ”
    “Or when she restricted me from using the phone, b ut then she called from the salon and I didn’t answer. That wasn’t the best plan.” I pulled out a short black skirt and assessed it .
    “You’re so lucky. Your mom is way cooler than my parents.”
    I nodded. “Yeah, but at least your parents are around. My mom’s never home.”
    “They’re around , but they’re always breathing down my neck. Trust me, you’re the lucky one.”
    I thought of Haley’s big house and warm family , and jealousy snaked around my heart . I wouldn’t mind being smothered if it meant I would have a mom and dad who loved me. And I would give anything to live in a beautiful clean house with new furniture, instead of in a stinky, run-down rental decorated with mismatched thrift store finds.
    “ I hope she doesn’t really send you. That will totally suck. Then I’ ll be alone all summer.”
    “Y ou won’t be alone. You’ll have Derek.”
    “Still.”
    “Anyway, it will be worse for m e. I’ll be the one stuck living with some religious nut I’ve only met like once in my life.”
    “I know. What’s up with that? Why would your mom even want to send you to live with someone she