Free Book of Love by Abra Ebner

liked hearing about their demise. I brought my
hands to my head and rubbed my temples. I had a hangover at this
point, and I needed another fix of something strong.
    I climbed out as Wes held
the door for me. The whispers increased in volume when I stood
close to him. I listened in, surprised when I learned he was
thinking of me. My stomach fluttered. That had never happened
before. I smoothed my skirt around my thighs in a suggestive
manner, knowing that he noticed. At times I couldn’t control my
actions, and sure, yeah, I did it for attention. So what? For the
first time in my life, he was thinking of me!
    Wes shut his door and
trailed after Jane like a lost puppy, his thoughts of me quickly
forgotten. I rolled my eyes, thinking about how fickle the mind of
a boy was. Who was I kidding? He was never going to love me. I walked toward the
school alone, a hard expression on my face as some boys gawked at
me— thought about
me. It felt good to be noticed by someone, even if it wasn’t the
person I wanted.
    “ Hello.”
    I halted, feeling a chill fill my heart at
the voice that erupted from behind me. The undeniable screams
followed, rippling down my spine and rendering me speechless. My
feet froze to the ground, my head the only thing I could move. I
twisted my gaze to meet his green one. His dark figure walked
around me, taking a place in my path. My brow creased as I worked
to stifle the pain, but my efforts were futile. The brother with
the green eyes stared down on me.
    I glanced over his
shoulder at Jane and Wes, hoping they could help, but they had
disappeared into the courtyard. I turned my attention back to the
boy, trying as hard as I could to feign composure. I wanted to
speak— to scream —but my lips felt like they had been sewn shut.
    “ I’m Greg.” He didn’t
bother to offer me his hand, keeping them tucked in the pockets of
his black leather coat. “Hear you’re looking for a fix.” He rattled
something in his pocket.
    I exhaled hard, the sound
of it like velvet in my ringing ears. I no longer cared about the
screams, or the sinister green glow of his eyes—I just wanted the
drugs. I just wanted it all to stop.
    Greg watched me with a stony stare.
    “ Are you alright, Emily?”
He smirked, as though he knew what he was doing to me.
    I blinked a few times, the
sound of my name on his tongue sending chills down my spine. I felt
the invisible strings holding my mouth shut begin to unravel. I
licked my lips. “Yeah… fine.” My voice was raspy. “ H —How much?” The words were a
struggle.
    A half smile crept across
his face. “You’re really pretty, you know that?”
    I slowly shook my head. My
thoughts were teeming. It was hard to understand his words,
impossible to decode the screams that were cascading through his
mind. I brought my hand to my forehead. “ O —Okay… yeah.” I didn’t care about what he
was saying; it hurt too much.
    He took his hand out of his pocket and
touched my arm. I lurched away from him as I felt a surge of
something cold ripple across my skin. Goose bumps prickled across
my entire body and the screaming pain suddenly stopped, as though
he’d triggered an off switch.
    I gasped, finally able to
breath. I looked up at him, finding his eyes were darker than
before, the green afterglow a calm shimmery black. The fear I’d
felt left almost instantly, and I found I couldn’t look away—his
face was… beautiful.
    “ Again,
I’m Greg.” His voice sounded muffled, as though my ears had been
stuffed with cotton. This time he offered me his hand for a
shake. Why was he introducing
himself a second time?
    I licked my lips, smiling
slightly in an attempt to hide my issues. I took his hand and shook
it. As I let go, I felt a strange attraction wash over me. “My name
is Em— Em ,” I
stuttered. “I’m Emily.” I felt dazed. Hadn’t he already known my name? I
was a idiot.
    Greg smiled, tilting his
head back. “Alright, Emily. Here, have these. They’re on