Free A Whisper To A Scream by S.B. Addison Books Page A

the
street.
    Adam doesn’t follow me this time. I hear his
car doors slam shut, the car engine as it roars to life, then sound
of his tires peeling out. I’m relieved. What just happened between
us tortures me. And I almost topple over breathless and
conflicted.
    What did he mean I owed him? The simple
question haunts me. And owe him for what? Him supposedly bringing
me home? And what does he expect to get? My v-card? That will never
happen.
    Things have just gone from complicated to
more complicated. My life consists of complicated on a daily basis,
but those complications usually have to do with me getting in some
kind of trouble—not complications involving the opposite sex. Maybe
that’s why I never entangle myself with the boys I’ve messed around
with.
    There’s no attachment. It’s just plain,
simple fun. With Adam, I know it could lead to more than fun, so I
close myself off. Block out the feelings. I’m a brick wall.
    Perhaps he likes me because he thinks I’m a
challenge. From what I’ve heard from guys in the past, they liked a
good challenge. Easy girls aren’t challenge. There’s no thrill in
the chase. Maybe that’s why Adam wants me, because I don’t want
him. Is that better than being with a girl who offers up sex like
an all-you-can-eat-buffet? Girls like Katie. For the first time in
year I actually feel sorry for her. What was she thinking when she
slept with half of the town? Katie and I will never be friends
again so I guess I’ll never know the answer to that.
    A puttering muffler pulls me from my
thoughts. I squint thinking I might see Adam, but a large black
truck with a lift-kit stops next to me. Blake.
    He rolls down the passenger-side window and
tilts his body so he can see me. “Hey there, drunkee,” he
chuckles.
    I climb up the side of the truck, clutching
onto the open window. “Hi, Blake.”
    “I’m surprised you’re walking today.”
    I smirk. “You know me. I’m not gonna let a
lil hangover ruin my day.” Today, I can blame Adam for that.
    “You should thank the new kid.”
    What the hell is with everyone?
    “Why should I be thanking him?”
    Blake shakes his head. “Because he carried
you home.”
    “That’s ridiculous,” I mutter. Adam wasn’t
lying. Even though I keep telling myself he was. According to
Blake, he wasn’t.
    “I’m serious, Ells. I smacked you in the head
with the door when I was coming out of the bathroom. You blacked
out. Then Adam scooped you up in his arms and carried you
home.”
    “Like carry, carried?” I ask with a detached
voice.
    “Like virginal bride over the threshold,
carried.”
    Guilt tugs on my insides. “It’s like a mile
from my house to his.”
    Blake nods. “I know, right? I told him he was
nuts, but he didn’t listen.”
    Gee Blake, I’m glad I found out who the real
gentleman is around here. He quickly changes the subject. “You
going to Fall Fest?”
    Fall Fest happens every year in Burton during
the middle of October. A festival that farmers started years ago to
celebrate the fall harvest. It’s not anything spectacular. They
only have a few rides, food booths, games, and one haunted house
that went from cool to lame when I turned twelve.
    Up until now, I completely forgot about Fall
Fest. I can’t even think about the only minuscule fair our town
has. All I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep. That and I
want to forget that today happened at all. “I don’t think I can go.
I’m supposed to be grounded.”
    “Since when has Ellory Graham ever let a
punishment stop her?”
    I laugh. “Never.”
    “So I’ll see you there.”
    I hope down from the side of his truck,
wearing a cocky grin. “Maybe.”
    When I was a kid, Fall Fest was about going
to play games, and ride the few rides they actually had. Now, it’s
about walking around and hanging out with friends. I think about
going. Maybe Adam will be there. No. He’ll definitely be there.
    If I can get my mom to let me go maybe that
will give me a