Free Cipher (The Cipher Series) by Cindi Madsen Page A

Summer down, keeping herself draped around Troy the entire time.
    “It feels good to be back,” Summer said, even enjoying the familiar scent of stale, sweat-tinged air. After the big blowout fight she and Cody had about her going places with Troy, she’d stopped coming to Equinox altogether.
    Who needs him? It’s nice to be free again.
    “Let’s go find a place close to the stage,” said Kevin, a friend of Troy’s they’d picked up on the way. “Then we can see how they set up.”
    Troy bounced on the balls of his feet, the way he did when he was especially excited about a show. “Sounds good.”
    Summer wanted a read on Ashlyn, so as they followed the guy toward the front, she bumped into her, making sure their arms brushed. No grim scenes flashed before Summer’s eyes, but Ashlyn shot her a dirty look.
    “Sorry,” Summer mumbled. “It’s kind of crowded.” Well, at least Ashlyn should make it through the night . Next step, getting the girl to stop hating her. “So, what’s your favorite song by these guys?”
    “ Finding Me . It got me through a hard time in my life.”
    “That’s a good one. My personal fave is I Should. ”
    “Yeah, every poseur likes that song.”
    Summer’s mouth dropped open. Before she could respond to that accusation—she was so not a poseur—Ashlyn moved to the other side of Kevin. Clearly, she was never going to like her.
    Maybe I should just give her the stupid relationship brochure and feel good I’ve done my part.
    Troy glanced back at her, then jerked his head to gesture her over. “Can’t take my eyes off you, remember?”
    It took her a moment to realize he was echoing Dad’s orders. “Right,” she said, stepping next to him.
    “Hey.” Troy put his hand on her back and leaned close enough to be heard over the guy announcing tonight’s line-up. “We’re about to watch one of our favorite bands. You shouldn’t look so sad.”
    Summer glanced from Ashlyn back to Troy. “Ashlyn hates me. I’ve tried to be nice, but she’s determined to keep disliking me for whatever reason.”
    “So? Why do you care if she likes you? She’s a cool girl and all, but you have other friends.”
    It would be nice to be able to tell the truth. The whole truth would be hard to swallow, though. Summer struggled to get it down herself, and she’d started seeing…whatever Gabriella was. She shrugged. “I just got a feeling that we would be friends. I have excellent intuition you know.”
    “Well, I’ve seen who you hang out with most of the time, so you’ll understand if I doubt your intuition.”
    Summer elbowed him. “Hey, I hang out with you, Mister Bond. Apparently, I’ve chosen some of my friends well.”
    A grin spread across his face. “You’ve got me there.”
    The crowd around them erupted in cheers as Unicorn Stench took the stage. Summer went ahead and hollered along with them. She yelled even louder when they opened with I Should.
    Francie’s scratchy voice echoed through the room as she sang out the lyrics.
    If I told you I missed you, would you change your mind
    If I begged you to stay, would you still leave me behind
    I know I should move on, I should try
    Instead of sitting here alone, asking why
    I should go back and change the day we met,
    delete the day our paths first crossed
    Maybe then, oh maybe then, I wouldn’t feel so lost
     
    I should’ve kept my guard up instead of letting it down
    Shouldn’t have given my heart away
    But there’s no point in should’ves anyway
    I should let you go now
    I should
    But we both know that I’ve never been any good
    At doing what I should
     
    I’m not a poseur, Summer thought again. “I Should” is just a good song. Anyone who listens can see—well, hear—that.
     
    During intermission, Ashlyn headed toward the edge of the crowd. A mix of determination, fear, and this weird feeling in her gut drove Summer to follow. Tonight might be her last chance to get through to the girl, and she planned on giving