Choker Read Online Free PDF Page A

the wall, her knees aching with unused adrenaline. Samson glanced up at her. “Get off of there.” She swatted at him, and he jumped gracefully off the table, dis-appearing into her parents’ room. Cara shook her head to clear it. She really had to get a grip.
    Tightening the towel around her chest and under her arms, Cara padded toward her room at the end of the hall. The walls were shrouded in darkness. She stumbled over a pair of shoes left on the floor and opened the door to her room.
    “Hi, Cara.”
    She screamed and hit the light switch.
    Zoe was sitting on her bed, her violet eyes shining.

Chapter 4
    C ARA STARED AT HER OLD FRIEND, FROZEN. SHE FELT like she was in a dream, unable to speak or move, rooted to the floor.
    Zoe just sat there on the edge of Cara’s striped bedspread, her bare feet resting on the floor. She wore a dirt-stained navy T-shirt with a pair of jeans ripped at the knee, her hair hanging like a shiny black sheet down her back. Her hands were clasped neatly together in her lap. She stared at Cara, her eyes sparkling, her mouth pursed a little, as if containing a laugh.
    “What are you doing here?” Cara finally managed to whisper. Her face felt numb.
    “Nice to see you, too!” Zoe rose from the bed, moving with the kind of sinuous grace Cara remembered from their childhood. She was taller, more slender than she’d been seven years ago. Her cheekbones were elegantly prominent. She came close, and Cara could smell cinnamon on her breath. “I thought you’d be glad to see me at least.” She stroked Cara’s cheek softly. “I’ve missed you so much.”
    With the touch of Zoe’s hand, Cara woke from her trance. Her face broke into a grin. She grabbed Zoe up in a hug. “Oh my God, I’m sorry! Of course I’m glad to see you! I was just surprised, that’s all.” Cara squeezed Zoe’s shoulders. “Wow, you’re skinny. I can feel your bones.”
    A rueful little smile twisted Zoe’s lips. “Yeah. Things have been rough at home. I fixed everything, though.” Together, the girls sank down onto Cara’s bed.
    Cara took Zoe’s hands in hers. “What do you mean, you fixed everything? What’s going on? Tell me.” She stared intently into her friend’s eyes. They were the same, despite the hollows under them. Still those endless pools of amethyst.
    Zoe swallowed and looked down at their clasped hands. “Car—it’s my stepdad.” Her voice was so low, Cara had to bend forward to hear her.
    “Oh my God, still? What a bastard.” Though she’d never met Zoe’s stepdad, Cara felt like she knew him perfectly from her friend’s descriptions over the years. His straight, dark hair and big, raw-knuckled hands.
    Zoe sniffled a little and wiped the back of her hand under her nose. “He’s been coming into my room again . . . just like he used to . . . and . . .” She looked up. Her eyes were huge, magnified by brimming tears. “I ran away. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go.”
    “I’m so glad you did!” Cara wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders. “How did you get here?”
    “I hitchhiked. It took awhile, getting a ride on the interstate. But this trucker picked me up. He was pretty awful, too—” She shook her head as if to rid herself of the memory. She looked intently into Cara’s face. “Listen, Car, I have a huge favor to ask. Can I stay here for a few days? Just until I figure something out? Please?” Her eyes were pleading. “I saw a newspaper at the truck stop, and it had my picture in it. My mom reported me as a runaway. If they find me, they’ll take me straight back—and I’ll really be in trouble then.”
    “No!” Cara’s breath caught at the thought of losing Zoe again. She squeezed her friend, pressing Zoe’s bony frame tightly against her shoulder. She could feel her friend’s chest rising and falling against her own. “Wait, what about my parents? If they find out, they’ll call your parents in, like, one second. They are lawyers,