Deceptions (The Mystical Encounter Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

laughing at the group’s stories and trying to improve my sport skills. Refusing to do anything that involved shooting balls into pockets, Barry talked me into throwing darts. It was disastrous. I’d have a high score if points were tallied by hitting the backboard. Even with Barry and Caleb’s advice on how to hold the dart, get into position, and aim, I still sucked. When it came to sporting activities, there was just no hope. The impromptu lessons were fun, but I foresaw being the recipient of jokes in the future.
    We sat down and I squeezed my stomach, my abs hurt from laughing so hard. The hour was late, but we hardly noticed. My usual need to escape never surfaced, and for once, home was the furthest thing from my mind.
    Movement from the corner caused my head to turn. I noticed a few kids I didn’t recognize sitting down at the adjoining table. Were they from a different town? A rather sweet place to hang out, I wouldn’t be surprised to see out–of–towners here. Not expecting them to notice, my gaze drifted back over. I gasped. The boy seated on the outer edge stared at me. No, he glared. My heart raced from his malicious stare and I turned away. What the hell was that?
    “What’s wrong?” Nicole asked.
    Dang it! I was hoping no one heard that gasp . “Um…‌nothing. I thought I saw a spider.”
    God, could I be anymore lame?
    Furrowing her eyebrows, Nicole said, “Spiders aren’t that scary, Heather. They’re cute.”
    “Cute!” Caleb said. “They’re far from cute.”
    “Are you afraid of a little spider?” Nicole teased.
    They kept taunting each other, but I drowned them out. Perhaps I had misinterpreted that boy’s look. Why would he be glaring at me? I didn’t even know him. Unconsciously, I snuck another peek. The boy’s eyes narrowed and his stare bore through me. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to turn away. There was no mistake: he despised me.
    I cleared my throat. “Do you think we can leave?” I asked Barry.
    He nodded and I wasted no time in standing, mentally willing him to hurry.
    “Hey, I’ll see you guys…‌”
    Before Barry could finish his sentence the boy yelled, “Take your little witch home. We don’t want the likes of her around here.”
    My breath sucked in and Barry’s body tensed beneath my hand as he turned to face the idiot. Nicole gasped, and Caleb slid out of the booth with his chest puffed out.
    “Are you talking to me?” Barry demanded, taking a step closer.
    “You’re the one who’s parading around the witch, so yeah…‌leave,” the idiot said.
    Desperate to hold him back, I squeezed Barry’s flexed biceps. He could not go after this guy. Not here. I didn’t want him getting into trouble over me. Barry muttered something about teaching him a lesson, but his words clouded together in my mind. Barry’s arm jerked in an attempt to shrug me off, but I refused to let go.
    “Barry, stop. He isn’t worth the trouble,” I pleaded, tightening my hold.
    Eyes narrowing, Barry studied the idiot for a moment, working his jaw. He moved forward, but I pulled tighter on his sleeve. He hesitated before dropping his shoulders and relaxing his muscles slightly. He gritted his teeth before saying, “This isn’t the place, but if you ever say that again, I will come after you.”
    The idiot smirked, but remained quiet and stayed seated.
    I tugged on Barry’s arm and tried to steer him away. His fist unclenched while he turned to me.
    “Let’s go,” I whispered, nudging my head toward the door. My body relaxed somewhat when Barry moved to follow me. We made our way through the pub with the rest of our group trailing behind.
    “ Jerk ,” Nicole said.
    “Who the hell was that, anyway?” Barry asked.
    The brisk night air blasted my face as I sucked in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. Each step closer to Barry’s car eased the worry of him getting into trouble. The last thing he needed was to go to jail.
    “I know who he is!” Caleb said. We