Everlong: (Book One of the Everlong Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

desire and speak to him? But his friends? Why were they there? They weren't supposed to be there, not yet.
    No. I couldn't do it. Talking to him in front of his friends? What was I thinking? The library seemed like an excellent place to run to. I could hide at the back in the section no one ever went in. I spun around and collided with a tall brunette. Amber.
    Amber jumped backwards, her arms spreading wide, her hands up in the air, as if she was trying to avoid touching something disgusting, and her face was screwed up, like a Pug. To think, in year 7, we'd actually been friends. That seemed such a long time ago. Another lifetime even.
    ‘Why don’t you just look where you’re going?’
    I froze. A rabbit caught in headlights, knowing that any moment I was going to be crushed under the wheels of a truck. I felt sick, wanting to spew it all over her nice cream jacket.
    ‘I…I…’ I couldn't finish the sentence. It clung to my mouth like a bad taste.
    'What do you think you're...' Amber's eyes traced the path of my previous gaze. ‘Ha!’ she guffawed.
    My face blazed crimson.
    ‘Were you spying on Dexter?’ Amber looked at me, her head cocked to one side. She put her manicured hands on her hips, and smiled.
    I hated that look. The pity. It stripped the warmth from my face and robbed me of any shred of dignity I had left. ‘No, I-‘
    ‘Don’t!’ commanded Amber, ‘Don’t even try to lie about what you were doing!’
    'I-'
    ‘As if,’ she said, biting out each word as if it were poison, ‘he would be interested in a freak like you.' She shook her perfectly coiffured head.
    I hated her.
    I wanted to be her.
    Her expensive perfume was strong, making the urge to vomit even stronger. ‘I just wanted to give this back to Dexter,’ I said, my voice strangled as I held out my hand, allowing Amber to see the diamond stud that had almost become embedded into my skin.
    Amber’s eyes narrowed. ‘And where did you find that?’
    ‘My place-‘ I said, looking up to see a flash of anger fly across her face.
    ‘Well,’ said Amber, grabbing me by the shoulders, 'don't just stand there!'
    She dug her long finger nails into my shoulders, forcing me to turn around. 'Go and give it back to him then,' she said, pushing me in Dexter's direction.
    I stumbled forward, struggling to hold back the tears. I wasn't going to cry here, not in front of her, and not in front of them. I held the tears down and pretended I was lying dead at the bottom of the river, free of pain and despair.
    Like I said, no one was ever going to see me cry.
    I was getting good at playing dead.
    Dexter's eyes were fixed on me. I looked away, but I could still see the sneering faces of his friends staring back at me, their eyes full of amusement, waiting for me to slip up, to do something stupid.
    ‘She's got something for you,’ said Amber, pushing past me, almost knocking me over. Sniggers bounced around the cafeteria.
    'Yeah?' he said, in a sceptical tone. He looked away and began to play with the lid of his Coke bottle.
    I slowly shuffled forwards and placed the stud on the table. I would not look up, I would not look at him, and I would not cry, even if that's what I wanted to do more than anything.
    ‘Thanks,’ he said, not taking his eyes off his Coke. He made no attempt to retrieve the stud.
    Tom Baker, the guy sitting next to Dexter, grabbed his Diesel bag off the table and slid out. 'Love to stay and watch the show but I need to pee. See you guys later,' he said.
    Amber slid elegantly into the freshly vacated chair, her hand glancing across Dexter’s shoulder. ‘She said she found it at her place,’ she said, in an almost accusatory tone, but I couldn't quite tell if that was for my benefit, or Dexter's.
    Dexter took hold of his bottle and pushed his chair back. He grabbed his bag off the floor and stood up. ‘Got to see Mr Charles,’ he said to Amber, 'see you English.' Kieran stood up with him.
    ‘Don’t forget your stud,’ said