Happily Never After Read Online Free PDF Page A

he
laughed. “Maybe but I’m not doing a very good job at it,
obviously.”
    “I’m from here. I was just looking at the
trees.” There, I said something even more idiotic. I expected him
to run away at any moment and not spare a single glance
backward.
    Instead, he turned towards the tree I’d been
staring at and cocked his head to the side.
    “I can see why, they’re very mysterious. Like
sad old ladies draped in veils.” That surprised me. It was the last
thing I expected him to say. “It makes sense that Savannah has the
kind of reputation it does.”
    “Reputation?” I got the uneasy feeling I
normally got when people started talking about my home. It was hard
to listen to them wonder or mock the presence of ghosts when I’d
felt them my entire life. Most of them treated it as a novelty or a
tourist attraction.
    “Yeah,” he looked back at me. “They say it’s
the most haunted city in America. I’d love to find out for sure
while I’m here doing this movie. I’m Jason, by the way.” He held
out his hand.
    I heard a squeal come from the end of the
block and knew he’d been spotted by his adoring fans.
    “I know who you are.” I stared at his hand
without taking it, vaguely aware it was rude. The whole
conversation felt a little surreal to me. My brain completely
stopped working which didn’t help with trying to find something to
say. “My stepsisters are crazy about you.”
    He lowered his hand and tucked them into the
front pockets of his jeans. He flashed the cocky grin again. “Are
they as beautiful as you?”
    With a shake of my head, I rolled my eyes and
walked away.
    “Seriously?” He called after me.
    “Yep,” I answered over my shoulder as I saw a
group of girls running towards him.
    “Where do I find you if I need another cruel
shot at my ego?”
    It was hard to not answer him. I kept on
walking but his laughter followed me the rest of the afternoon.
    I didn’t have much experience with boys, but
not from lack of interest. Seeing how the boys at school bowed to
my stepsister’s whims I knew they weren’t for me. I hated the fact
that Jason did all the stupid cliché things like making my heart
speed up and my palms sweat. I growled in frustration.
    When I reflected on the five minutes I spent
with Jason, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed with
myself for not even attempting to be charming and with him for
being almost exactly what I expected.
    I finally found the fabric Marietta sent me
in search of but it had taken much longer than it should have.
Luckily, when I made it back to Baubles, she was with a customer
and in full suck-up mode. To make matters even better, the twins
were also out and it was Saturday, which meant it was my one night
to go out, my one night a week I had with an extended curfew.
    Hoping not to upset Marietta any more than
necessary, I took extra time with my chores to make sure there
wouldn’t be anything worth complaining about.
    “Quinn?” My head jerked up at the sound of my
name. It was Mrs. Hoppel, my high school English teacher and head
of the Photography Club.
    “Hi, Mrs. Hoppel, what brings you here?” I
caught Marietta watching me intently.
    She patted her short grey bob. “I’m getting a
little trim. I wanted to congratulate you after graduation but I
wasn’t able to find you.”
    Mrs. Hoppel had always been my favorite
teacher and taught me a lot about photography. I considered her my
mentor in a sense.
    “I’m sorry. It was so crazy I must have
missed you.” She was another one of the people I cared about who
had no idea what life was like at home. Oh, I’m sure she heard
about the trouble I got at school but that was different.
    She reached into her large tote purse, pulled
out a couple brochures and handed them to me. “These are some
schools I wanted you to look at. This first one, obviously, is
Savannah College of Art and Design. I know how much you love living
in the city so I assume it’s your first choice.