Playing With Fire Read Online Free PDF

“Anyway, what did you two do after the party?”
    â€œNothing to be ashamed of. Talk mostly.” Dropping her guard for a second, Jessica confided with pleasure, “Bruce said he was angry when he lost out at being king ’cause he wanted to share the throne with me.”
    Elizabeth was astounded that her normally perceptive sister would fall for such an obviously phony remark. “I wouldn’t believe a line like that if he took a lie detector test,” she blurted.
    â€œOh, come on, Elizabeth. Why can’t you get it into your thick skull that Bruce likes me!”
    â€œIt takes more than a few kisses to prove that.”
    â€œA lot you know. The truth is, we really have tons in common.” She sighed wistfully. “Oh, I hope I’ll see him again real soon.”
    â€œYou mean he didn’t ask you out again—after all that?”
    â€œNo,” Jessica admitted, “but I’m sure he will.”
    â€œI wouldn’t be,” Elizabeth muttered under her breath.
    â€œI heard that.” Jessica’s patience with her sister was nearing the breaking point. She flounced into the bathroom and briskly ran a brush through her long, silky hair. When Elizabeth followed her, she added, “I’ve had just about enough of your badmouthing Bruce. I don’t know what you’ve got against him. You never tried to stop me from making a play for him before tonight.”
    â€œI never had to—he was never interested before tonight.”
    â€œLook, if there’s something specific that you have to tell me about him, go ahead. Otherwise, shut up.”
    â€œHe’s arrogant and self-centered. He’ll hurt you.”
    Jessica snorted. “Just what I thought. You don’t have any real reasons—just your own opinion. Sorry, Liz, but you’re going to have to do better than that.”
    â€œLook how fast he dumped Lila Fowler and Heather Morgan. Even your good friend Cara Walker. Why believe you’ll do any better? He doesn’t hang on to anyone for very long.”
    Jessica put down her brush and faced her sister. “Liz, don’t you understand? They meant nothing to him.”
    â€œHow do you know?” Elizabeth pressed.
    â€œHe told me.”
    â€œAnd you believe him?”
    â€œI have no reason not to. Now, are you finished?”
    Elizabeth eyed her sister silently, aware that in the end Jessica would have to figure out the truth herself.
    â€œYou had your chance, Elizabeth,” Jessica said angrily. “Don’t you dare say another bad word about Bruce in front of me, or you’ll regret it for eternity.”
    â€œJess—”
    â€œYou heard me, Elizabeth! That’s all!”
    Before Elizabeth could recover, Jessica stormed out of the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Elizabeth stood alone in front of the vanity, her eyes brimming with tears. Despite all of the petty disagreements they’d had over the years, she couldn’t remember Jessica ever going to bed angry at her. Elizabeth didn’t like it one bit, especially since she was sure that the cause of their argument—that arrogant jock, Bruce Patman—was just playing another game with her unsuspecting sister. And she was almost as sure it was a game Jessica couldn’t win.
    *   *   *
    Sunday morning found Elizabeth at the breakfast table, nibbling idly on a piece of toast, only half listening to her parents’ conversation.
    â€œSays here that George Fowler’s expanding his plant.” Alice Wakefield put down the Sunday paper as she spoke to her husband, Ned. “I’m going to call him first thing tomorrow and show him my portfolio. I could come up with some wonderful designs for him.”
    So that was it, Elizabeth decided distractedly. Her mother had been thinking about this Fowler project last night. That’s why she’d been too preoccupied to notice Elizabeth’s