Poison Princess Read Online Free PDF Page B

sure thing.” I’d asked Brand yet again to set them up, even if just on a friends double.
    â€œI am a sure thing,” Mel said. “Why wouldn’t Spence like me?”
    Sometimes when she said stuff like that, I couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not.
    â€œSo what are you going to do about Brandon’s hymen safari?”
    â€œI have no idea.” I’m sure everyone in school was wondering—I had a sixteenth birthday coming up and an older, much more experienced boyfriend.
    As Mel had summed up my predicament, “Once a racehorse learns how to run, you can’t expect to keep him hobbled for long.”
    I watched Brand laughing with some other guys, his face flushed against his white button-down. He looked utterly gorgeous.
    And yet I just didn’t feel this grand passion to experience sex with Brand, no overwhelming curiosity about the deed either. Though I felt meh about the whole subject, I didn’t want to lose him.
    It has to happen sometime. “I just don’t like being pressured.” Even if I’d made that promise to begin with. But I’d been desperate to keep him faithful all summer! “I . . . I’ll think about it later,” I trailed off in a defeated tone, feeling even more exhausted.
    â€œWhat’s up with you? You usually have tons of energy.”
    I shrugged, unable to tell her that my pills left me drained.
    â€œIf you’re going to be lame, I’m going to go creep on Spencer.”
    â€œHave fun,” I muttered. “No biting. Wake me before the bell.”
    She skulked off, and soon enough I heard her laughing theatrically at one of Spencer’s jokes.
    But I couldn’t drift off, still feeling like I was being watched. I scanned the area again. Everyone was going about their lunch as usual.
    I made myself close my eyes. Stop being paranoid, Evie. Enjoy this place, the blooms. . . .
    Their scent reminded me of my Gran’s beloved rose garden at Haven. She’d planted it beneath one of the windmill water pumps, tended it religiously before her breakdown.
    I didn’t remember a lot about my grandmother, but since I’d returned home, I’d been thinking about her more and more. I was eight the last time I’d seen her. On a sweltering Louisiana summer day, she’d told me we were going to get ice cream. I remembered thinking it must be the best ice cream in the state, because we drove and drove. . . .
    I frowned. The scent of roses was growing stronger, overwhelming. Was someone holding one in front of my face? Was it Brand?
    I peeked open my eyes, blinked in confusion. Two rose stalks had stretched toward me, delicate blooms on either side of my head. As I watched, dumbstruck, they inched closer to my face, to touch my cheeks.
    Dewy, soft petals were caressing me as my mind flipped over and I worked up a scream—
    â€œAhhh!” I scrambled to my feet.
    They retracted just as quickly. As if in fright—of me.
    I glanced up. Saw students staring at me. Mel shot me a quizzical look.
    â€œTh-there was . . . a bee!” Oh, God, oh, God! I snatched up my purse and rushed inside, heading for the bathroom.
    In the hall, sounds seemed muffled. I passed people without speaking to them, ignoring anyone who approached me.
    When I reached the sink,I splashed my face with water over and over. Get hold of yourself. Reject the delusion.
    Was I getting sick again? I’d thought I was cured!
    Leaning forward, I studied my face in the mirror. I barely recognized myself. But I didn’t look crazy; I looked . . . scared. Am I going to lose everything?
    I gripped the edges of the sink. Maybe I’d fallen asleep and had been experiencing another weird dream?
    Yes! That was it, I’d simply dozed off. My medicine prevented delusions. I hadn’t had one in Atlanta. Not a single episode.
    This made sense. After all, I hadn’t experienced