Pretty Toxic - A New Adult Romance (Imperfectly Yours) Read Online Free PDF Page B

have slowed down. I keep my mouth shut, half expecting Scar to blow up about me being out so late without her knowing. She doesn’t.
    “So you’re not mad,” I say, opening the car door. She shrugs.
    “What can I say? You’re eighteen now.”
    “I’m sorry,” I respond. I close my eyes and try to force back tears. “You think . . . you think he’s okay?”
    “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s a Haskell.”
    “Yeah but . . .” I loudly swallow. My chest feels like it’s been strapped to an enormous anchor. “You don’t think he’s . . . lying dead somewhere?”
    “Of course not,” she breathes. “Don’t say stuff like that. He probably got drunk after what happened to Matt and fell asleep in the park or something.” A possible explanation that I could have believed. That wasn’t the case at all. “Anyway, why don’t we talk about something else?”
    “Like what?” I glance down at my phone. Still nothing.
    “How’s school going? You start that internship stuff on Monday right?”
    “Yep,” I reply. This is the last thing I want to talk about. Come Monday I will be reminded of last night over and over again. Why does my internship have to be in the Banley Building of all places?
    “Geez, I sound like my mom.” Scarlett shakes her head. “You probably would rather me shut up huh?”
    “I want to go home and go to my room.”
    “I understand,” she says quietly. Our drive home is silent minus a weather update on the radio.
    This is all my fault. For once, I should have just said yes . I should have ran away with him the moment he suggested it. I should have followed my heart. Blindly.
     
     
    *          *          *
     
     
    “Let’s go out.” Zanna is sitting at the foot of my bed like an eager puppy. I hadn’t moved for hours. My muscles are all stiff. If I move now that would be more painful than staying exactly where I am.
    “Who let you in here?”
    “Scarlett said you could use some cheering up,” she replies.
    “Scarlett should mind her own business.”
    “She’s right,” Zanna agrees. I glare at her. She never agrees with my Aunt Scarlett.
    “ This time,” she adds.
    “My world really is falling apart,” I mutter. Zanna tries to pull away my comforter. I’d buried myself in my bed with my cell phone next to my face. Maybe he would call? Text?
    “Come on. You’re blowing this whole thing out of proportion. So you spent all morning at the police station, so what? You had nothing to do with all this Dane crap so get over it.”
    “I can’t,” I immediately reply. She rolls her eyes. I fight her for full blanket coverage. It’s too hard to keep pretending Dane doesn’t mean anything to me.
    “Don’t even get me started on the fact that you were talking to that pig in the first place. Late at night. In secret. ” She pauses, looking at me like Aunt Scar used to when I left the kitchen table without clearing my plate.
    “Oh shut up.”
    “What’s the deal? Cuz I know what you told the cops ain’t true.”
    “Scar needs to learn how to keep her mouth shut,” I bark, eyes wide. I hear Zanna take a deep breath. She lets go of my comforter and plays with her tongue ring.
    “What?” I shrug.
    “Mikki, what’s going on between you two?”
    My eyes are still wide. They start to water. The back of my throat closes up. Lie.
    “Nothing.”
    “We both know that’s not true. You’re not the type to go wandering around Riptide Park at night.” She can’t know. Because if she knows, others might figure it out. Lie, Mikki!
    “I ran into him okay.” I see the confused look on Zanna’s face and realize I’m almost yelling. I touch my neck.
    “Defensive much,” she comments. “Whatever. You don’t want to tell me just yet. That’s fine. But don’t treat me like some ignorant airhead. I know exactly what’s going on here.”
    “No.” I use the blanket to cover everything but my eye. “No, you don’t.”
    “Well when you’re finished