Read Online Trembling by V. J. Chambers - Free Book Online

away from him. "Maybe that's just it," I said.
"Maybe I've been spending too long waiting for you to protect me. Maybe I
need to protect myself."

"From the Sons? Azazel, most trained police officers couldn’t hold themselves
against the Sons."

"You killed five of them, though," I said.

"Yeah, but the Sons trained me," said Jason.

"So, you could train me."

Jason sighed heavily. "No," he said.

"Why not?"

"I just . . ." Jason clenched his hands into fists. "I don't want
to think like that anymore. I don't want you to think like that. I want to move
on. I want to put all of this behind us."

"I know that's what you want," I whispered. "But that doesn't
mean that just because you want it, you'll get it."

"Well, just because you think everyone's out to get you doesn't mean they
are either," said Jason. "You really need to give Lilith another
chance. She's trying so hard. If you could hear the way she talks about you
—
"

"Which you hear since she's like your new best friend."

"You don't like me spending time with Lilith?"

"That's not what I said."

"Well, get used to it. I just got her a job as the new hostess at my
restaurant," said Jason.  

My mouth dropped open. "So you'll see her all the time. More than you'll
see me."

"She's going to be around us, Azazel. It would just be so much easier if
you could get along with her."

I was stunned. Jason was going to be spending half of his life with Lilith. And
what was worse, he was taking her side instead of mine. Was Jason right? Was I
paranoid?

I didn't think so. Somehow, this was all Lilith's fault.
    * * *
    When we got back to school, 2nd/3rd block had already
started. Jason and I signed in at the office, telling the secretary that we'd
been sick during the night, but felt better now. "Food poisoning,"
said Jason, a painful expression on his face. The secretary nodded at us
sympathetically and wrote us passes to class. Jason and I parted ways. Even
though we'd been arguing, I didn't want to be away from him. Jason and I lived
together, but I felt like too many things kept us apart sometimes. School.
Work. Detention.

If it hadn't been for that stuff, I wouldn't even have had to worry about
Lilith and Jason hanging out, because I would actually be with the two of them.
It wasn't that I really thought that Jason would do anything with Lilith. I
trusted him. But Lilith was so . . . experienced. She was thin and curvy, with
flaming red hair and big pouty lips. When she walked down the hall at Bramford,
she was the kind of girl who turned boys' heads. I wasn't that kind of girl.
Sure, I was sort of pretty in my own way. But I wasn't remarkable. Jason made
such a point of bringing up the fact that I had more experience than him. What
if he wanted to . . . even things up or something? And I was the only girl
Jason had ever dated. Maybe he'd just settled for me because I was there. Maybe
if he had a choice, he'd pick someone else. Someone prettier. Someone with less
issues. Someone who wasn't constantly worried about being found and killed by
the Sons. If Jason really wanted to be normal, maybe he wanted to date a normal
girl. I had so much baggage . . .  

I could hardly concentrate on the lecture in my English class. I tried to take
notes, but my mind kept wandering. I didn't want to worry about Jason and
Lilith. It felt tawdry and stereotypical. I felt like a stupid girl. But no
matter how much I tried to put it out of my mind, I didn't seem to be able to.
I pictured Lilith laughing as she sat next to Jason on the couch. The laughter
racked her body, making her breasts bounce. She collapsed against his shoulder,
still giggling. I saw it again and again, in slow motion. It was driving me
insane.

I didn't even hear it when someone called me to the office over the
loudspeaker. Ms. Call, the English teacher, had to come to my desk and touch me
on the shoulder.

I started, staring up at her wildly. Had she asked a question? What were we
even reading in English class?