Read Online A Night at the Asylum by Jade McCahon - Free Book Online

lingering there, like a ghost that faded
slowly away.
     
     
     
    ****
     
     
     
    Four O’Clock
     
     
    I climbed out of the car, my face cracking
into a smile. “Hey, Cole,” I said, gasping as he grabbed me up in
an enthusiastic hug.
    “It’s great to see you, Sara,” he said
earnestly when he finally let go. “It’s been a while.”
    “Thanks.” For more than the hug, I
might have added. I smoothed my clothing, feeling pleasantly
violated.
    Cole grinned, his smile wide and infectious.
Tall and boyish, with glistening eyes and dark hair, he’s
exceptionally cute if you’re into the warm-hearted but
overly-pierced type. He and Raymond have known each other since
preschool.
    “Is that new?” I asked him, eyeing his lip
ring. “Every time I see you, you have more holes in your face.”
    “Nothing else to do in this goddamn town,” he
shot back good-naturedly.
    Next to us, Jamie cleared her throat loudly.
Apparently she felt the need to remind us of her existence.
    “Oh.” I nodded. “Jamie, this is Cole Allison.
Cole, Jamie Pfeffer.”
    “Hi,” they greeted each other in unison, and
suddenly, it was as if I wasn’t even there. He was looking at her,
she was ogling him…I could have spontaneously combusted with
neither of them noticing. Both realized the other was staring and
laughed uncertainly at the same time. I rolled my eyes.
    It was my turn to clear my throat.
    “So, did you come out to see some
architectural carnage?” I asked Cole, turning to gaze behind us
where the asylum languished on the other side of the hill.
    “Of course! There’s no way I’d miss this
place getting smoked.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
    “Ah, so you're not on Raymond's side
tonight?”
    “No way. I want to see it die.”
    “Where is Raymond, by the way?” Not that I
really wanted to know. I had no idea what my runaway mouth would
say to him, or if I’d just stand there like an idiot and say
nothing at all.
    “I actually just got a weird text from him.”
Cole took out his phone, pushing buttons. “Hang on...” he read the
message word for word. “‘Something came up but I’ll be there
ASAP.’” He shrugged.
    “When did you get that? We just talked to
him.”
    “I got it literally as you two pulled
up.”
    “Great.”
    A look of sympathy crossed Cole’s face.
“Didn’t you guys…?”
    “Yeah.” My cheeks burned. “We broke up.”
    “I’m sorry.” He touched my arm. “He seems
pretty torn up about it. He must have done something really bad,
right…?” Cole raised one eyebrow, politely inviting me to spill the
story behind it all.
    “Um, he broke up with me ,” I
gasped, surprised. “I’d like to know what happened myself. Any
ideas?”
    “No,” Cole seemed confused and slightly
embarrassed to have dredged the whole thing up. “But then, before
about a week ago, it’d been a while since I’d talked to him. He
told me you guys weren't together anymore, but that's about
it.”
    My own confusion deepened. I knew my silence
with Raymond had to end, but wasn’t sure when I would be ready to
hear the truth, now that he seemed willing to tell it. Either way,
it was too stressful to think about right this minute. “Well,” I
looked at Jamie, her eyes still glued to Cole. “What do we do
now?”
    “What do you mean? You guys can hang with me
till he gets here,” Cole responded with enthusiasm, speaking mostly
to Jamie, I thought. He made a sweeping gesture toward the dark
hill, where there were now a few groups of teenagers happily
loitering. We could hear voices, laughter. “You ready to go
in?”
    Jamie’s eyes were pleading. “Five minutes.
Just till Raymond gets here. I’ve never seen the inside.”
    I groaned. “Five minutes.”
    As we soldiered across the overgrown
courtyard on our way to the massive building, Jamie and I fell
behind a few steps. “We should tell him about Bonita. About the
police car,” she whispered, tucking her long scarf into