Read Online Coma (Paranormal Romance) by Lilly Mance - Free Book Online Page A

out a chair for me to sit.
    “Yeah. That was awkward,” I said, a tad
absently.
    “I would have cried,” Maya said, looking like
she meant it.
    “I would have screamed at least,” Helen
snickered.
    “I wanted to do both, but I froze in place,”
I chuckled.
    “Thank God that big guy stepped in,” Shawn
added. Compared to Jake, both Shawn and Brad were midgets.
    “Who would have said Jake was like that,”
Helen raised her brows.
    “Not me,” I shrugged. “He didn't strike me as that kind of a guy.”
    “Listen,” Maya changed the subject, “It's
warm enough, so we agreed to go swimming afterward.”
    “I have to go home first,” I said. “Oh, and I
have to get my paycheck! I completely forgot about it in all of
this.”
    “K! Meet you on the beach, then?”
    “Deal,” I replied.
    ~*~
    My first paycheck wasn’t much, but it was
enough to make me feel like a worthy member of the society. It was
a damn good feeling! I went for the bus station, secretly hoping
Zack would be there like the other day, but he wasn't. Since that
day, he hasn't popped in, or showed up. I started suspecting
something had happened to him. Although predominantly he got on my
nerves, I kind of got used to having him around. Whether I was
surrounded by friends, or all alone, I always felt lonely. I don't
know how and why, but Zack chased that feeling away. I felt more
alive arguing with him than ever before.
    I was sitting at the bus station, picking
through my purse, when a large shadow blocked the sun. I looked up,
and saw the fat man from earlier in front of me. My heart stopped,
sending a knot to my throat.
    “You owe me money!” Fat-man growled.
    “What money,” I asked, scared to death, and
feeling so tiny.
    “The one your bully friend took from me,”
Fat-man stepped closer in a very threatening manner.
    “I don't have it. It belongs to Mario's,” I
replied, scared of the outcome my reply would cause.
    “I don't care!” He yelled. “Give me all
you've got in there,” he pointed at my purse. Instinctively, I
pressed the purse to my chest. The man grabbed it, and ripped it
out of my hands, but at the same time, a hand grabbed his larynx
from behind. Fat-man started choking, and coughing, releasing my
purse to fight off his attacker. I was petrified, but glad Jake had
seen my peril, and decided to step in again. From behind Fat-man's
back, a familiar voice screamed:
    “RUN! I can't hold him much longer!” That
instant, I knew it wasn't Jake. It was Zack! My mind was incapable
of processing what to do first—grab the purse, start running, or
hug Zack to thank him. Then, colored by a sense of urgency, Zack
screamed: “NOW!”
    I snatched my purse from the ground, and
started running faster than I ever did. I glanced behind my back
seeing Zack still holding him. My feet felt heavy, refusing to
cooperate. I could have stumbled at any moment, so I stopped at the
park that seemed far enough from my attacker. Both Zack and Fat-man
were no longer in my sight. I sat on a bench, and put my head
between my knees, panting hard. My lungs struggled for air. Each
breath I took seemed to lack oxygen, making me fight for more.
Heart hammered so hard that my entire body pulsed at each beat.
    When I finally caught my breath, my mind went
into high stress mode. I wondered why Zack decided to get involved,
and hoped he wouldn't harm that man...too much. I hoped he wouldn't
get hurt himself. Oh, God, I hoped he would be okay. I reached for
my purse to call the police.
    “There you are,” a voice said. I shrieked,
and jumped up from the bench, but then I saw it was only Zack.
Without thinking, I ran straight into his embrace. Locking my arms
around his waist, I burrowed my face in his chest, just below his
jaw. He hesitated for several seconds, then put his arms around my
shivering body, lowering his chin on my head, and started gently
stroking my hair.
    I could hear his heart rhythmically beating,
having a soothing effect on me. Fear