Read Online Deceptive Cadence by Katie Hamstead - Free Book Online Page B

torment.”
    He burst out laughing. “The things you come up with.” He tugged at my hand. “Come on, let me show you what real speed is.”
    I glanced at Geri, and seeing her roll her eyes, I grinned and let her go. Brian took me up to the far end of the rink and we waited for a break in the small crowd going around and around.
    “First one to that line on the hockey rink?” he asked.
    I shook my head. “First one to the wall.”
    “Ah, no. You’ll just crash right into it and hurt yourself.”
    I laughed. “Yeah, but I’ll be the winner, won’t I?”
    He turned to face me. “So, you’d rather win than avoid being in a wheelchair for several weeks?”
    I leaned back as he advanced on me. “Always.”
    I hit the wall and he grabbed my waist.
    “What if I don’t let you?”
    I didn’t like the way he looked at me. I’d seen it before; he had every intention of kissing me. I pressed my hand against his chest to discourage him. “Ah, Brian, there’s a break in the crowd. We should go now.”
    He ran his fingers through my ponytail. “It can wait.”
    I leaned back as he bent down closer to me. “Brian . . .”
    Wham! He fell on the ground. A yelp tore from my lips as I grabbed onto the railing to stop myself from falling on top of him. A hand grabbed my arm to stabilize me. I looked up to see James. He glared down at Brian and snarled, “Hey loser, she didn’t want you to kiss her! What are you, stupid or something?”
    He bent over and grabbed Brian by the shirt. Brian tried to escape, but James was much stronger. “I’m gonna kick your scrawny―”
    “Stop it!” I yelled.
    James looked at me. “What?”
    “I said stop it! You’re such a bully.”
    “He was practically forcing himself on you!”
    “Like you actually care.” I pulled his hand off Brian. “Come on, Brian. Let’s get back to the others.”
    We turned away from James, but he followed. “You’re not even going to thank me for stopping him?”
    “Just leave me alone.”
    “You’re such a dog!”
    “Coming from the likes of you !”
    “Hey, you don’t even know me.”
    I swiveled to face him. “No, but I know enough about you to know I don’t want anything to do with you.”
    “Oh yeah?”
    “Yeah.”
    “What do you know then, princess?”
    “I know you hang out with that Robbie Cluff and act like total jackasses. I know you do pot, and drink, and have sex with Carla and her cronies.”
    “Oh, you think that, do you?”
    “Oh, I know that!”
    “You are so wrong . . .”
    “I know you scrape by in your classes barely enough to pass and move up each year, which is shocking considering you’re never actually in class.”
    “Whatever.” He scowled and skated away.
    Brian grabbed my hand. “Hey, are you okay?”
    I pulled my hand away. “You did try to force yourself on me. He was right about that.”
    His jaw fell. “Cadence, I didn’t mean to―”
    “Brian, this isn’t going to work.” I skated away.
    I found Geri and dragged her out as fast as I could. We hurried to pull off our skates. On our way to return them, James intercepted us. “Cadence, you’re going to talk to me.”
    “Are you insane?” Geri hissed as we shoved past.
    “I don’t have sex with those girls!” he yelled.
    The people around us stared. Geri and I lifted our skates to cover our faces.
    “I’m serious, Cadence! That’s Robbie’s thing,” he continued to yell after us.
    I turned on him. “Would you shut up?”
    “No. Not until you hear me out.”
    I smirked as I dumped my skates on the counter. “Then you’ll be yelling for the rest of your life.”
    Geri and I hurried out.
    “When’s your dad coming to get us?” she asked.
    “Not for another half hour.”
    “See? This is why we need phones.”
    I chuckled, knowing that in about five years, every kid our age would have a phone. We sat against the side of the building to wait. She shuffled and pulled my money out of the pocket of her jeans. “Here, I don’t need