Read Online Fall Into Forever by Beth Hyland - Free Book Online Page A

need to start reading for Comparative Lit. The Butterfly Lovers is the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet , written centuries ago. The textbook contains several versions of the story and we need to read all of them. Even though the paper isn’t due for a while and the stories are short, I want to get a jump start. By the time Cassidy returns, I’ve read two of them.
    She changes into skinny jeans and flats and arranges a knit scarf around her neck.
    “Is that new?” I ask, looking up from my book. “It’s really cute.”
    “Thanks. Ryan made it for me for Christmas.”
    “Your brother? He made that? Let me see.” She comes over and I examine the baby-blue scarf more closely. All the rows are even, the stitches uniform. Although it’s simple, it’s very well made. Makes me want to pull out my latest knitting project—or at least log in to Ravelry. It’s the only social network I didn’t quit. Figured Aaron and his stalkerish ways wouldn’t think to look for me in the knitting and crocheting community.
    “Yep,” she says, continuing to mess with how it’s positioned. “A bunch of guys in high school first started crocheting really crazy ski caps in wild colors for themselves. Other kids wanted them, too, so they took orders and sold them. Now they make scarves and beanies, too.”
    “That’s really cool your brother and his friends do that. Does anyone tease them?”
    “Tease him? Ha. No one teases Ryan. No one would dare pitch him shit about anything.”
    I can see that. The guy’s totally buff.
    She eyes the canvas bag next to my bed where I keep my knitting stuff. My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was little. Although I’m not very good at it, it helps me to think I’m recapturing the person I used to be before my life fell apart.
    “Next time he comes to visit, you guys could go yarn shopping together.”
    I smile at the thought of a big, burly guy like Ryan in a yarn shop.
    We grab our backpacks and leave the room. As I lock up, Cassidy removes the dry-erase marker from the whiteboard on our door.
    “What time will you be back?” she asks.
    I have to think about it for a moment. I don’t have this quarter’s schedule memorized yet. “Not till three or four.”
    “I’ll be home earlier.” Back by two , she writes on the board.
    We head down the hall, waving to a few people on our floor who have their doors open. Soon we’re outside and heading to the Commons. Cassidy dodges a puddle on the sidewalk. It rained earlier this morning and everything is still wet, reminding me that I should’ve put my running shoes next to the heater under the window to dry them out. I make a mental note to do that when I get back.
    We enter the dining hall, then end up standing in line at the salad bar for a few minutes as we wait for a replacement batch of fresh lettuce.
    “Have you heard from your mom?” Cassidy asks.
    “Not yet.” I shift my weight from one foot to the other.
    “Maybe it wasn’t—you know— his brother at the party.”
    I cringe. She promised she wouldn’t mention it again. “One can hope, right?”
    The fresh lettuce arrives and we make our salads. I pile on lots of feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and pepperoncini. Cassidy, on the other hand, goes for the soy cheese, mushrooms, and garbanzo beans. Taking our trays, we spot a table with a few people from our floor. Sara and another girl I don’t know are there, too.
    The memory of how she talked to me the other night—like I was an idiot—is still fresh in my mind. One of my goals when I moved here was to stay away from toxic people. Right now, she tops that list. And even though I feel strange admitting this, the way she shamelessly fawned all over Jon kind of pisses me off.
    Erik, Austin, and Brina are huddled over a textbook, so I’m guessing they’re heading somewhere to study when they’re done with lunch. Marla is texting. Sara’s friend is in workout clothes, so she’s probably going to the