Read Online Gluttony by Robin Wasserman - Free Book Online Page B

any.”
    Bah-dum-bum . Beth shifted in the folding chair, searching for some position that wouldn’t leave the metal bar digging into her lower back. Starla had squeezed them into a rehearsal room in the basement of the Fantasia for some last-minute fine-tuning—but so far, the band had barely managed to make it through a single song.
    “Maybe you guys should take a break?” Beth suggested.
    Fish and Hale exchanged a glance. “Dude, can you tell your girlfriend to chill?” Fish said quietly to Reed—but not quietly enough.
    “She’s kind of freaking me out, just staring at us like that,” Hale added.
    “She’s right here, guys,” Beth said loudly. “She can hear everything you say.”
    “Dude, it’s just that—”
    “Forget it.” Beth stood up, realizing that her left foot had fallen asleep. She stamped it against the ground, trying to get rid of the pins and needles. “I’m going to take a walk.”
    Reed hurried over to her and tipped his head against hers so that their foreheads met. “You don’t have to go,” he said softly. “They’re just … we kinda suck right now, and—”
    She ran her hand lightly up the back of his neck, playing with some loose strands of curly hair. “You guys are great,” she assured him. “You just need practice. And you don’t need me throwing things off.”
    Reed kissed her on the cheek. “I need you.”
    She laughed and, for a moment, was tempted to stay—but she knew better. “Yes—but you don’t need me right now. You need to practice.”
    Reed crinkled his nose, the way he always did when he was surprised. “You know what?”
    “What?”
    His answer was a kiss.
    Beth left—reluctantly—and wandered through the cavernous lobby, barely noticing the people she passed by. She still saw Reed’s face in front of her, looking at her like she could do no wrong. He was the first person she’d ever been with who didn’t judge, didn’t impose, didn’t expect. It wasn’t even that he wanted her to be happy—which was something she couldn’t do, not even for him—it was enough that she did what she wanted, and that she wanted to be with him.
    It made her feel like a fraud. She could hear the clock ticking in the back of her mind, and time was running out. Eventually, she would be exposed. When his arms were around her, she could relax. But every time she left his side, the fear descended like a black curtain. Would he be there when she came back?
    She knew it was crazy to wonder.
    But maybe it was even crazier not to prepare herself for the inevitable. Because one day, he wouldn’t.
    She needed some fresh air. But the hotel was like a maze, hallways leading to stairways leading to more hallways, all of which seemed to lead directly back to the gaping mouth of the casino.
    “Didn’t think you were the gambling type,” someone said from behind her.
    She didn’t have to turn around to put a face to the voice—and didn’t want to turn around, since it was a face she never wanted to see again.
    “Of course, I didn’t think you were the druggie type either, not after that whole Just Say No lecture on New Year’s Eve,” Kane sneered. “So I guess nothing should surprise me now.”
    Beth braced herself for attack. Since their breakup several months before, she and Kane had been at war—and things had only gotten worse since Kaia’s accident. He always looked at her suspiciously, as if he could see her guilt. So, just in case, she tried not to look at him at all. “Leave me alone, Kane,” she said wearily. “I’m not in the mood.”
    “Maybe I can help with that.” Until he spoke, she hadn’t even noticed the guy standing next to Kane. Maybe because he looked about as un-Kane-like as you could get, from his baggy patchwork jeans to the henna tattoo crawling across his neck. “Guaranteed mood enhancement,” the guy said, handing her a chocolate bar. “Instant happiness, or your money back.”
    It would take more than chocolate to guarantee