Read Online Psycho Inside Me by Bonnie R. Paulson - Free Book Online Page B

me. Or maybe Sheldon hadn’t died. Ew, if he hadn’t died, Deegan and I would be in serious trouble. Brief hope blossomed that maybe I hadn’t killed him. Maybe my soul was safe. Deegan’s. Our guilt would be baseless. I could already feel myself breathing lighter.
    Soft rapping on my door , like he didn’t think I’d be awake. I sat up. What could Dad want with me? Did he know? My stomach curdled. Oh, crap. “Yeah?” Too wired and nervous, I couldn’t even feign like I had just been woken from sleep.
    He pushed the door open and poked his head in. Bluish-white glow from the small night light plugged in by the door cast long shadows on his face, hiding his eyes. Did he know? “Cassie?” His whisper didn’t wake Kari. I’d forgotten she was there, feet from me, as I’d almost had a heart attack, thinking I’d been caught.
    “Hey, Dad. What’s wrong?” I rubbed at my eyes.
    Clearing his throat, he opened the door wider and moved inside. “Is Kari awake?” He raised his voice to speaking volumes.
    I shook my head, then replied, forgetting he couldn’t see me well in the dark. I reache d for my lamp on the nightstand, turning the knob and blinking at the sudden brightness. Kari didn’t move. I narrowed my gaze. “Do you need something from Kari?” I didn’t want to wake her up. She didn’t wake well and she had this habit of being cranky when she was overly tired. We’d been in more fights than not because of her inability to cope with sleeplessness.
    Dad’s lips thinned and he clasped his hands at waist level. “I need to speak with her alone, Cassie. Can you wake her up for me and have her meet me in the living room, please?” He ducked out my door, unwilling or unable to stay for the worst part.
    “Kari, wake up.” I kicked the bed, the resulting jiggle and jangle loud enough I’d wake up if I were asleep. But she didn’t even flinch. I dug into her bag stored between her bed and mine and found her cell phone. I set it on the pillow next to her head and pulled my own out, typing out a fast text and sending it to her phone.
    The quiet hum as it vibrated beside her barely reached me. She’d never wake up. But she reached up and grabbed her phone, opening one eye to read the text and reply. I slapped her shoulder. “Hey, wake up. Dad wants to see you downstairs.” I startled her and she blinked both eyes slowly my way.
    “Wha—”
    “Go. It’s too late to keep him waiting.” I rolled out of my bed, stepping carefully around her things and my clothes I’d strewn about the floor. There might be something to be said about cleaning up after myself. Or not. I bit at the side of my thumb.
    Grumbling, Kari got up and pulled on my robe. “Where is he at?” She hadn’t completely woken up, or she’d be more worried about what my dad could possibly want at midnight.
    I pointed her downstairs and paced when she left the room. To the wall beside my desk and then back to my bed. Desk, bed, desk, bed, desk, bed. Come on. What was taking so long? I drew on my side-striped warm-up pants.
    After what could only be described as forever, Kari returned. She didn’t come in like a zombie and lay down, rather the only thing I could discern from her expression was confusion – in the slowness to her step, the pensive tilt to her head, and the wrinkling of her forehead. She couldn’t figure something out. Something that had required her to get up in the middle of the night and have a pow-wow with my dad downstairs.
    “What happened?” I resorted to picking at my cuticle. It’s hard to talk with a finger in my mouth.
    She sat on her bed, staring at her feet. As if someone pressed a button, she looked up and a smile pushed the confusion from her lips. Pure delight lit up her eyes. She grabbed my hands in hers. “ Cassie, I know I should be sad and all depressed, but my mom called and…” Kari wiped at a tear escaping her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m happy. Oh my word. My uncle’s dead. He was killed