Read Online Rev Girl by Leigh Hutton - Free Book Online Page A

to perform.’
    â€˜You make it sound so easy.’
    â€˜We’ve had a few sessions with sport shrinks, and that helped me a lot. Once you realise that you’re in control of how you feel and react, it makes it a lot easier to stay calm in your mind, focus, and block out the noise from the people around you.’
    â€˜Wow,’ Clover said, feeling her shoulders hunch. Dallas kissed her again, but a sound from the kitchen, a chair scraping across the tiles, cut through the gap in her bedroom door, and they pushed apart. Dallas squinted his eyes, seeming to focus on her huge poster, of a grinning guy in riding gear, which covered most of the back of her bedroom door. He stiffened. ‘Who’s that?’
    â€˜The current world champion, Ryder Black,’ Clover said. ‘He’s Australian, like the poster says; his hometown is Brisbane. He’s an idol of mine.’
    â€˜Right.’
    â€˜Oh, and … ’ Clover jumped off the bed and nodded at a picture high on the wall, of a huge man doing a wheelie through a creek, ‘And that’s Nick Mann, the ten-time Canadian champion he’s awesome, too.’ She whipped around, and pointed to a small poster, stuck next to her dresser. ‘This is Steph Gibbs. She rides motocross and is so fast. I wish I could ride like her.’
    It took at least a minute for Dallas to look away from Ryder. Clover watched him study the picture of Steph Gibbs, who was a super hot blonde, in her bikini, sitting astride her race bike. Dallas seemed to relax and suddenly smiled.
    â€˜I think they’re probably ready for us, down at the pond,’ Clover said, keen to get her boyfriend’s attention away from Steph. ‘Ready to be taken down by a girl?’
    Dallas tilted his head, clearly confused.
    â€˜On the pond, Dallas. Hockey?’
    â€˜Oh, yeah.’ He smiled. ‘My skates are in the truck.’
    Leslie’s voice rang out from the kitchen, yelling something about the rink. They hurried out to his truck and down to the pond.
    Clover thought one game and dinner with her family should keep Ernie happy. Then she and Dallas would be free to leave.
    It started to snow just as Dallas parked the truck under a streetlight a few doors down from the party. Heavy, soft flakes that coated the windscreen in a film of white.
    Dallas slid a box from under his seat and rested it in Clover’s lap. ‘I think you’ll like it.’
    â€˜Wow!’ She held up the silver-wrapped package. ‘Thanks, Dallas, you didn’t have to.’
    â€˜Sure I did.’ He pointed at the front of the black, knitted sweater, which she’d given him during the drive she’d been way too excited to wait until they stopped. It had taken her hours of online shopping to find the gift, and the week to receive it in the mail had been painstaking. Even more so than the stress she’d endured stealing her mother’s credit card numbers, and waiting for her to notice the charge. Which, thankfully, she hadn’t. Not yet, anyway.
    As Clover examined the small box with its big, shiny bow, she had a sinking feeling she should have gotten him something flashier maybe a watch?
    She plucked off the bow and pulled off the paper to reveal a Tiffany’s-style chain bracelet. A little heart, dangling from the clasp, glinted in the light.
    â€˜It’s beautiful!’
    The metal felt cool against her skin as he wrapped it around her wrist.
    â€˜Dude! Awesome to see you!’ Sera thrust a red Cruiser into Clover’s hand, and then stood on the toes of her platform heels to fling her arms around her best friend’s neck.
    The party was going off all around them. The music was loud and packed with attitude and base, the air thick with smoke and the smell of weed. Above them, in what Clover assumed was the living room, people were mingling, drinking and talking, their faces taking on demonic qualities in the dingy haze.