Read Online Snared by Stefan Petrucha - Free Book Online Page B

appeared with Ev’s beer. She took it from him and said, “Thanks, baby,” before taking a deep drink. Doyle turned his attention back to Lindsay.
    â€œWhere are we going?” Char asked.
    â€œLindsay and I are going to wander for a few.” Char’s face fell. Anger crept into her expression. “I want to give the new girl the deluxe tour.”
    Once they were north of the bonfire, out ofearshot of the others, Ev slowed her pace. She drank from her beer and looked at Lindsay.
    â€œSorry about Doyle. He’s always around. The inland girls usually like him.”
    â€œHe’s kind of old.”
    â€œYeah,” Ev replied with a laugh. “He is, I guess, but he’ll always be around, like the ocean and the sand.”
    â€œHe’s just part of the scene?”
    â€œTotally. And the scene never changes. That’s why I hate it here.”
    â€œIt seems cool enough,” Lindsay said. She was trying to be nice. She didn’t really know what to think about it.
    â€œYeah,” Ev said. “It’s cool if you like quicksand.”
    â€œQuicksand?”
    â€œYou know, in those movies where people get stuck in it, and they struggle, and it sucks them down faster? That’s what Redlands is like. Mel and Tee are already up to their necks in it. They’ll both meet boys and get jobs at some grocery store or restaurant and have a bunch of kids. It’s like already written in stone. Char’s got a little time yet.”
    Lindsay hadn’t expected this burst of philosophy. She didn’t think Ev was particularly deep,what with all her party girl talk and loud attitude.
    â€œI’ve been planning to get out since I was a kid,” the platinum blonde continued. “I just knew I couldn’t stay here. So I got my GED and I worked at that crappy Dairy Queen on Harper’s and I bailed, because I knew I had to pull myself out. My girls aren’t like me, though. They think they can wait and something will happen or someone will come along and save them. The problem is, they think I’m the one who can save them now.”
    â€œDon’t you want to help them?”
    Ev stopped walking. The night breeze ruffled her straight hair, blew it across her face. She pushed it back with her hand. “I can’t,” she said. “They’re a part of this place, just like Doyle. They’re deep in the quicksand, and if I try to pull them out, they’ll drag me back in. My manager totally helped me see that.”
    Now Lindsay understood. Ev was just quoting something an adult had told her. She hadn’t created the words, but she certainly believed in them. This left Lindsay shaken. Ev seemed harder to her now. Colder. How could she not want to help her friends?
    â€œYou could talk to them,” Lindsay offered. “Maybethey’d realize there was more out there.”
    â€œAll we did when we were little girls was talk about getting away from here. I did it, but they’re afraid to even try. The fact is, some people just can’t be saved.”
    Lindsay didn’t want to believe that.
    Â 
    Lindsay lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The party had been fun, she guessed. By the time she and Ev got back, most everyone was wasted. She didn’t know anyone and didn’t know what to expect from them, so she kept quiet, just sipping at her beer, never letting herself totally relax. Seeing Ev’s entourage after their chat totally depressed her. They seemed like blind prisoners—trapped but unable to see the bars around them. The fact is, some people just can’t be saved. The older guy, Doyle, followed her around, always smiling, always nodding his head like he was agreeing with things she hadn’t said. When he spoke, it was always some lame double entendre meant to sound charming or cool. At a little past midnight, Lindsay decided to bail.
    Now she stared at the ceiling. Kate’s party would be