Read Online Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) by Tricia Drammeh - Free Book Online Page A

along. What are ya’ll up
to?” I asked.
    “Not much,” Katie said, her voice
stilted. She glanced around, looking nervous, as if she expected
someone to jump out and catch her doing something she wasn’t
supposed to do.
    “I haven’t seen you in forever. I
tried calling you a few times, Katie. Well, actually I tried
calling all of you at least a couple of times.”
    “I’ve been busy,” Sydney
said.
    “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to call you
back,” Amber said vaguely.
    “Well, what are you doing this
afternoon? Ya’ll going to be here for awhile?”
    “We were actually leaving,” Sydney
said, her tone harsh.
    “Maybe we can see a movie sometime…” I
trailed off as one by one, they turned around and began to walk
away.
    “Maybe,” Katie said over her shoulder
as she followed the crowd.
    “I’ll call you later, Katie,” I said.
She didn’t reply.
    Their behavior was beyond
odd, but I was pretty sure I knew what was going on. Becky had put
the word out. I was banned from the group. I poked a tendril of
connection into Katie’s mind for confirmation. Her thoughts poured
into me: If Becky finds out I was sort of
nice to her, I’ll be the new Alisa.
    The new Alisa. Is that what I was? The
new pariah? The new dumping ground for Becky’s misguided hatred? I
knew Becky would turn against me when I chose to take a stand, but
I didn’t anticipate losing all my friends. I thought I was popular,
but I guess I was wrong. Now I had exactly one true friend—Megan.
And her family was moving to South Carolina after
Thanksgiving.
    My friends—my former friends walked
away without a second glance. If they were willing to toss our
friendship aside at Becky’s command, I guess we were never friends
to begin with. It sucked being the new Alisa.
    I went through the rest of the week
taking note of how many people were evasive or downright avoided
me. There were several. Sure, there were a few people who’d never
liked Becky, but they didn’t want to cross her by befriending me. I
was shunned by the people who liked Becky and shunned by most of
the people who hated her. And I deserved it. When I chose to be
friends with Becky all those years ago, I chose to ignore my moral
compass, and now I was on a lonely road.
    ***
    If it wasn’t for all the money my
mother spent on my dress, I would’ve skipped the Homecoming Dance.
I barely had any friends. I barely had a date. And I was afraid I
wouldn’t be able to handle being in close proximity with that many
people. I drove myself, so I figured I’d have my picture taken,
dance a couple of dances, and leave early.
    I met my last minute pseudo-date,
Alex, outside the school. He complimented my appearance and offered
me a wrist corsage before leading me inside the decorated
gymnasium. Alex was a sophomore who played the saxophone in the
marching band. He was either brave or foolish. Or maybe Becky’s
influence didn’t quite stretch to the sophomore class. Either way,
he seemed like a decent guy and I hoped his reputation wouldn’t be
shredded by Becky in retaliation for asking me out
    One by one, couples entered the gym
until it was noisy and crowded. I glanced at the door just in time
to see the last couple enter. For a moment, I gaped in surprise.
Alisa was nearly unrecognizable. Dark brown curls cascaded down her
back. Her pale pink dress complemented her petite frame and set off
her bright blue eyes. Jace reached out to touch her elbow, and she
glanced up at him with a look of longing. He certainly brought out
the best in her. Alisa was completely different with him and stood
with a confidence I didn’t think was possible for her.
    I left Alex with a group of band
members and wandered over to the other side of the gym, drawn
against my will to the place where Jace and Alisa stood together,
deep in conversation.
    I cleared my throat. “Alisa, your
dress is gorgeous. I love it.”
    “Thanks, Rachel. You look amazing.”
Alisa seemed a little nervous, but she