Read Online Wrecked by Priscilla West - Free Book Online

convince myself that the feelings I felt while being
around him weren’t real, that it was a fluke the numbness I constantly felt
somehow magically disappeared for a moment when I was near him or thought about
him. It was hormones. A “biological quirk” as my therapist liked to refer to
disorders. Just a result of being without a boyfriend for over a year. If I
allowed myself to fall for Hunter, I could really get hurt. Guys like him had
women literally fainting to be with him. Hadn’t I been hurt enough already?
    I spotted
Daniela, Cody, and Justin across the bar still at the same moosehead booth
where I’d left them. For a moment, I considered making up a good excuse to tell
them in person but decided that I didn’t owe Justin anything. I pulled out my
phone and texted Daniela.
    There’s
a mixed martial arts thing going on out back. Gonna hang out with one of the
fighters instead of Justin :P.
    A moment
later she replied. Can’t blame ya :). You gonna be okay by yourself?
    Yeah,
don’t worry about me. I’ll catch a ride back. Tell Justin and Cody I got sick
and had to leave.
    Leaving
out the back door, I saw Hunter leaning against the side of the bar, alone. His
warm breath made billows of fog in the cold air. I’d half-expected him to be
surrounded by women when I returned, but the only thing around him was his gray
hoodie. People were still gathered beneath the large tent, chatting excitedly
about Hunter’s fight. I couldn’t help but wonder what some of those fan girls
would do if they got the chance to be in my position.
    “Congratulations,
I just lost my friends,” I said. It was Hunter’s fault that I’d ditched my
group so I figured I might as well give him a hard time.
    He smiled.
“If that was all it took to lose your friends, then they weren’t good ones to
begin with. Besides, you just made a new one.”
    I cocked a
brow at him. “You?”
    “See
anyone else around?”
    I looked
around for Gary but didn’t see him anywhere in sight. “I guess I don’t see Gary
here. . . Speaking of which, why did you lie to him about the lake incident?”
    He
shrugged. “I didn’t want you to look bad. Friends look out for one another.”
    I took a
deep breath of the crisp air and cleared my throat. “Just because we’re walking
together, doesn’t make us friends. This is just a deal. Let’s just get this
over with okay?”
    “After
you, Lorrie. ” He grinned wickedly.
    We walked
away from the clamor of the bar along a dirt path leading into the dark forest
surrounding the bar. For a popular venue, it was kind of in the middle of
nowhere. I was concerned about going into the darkness of the forest but
strangely felt safe around Hunter. However, neither of us said anything. The
silence was awkward.
    Once we
entered the forest, I broke the silence. “So . . . you go on cooldown walks
after you fight?”
    “Yeah,
it’s a good time to reflect and clear your head, ya know. That’s why I usually
go alone.”
    “You don’t
go with any of your female fans?” I asked, nonchalantly. “Why walk with me
then?”
    “Most of
the time I like just hanging out by myself or with Gary—I don’t get along with
most people . . . You’re different though. I don’t know what it is exactly but
I feel like we can relate, you seem cool.” He looked at me and grinned.
    “Thanks, I
guess. Always nice to be thought of as ‘cool’.” I didn’t know what he meant but
it sounded like a compliment and my face flustered anyway. “So, I’ve been
wondering, why did you think my name was Dorothy?”
    He stopped
to pick up a large branch on the ground. “‘Cause you remind me of Dorothy from
the Wizard of Oz except you almost got swept away by an icy lake instead of a
tornado. Then you ran off from my place because you were in a hurry to go
home.”
    I stooped
to pick up my own branch but it was smaller than Hunter’s because my hands were
smaller. “What can I say? There’s no place like ‘Floyd