Read Blacklisted for Free Online Page B

made me hate myself.
    I never should have left the house today.
    Sometimes there are good reasons to do bad things , Erik had said. His voice whispered through my mind and I cringed. Lying was not a good thing, but I had a good reason for doing it—or so I told myself.
    Could I trust Erik not to hurt me, though?
    Probably, I decided a moment later. Despite everything he’d admitted to doing, he had saved me from the Ell Rollises. He’d lied for me—another good reason for a bad thing. He’d helped me to the car. He’d given me the shirt off his back.
    â€œWill your parents mind?” I asked.
    He flicked me another one of those are-you-kidding-me glances. “I don’t live with my parents. I live alone.”
    â€œBut how do you sup…port yourself?” I finished lamely. I could guess the answer: selling drugs.
    â€œNot how you obviously think,” he muttered.
    Then how? Something worse than Onadyn? I wanted to ask, but didn’t. Maybe it was the loss of blood. Maybe it was the fact that I’d nearly been killed. But whatever the reason, a wave of sadness overshadowed my panic, my fear, and probably my common sense. How could I have been so wrong about Erik?
    There were several Onadyn addicts at our school—and Erik probably sold to them. Those kids constantly fought; they constantly stole. A few had been expelled for giving blow jobs in the bathroom. Not just the girls, either.
    â€œNot everyone has had your pampered life.” He radiated bitterness.
    â€œYou don’t know anything about me.” Too weak to argue with him anymore, I turned toward the side window and stared out. The moon cast golden light over crumbling buildings and the occasional tree. Slashes of color were scattered throughout, people trekking along the sidewalks and through the night. Scary people. Weapons glinted from them and their teeth flashed in evil smiles.
    This was not a nice neighborhood. Did Erik live in the area? I tried not to shudder.
    â€œYou never told me,” he said suddenly, cutting through the silence. “What did you do with the napkin?”
    I didn’t face him. “It’s in my pocket.”
    â€œGood.” He nodded. “Burn it when you get home.”
    â€œOf course,” I lied. How many would I tell today? But no way would I burn that napkin. It was proof of my innocence. I hoped.
    â€œI don’t want them to use it against you,” he said, as if reading my mind.
    Both of my eyebrows arched into my forehead. “How could they?”
    â€œI’m sure they’d find a way. They always do.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t have given it to me,” I snapped. “You’ve ignored me at school all year, and the one day you pay me any attention, you practically tie weights around my ankles and toss me into a pool of sharks.”
    â€œI haven’t always ignored you.” His voice was even, flat.
    â€œLiar.”
    â€œYesterday you wore a silver heart-shaped necklace. You’d never worn it before. How’s that for noticing?”
    My mouth fell open in surprise. He was right. My parents had given me a locket yesterday morning “just because we love you.” I hadn’t worn it tonight because I’d been too afraid of losing it. And he’d noticed such a small detail?
    Good or bad? I didn’t know and considering who and what he was, I shouldn’t be the least bit happy by that. No, I shouldn’t. But I was. Idiot .
    â€œWhy were you at the Ship tonight?” he asked, changing the subject. “You’ve never been there before.”
    I ignored his question, too embarrassed by the answer. “You don’t know that for sure. Maybe I’ve been there a thousand times and you just never saw me.”
    He shook his head. “You’ve never been there before. I would have known.”
    â€œI…well…” I didn’t know what to say.
    â€œIf I didn’t know