Read Circle of Lies (Red Ridge Pack) for Free Online Page B

conversation just outside a classroom.
    He saw me watching, and I swear he glared. Good, I thought. Be worried. Because there was no way I was leaving school now.
    “I’m fine. Sorry, just got a little carried away,” I assured Alli, not taking my eyes off Teagan. “I won’t do anything crazy.”
    “Okay,” she said. “Well, I’m glad you like her or think she’s hot or whatever. She is pretty cool.” A sudden notion seemed to occur. “Hey, maybe we can go on a double date! That would be so much fun.”
    “Now who’s getting carried away?” I asked. But Alli had already started making plans. I could tell by her goofy grin.
    “Come on,” she said. “We’re going to be late to class.”
    *****
    Everything kind of went downhill after that. I’d thought I was in the clear, as I’d made it all the way through lunch without seeing Becca, but just as I was about to walk into my next class she grabbed me.
    “Hey, baby, I missed you at lunch,” she said, making a pouty little face. “Is someone not feeling good?”
    “I’m fine,” I told her, taking a step back. “Just a little tired. Nothing to worry about.”
    She took a step forward. “Do you want me to give you a ride home? Maybe we could stop for pizza or something.”
    “That’s okay, really. I should probably go straight home. Besides, Alli drove today. Maybe another time?”
    I said the last bit just to be nice, but Becca was really starting to piss me off. I’m sure every other guy in the school would have loved to have her so interested in them, but not me. She was just way too aggressive; I was seeing that more and more. What irritated me even more was that she hadn’t paid me any mind before today. The only thing that made sense was if she’d found out that Marcus was my real father. She was probably hoping to slide into Kendall’s place now that Kendall was gone, Queen of the Populars.
    Becca didn’t skip a beat. “Anytime,” she squeaked. Then she gave me a hug that lasted way too long. I tried to pull away, but she just held on tighter. Her scent flooded my senses, and I knew right then that Teagan was the only one for me. It was her that I wanted, not Becca or anyone else. She just smelled…perfect.
    Becca finally let me go, and I left so fast you would’ve thought the school was on fire. I didn’t see her for the rest of the day, which was good, but I didn’t see Teagan either.
    Damn. I was going to have to find a way to get to know that girl.

11.
    Teagan
    I managed to avoid Aiden for the rest of the day, though to be honest I couldn’t stop thinking about him. And I really needed to stop thinking about him. To help, I thought back to my first week of school here at Red Ridge, remembered that Aiden was now part of the clan that spent their days making everyone else feel inferior in every way. I reminded myself of the strange cultish behavior of the Beautiful People here and how the rest of us were mere mortals.
    Of course, now that Kendall had mysteriously disappeared, things did seem a bit different. Alli didn’t elaborate on where Kendall had gone, but I didn’t care as long as she wasn’t here. It had only been one day, but already it seemed the climate of the school had changed. The “common” people seemed more relaxed; happier even. I could be imagining it, but maybe, just maybe, things would be better now for good. Maybe she’d been the driving force behind the awfulness at this school. Or maybe I was just making excuses for having Aiden still on my mind.
    I couldn’t fall for a guy like Aiden. Not again. I’d made that mistake once before and I wouldn’t be stupid enough to do it again. Alex Foster, AKA Asshole of the Universe, walked these halls like he could have any girl he wanted, and the fact was that he could. He was hot, a senior, and for some reason he set his sights on me when I first moved here. I fell right under his spell, like an idiot. He’d made all sorts of promises and talked sweet, and my