Read Falling for the Ghost of You for Free Online Page A

cringes.  "It wasn't an offer!" 
    She suddenly bursts out laughing, and I join in.  We giggle our heads off--u ntil Mom accidentally runs a red light.
    After a breathless silence, Mom clears her throat.
    "So, " she says.  "That Zane is really cute, huh?"
    I freeze, my cheeks instantly heating up.  "I guess," I mutter.
    "Charming, too.  Bill doesn't really say much about him, but I get the feeling he's a bit of a player."
    "Mm-hmm."
    Mom swings her blue-eyed gaze towards me.  "Well...he's going to be your step brother, so you'll probably be seeing a lot of him, a nd—o h, I don't know.  I guess I'm trying to say, a guy wh o looks like that, what woman—or girl—w ouldn't maybe get a crush on him?  Whi ch would be a bad idea because— "
    "Whoa, Mom," I interject, holding up a hand in a stopping motion.  "Are you trying to tell me you're crushing on...Bill's son ?"
    "What?  N -no!"  Mom sputters.  "I mean—t hat is ridiculous!  I'm not a cougar!  I was talking about you , Violet."
    "Me, what?"
    She takes a deep breath.  "I hope you see Zane as a future brother, and not anything else.  Okay?"
    "Um...okay."
    Did she see me looking at him like a piece of meat?  Is that why she called me a hooker?  How embarrassing!
    "I just don't want you to get hurt," Mom is saying.  "An d any guy who looks like that—w ell, he's bound to break your heart."
    I don't say anything.  Is she thinking about my father?  He was handsome and charming, and he broke her heart with his cheating ways.
    And look what happened with Matt.  He didn't exactly break my heart, but he destroyed my trust.  Do all guys cheat?  Some days, it seems like it.
    This is depressing.
    I turn back to the window, lost in thought.  I want to brood over Matt's betrayal, but a pair of gorgeous dark eyes keep popping up in my head, distracting me.
    No!  I will those eyes to disappear.   Mom is right.   Any guy wh o looks like Zane would surely break my heart.  And what did I want with a broken heart?
    Absolutely nothing.
     
    ******
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    My first day as a senior.
    Why did I expect things to be different this year?  I go to my classes, see the same people, barely talk to anyone except for Lauren.
    Well, I would have been walking the halls of Hidden Cove High with my boyfriend.  Instead, it's just me and Lauren, keeping our heads down as we push through the crowds.  Neither of us are very patient, and we have no problem shoving people aside.
    Why, yes, we are on the same menstrual cycle.
    I haven't seen Matt or Rachel yet, but I know we all have Mr. Tanner for AP English. I consider skipping class, but what's the point of delaying the inevitable?
    "Are you going to tutor this year?" I ask Lauren as we stop by her locker.
    She makes a face as she shrugs out of her jacket.  "I don't know.  It depends on Mr. Tanner.  I heard he's a jerk, and he's always coughing right in peoples' faces."
    "Gross.  Let's sit in the back."
    "Fine by me."  Lauren slams her locker shut and looks at me appraisingly.  "So, are you ready?"
    I bite my lip nervously, and lean against the wall for support.  "I don't know," I admit.  "Have you heard anything?  Is anyone talking about it?"
    “A few people,” she replies honestly.  “ Brooklynn asked me if it was true this morning.”
    “Ugh.  She’s liked Matt since eight grade.  What did you tell her?”
    “I said she should just ask you if she’s really that nosy.”
    I laugh.  “I saw her in the commons, but she didn’t say anything to me.  I saw Danny, too, but he didn’t say anything, except, ‘nice tits’ to me.”
    “Okay, there’s a silver lining,” Lauren says with a smile.  “You won’t have to put up with that idiot anymore.”
    “True.  I never understood why Matt was friends with him.  He’s such a creepy perv.”  Anger starts boiling in my veins.  “Or maybe they have more in common than I realized.”
    We stomp towards English class.  A muscular