Read The Bad Ones for Free Online Page B

shutter wasn't moving.
    “Thanks, Dulcie. You rock.”
    Whiny girl's boyfriend fist bumped Dulcie, then the pair pranced out of the room and headed back into the dance.
    The Halloween dance.
    Senior year wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Maybe knowing college was on the horizon made it more exciting for some people, but Dulcie knew she wouldn't be going to college. She'd been saving up to move into her own apartment the moment she turned eighteen, but the diner paid barely enough to cover her extracurricular activities and text books, let alone to save up oodles of cash for rent. Her eighteenth birthday came and went, yet Dulcie was still living in the trailer.
    Still blocking her bedroom door.
    “Dulcie! Over here!”
    A blonde girl was waving at her from inside the gym, and Dulcie smiled and put down the camera. No one was in line to get their picture taken, so she figured she could have a couple minutes of freedom and she headed into the dance.
    Senior year wasn't all bad, either. When they'd gotten their yearbooks during the summer, she'd discovered the picture of her and Con kissing had gotten published in the “Hall of Shame” section. It was semi-tasteful, she supposed, and only showed them from the shoulders up, their lips barely touching.
    At first, she'd been annoyed. She didn't want anyone seeing their kiss, it was a private moment between her and Con. She worried that when he came home, he'd be mad about the picture. Or embarrassed.
    But Con never came back. Never called, e-mailed, wrote, nothing . Her sketchbook was overflowing with drawings, her walls were lined with them.
    And no Constantine to look at them.
    She got mad. Over five months had passed, and there had been no communication. She knew it wasn't him not having the time – she'd heard through school he'd been in contact with other friends. With other girls.
    Meanwhile, the infamous kiss photo had given her a bit of celebrity. If Con Masters had found her attractive, well then, she must be attractive. And witty, and funny, and something worth looking at twice; suddenly, boys who'd never given her the time of day were chatting her up in the halls. Stealing seats next to her. Asking her on dates.
    She ignored them, at first. Then, more time passed, and she got angrier at Con. Angry at herself. Angry at the town she lived in, and angry at her life. Why should she live life on the fringe? Just biding her time, trying to slip by unnoticed. Before, she'd begun to think really, she'd been waiting for Con to notice her.
    Now, she realized she'd just been scared. Well. Not anymore. She hated the thought of being scared of anything, so one day, when a relatively good looking guy asked her out, she said yes.
    Jared was nice enough. He played football – had played with Con, even. He was the same age as her, and was actually in a few of her art classes. He liked to laugh and he was very polite. He was also super understanding of the fact her legs seemed to be welded together at the knees.
    It wasn't that Dulcie was scared of sex – she was very familiar with her own body and was perfectly comfortable giving in to her baser desires. She had a very active fantasy life. Unfortunately, though, none of those fantasies featured Jared, so she just couldn't bring herself to sleep with him.
    No, all her fantasies featured a man made of shadows. A boy with a golden smile and a dark heart.
    “Hey, ditch the photo room for a while – let's make fun of peoples' costumes,” her friend Anna laughed when Dulcie finally reached her side.
    “Too easy. What's happening after this?” she asked, glancing around the room.
    Oh yes, Dulcie even went to parties now. She felt very accomplished.
    “Bryce said something is going on at the lake,” Anna started, referring to her own boyfriend. “Jared mentioned you guys might go.”
    “Hey, you guys talking about me?”
    Dulcie didn't get a chance to turn around before an arm slid around her waist. She felt Jared's warm lips