Read The Trouble With Spells for Free Online Page B

boxers.
    “Yeah, they’re
still here.” I pulled them from the drawer.
    “Good. Get some
rest,” she said as I sat on the bed.
    She bent over and
kissed my forehead before she walked out the door, closing it behind her.
    I changed my
clothes and climbed into bed, pulling the comforter up to my chin. I closed my
eyes, but I couldn’t fall asleep. Too many things were racing madly through my
mind as I replayed my entire life, looking for discrepancies in my personal
history.
    Of course my mind
kept flitting back to the things I’d learned about Vance tonight too. Suddenly
a whole lot of things about him were beginning to make more sense, and I
couldn’t help but wonder what all the kids at school would think if they
actually knew the truth about him—not that they would ever find out.
    Oh, my head hurt. I
reached up to rub my temples wondering if anything would ever feel normal
again.
    I’d been lying
there for several long minutes, contemplating the possible advantage of going
to rummage through Grandma’s medicine cabinet for something to help my
impending migraine, when I heard a sound at the window. I jumped and looked
over at it, but didn’t see anything unusual. I sighed, thinking my overactive
imagination must be getting the better of me, so I closed my eyes.
    No, there it was
again. There was definitely something tapping on the window. I got out of bed
and stood there for a minute. I took a deep breath, sucking in some bravery,
and pulled the curtain back quickly. I saw nothing but the hedge.
    I sighed, rolling
my eyes at my self-induced paranoia. I quietly eased the window up, thinking
perhaps a branch or something from the bush may be hitting the pane. I leaned
out to look for the offender.
    A large hand
clamped over my mouth. I opened it to scream, but the voice that cut through
the still night stopped me.
    “Don’t be scared. It’s
just me,” Vance whispered into the air, and he removed his hand.
    “Are you trying to
give me a heart attack?” I asked, more than a bit irritated, my breath coming
in quick little gasps. I placed a hand over my heart, which was pounding out of
my chest, in a futile attempt to calm it.
    “Not really.” He
laughed quietly, his gaze skimming over my scantily clad form in the moonlight.
“Though I can understand how you might have come to that conclusion.”
    “What’re you doing
here, Vance?” I asked impatiently, even though my skin still thrummed where his
hands had touched me.
    “I came to see if
you’d like to go for a ride,” he replied, as if that were obvious.
    I looked him over,
considering the new information I’d learned about him, but only pondering his
request for about half a second. If there was one thing I was absolutely
certain of tonight, it was that I wanted to spend more time with Vance. I was
completely intrigued by him.
    “Yes, I would. But
I need to get some pants on real quick.” I glanced down at my attire, biting at
my lip.
    “That might be
beneficial,” he said with another sultry look over me, followed by an
appreciative smile. “I’ll wait here.” He turned to lean up against the wall,
folding his arms over his chest.
     Hurrying over to
where I had left my clothes lying carelessly on the floor earlier, I pulled my
jeans on over the boxers, buttoning them while slipping my feet back into my
shoes.
    I wondered if theincessant pounding in my heart would ever go away, but I didn’t delude
myself that it was due to the shock I’d just had. He was the one causing this
reaction in me. I smiled before I headed back to the window.
    I swung my legs up
onto the sill, and Vance helped me slide out to the ground. He grabbed my hand,
and I felt that current shoot through me once again. I wondered if he could
feel it too or if my imagination was running overtime. He led me down the
street, past a couple of houses, to where he had parked his bike on the corner.
    I shivered a
little and rubbed my sleeveless arms.
    “Maybe I