Read Wanted for Free Online

about.
    “And why would Conor care?” I asked, jabbing my spoon into the ice cream. I leaned forward and set it on the low coffee table. “He can get blood from anyone and he already has a girlfriend.”
    Cora put her ice cream down as well, sitting forward on the couch and looking back at me with a thoughtful expression. “Actually, I didn’t see Victoria anywhere.” She leaned back and tucked her bare feet underneath her. She let the blanket pool in her lap, and shoved her hands into the big pocket of her hooded sweatshirt. I pulled the extra blanket up around me and curled up my legs under my boxer shorts.
    “Do you think Conor and Victoria broke up?” She picked at lint on the blanket. “What if he really is interested in you?”
    I shook my head, banishing the thought, not wanting to get my hopes up. “Impossible. I’m not a vamp. I don’t think he’s even allowed to date non-vamps.”
    She shrugged. “Yeah, but who really listens to their parents?” she joked.
    “I have to know what he wants, Cora. I won’t be able to just sit around all day tomorrow with these questions. I’m texting Matt.” I set the blanket aside and padded to her room to retrieve my phone.
    “Do you think he’ll tell you?” she called after me. I couldn’t answer. I honestly didn’t know; his last words had been so cryptic. I carried my phone to the couch, crawled back under the blanket, and snuggled closer to Cora for support. She calmed me some, easing the storm brewing inside of me. I texted Matt.
    Can we talk?
    It didn’t take him long to respond.
    Alrdy? thought youd make me suffer longer.
    I could picture him smiling ironically, with his lopsided grin.
    too many ?? need answrs now.
    be over in a few.
    Cora had been reading over my shoulder. She sat straight up. “He’s coming here?” Her voice squeaked in alarm.
    “I guess.”
    It shouldn’t have been a problem. Cora’s parents slept in their bedroom two floors up. Matt wouldn’t wake them because he could just come in through the patio door down here. He’d snuck in before.
    She stood, pulled her mahogany hair out of its ponytail, and began fluffing it around her shoulders.
    I rolled my eyes. “It’s just Matt.”
    “Um, yeah. Have you looked at Matt lately? He’s grown into a full-on hottie.”
    “You look fine. And Matt is not a hottie.”
    She looked around and grabbed our forgotten ice cream, and then bugged her eyes at me. “His body is totally ripped from God knows what. You seriously haven’t noticed?”
    I shook my head, not being able to imagine Matt as hot. He was cute, the blue-eyed, blond-haired, all-American boy, but hot? Not Matty.
    Cora was still looking around, lamenting, “He hasn’t been here in forever.”
    “Has it really been so long since we all hung out?” I mused.
    She started toward the stairs with the ice cream. “Where have you been? You really haven’t noticed?” she shot at me over her shoulder.
    Of course I’d noticed. Noticed that Matt had been spending less and less time with us lately. I figured it was just a phase. Was there more to his absence than I’d thought?
    I sat on the couch and snuggled under the blanket. Idly watching the TV, I wondered what Matt would have to say. I sat on the short part of the couch, facing the loveseat across the large, low coffee table. Behind the loveseat the basement stretched on, the next room held the pool table and there was the patio door. I stared through the darkness of the next room, anxiety building.
    It was just Matt, I reminded myself. Why was I so nervous? My hand moved to my own pulled-up hair, and I resisted the urge to take it down. Why was I being so silly? I didn’t think Matt was a hottie. He was cute, but so much like my brother, I could never see him any other way, despite what Conor had claimed earlier tonight.
    I saw Matt appear behind the glass door and I forgot about my hair. Cora came down the stairs, and I turned to tell her Matt was here. She stopped,