21 Dares: A Florida Suspense Mystery Read Online Free

disappeared behind her ear. The Professor glanced their way as he spoke. “ The second theory is a
little darker. A little deeper. Here, the offender’s come-uppance
is not enough. Instead, the offender must understand the direct connection
between the retaliation and the instigating action .”
    The
Professor clicked the remote and the image changed to a cherry red convertible
with the words “ Hope she was worth it ”
spray painted in black along the driver’s side doors. Abbie chuckled, along
with several other students. The Professor looked at her, but pointed the
remote’s laser at the fidgety blonde. A red dot lit her shirt, and the girl
froze. Abbie didn’t know this classmate by name, but knew she was struggling.
    “Miss
Larson,” Professor Cunningham said, twirling the dot then aiming at the center
of her chest, near her heart. “ What
were Gollwitzer’s
two theories called ?”
    Miss
Larson stuttered. Her cheeks turned red. Abbie actually felt bad for her.
    Professor
Cunningham always called on this girl for answers and, inevitably, the chubby
blonde would stammer for a solid fifteen seconds before he moved on, pointing
his little laser beam at the next student. He did this in every class, and it
really wasn’t funny. The Professor, in Abbie’s opinion, was a bully—plain and
simple.
    “Miss
Larson?” Professor Cunningham leaned against the desk at the front of the room
and folded his arms across his tacky sweater vest. “We’re waiting.”
    The
girl’s eyes widened.
    Abbie
discretely scribbled down two phrases: “Comparative Suffering ” and “Understanding Hypothesis .”
She ever so slightly tapped the notebook with her pen, catching Miss Larson’s
eye. Abbie didn’t want to draw attention to herself ,
but she wanted to help. The professor cleared his throat. “Miss Larson? Do you
have an answer for us?”
    Miss
Larson looked at Abbie, then down at the notepad. Abbie pointed to the two
phrases with her pen. “It’s, um…” Her voice wavered as she spoke. “It’s Comparative Suffering and
Understanding Hypothesis .”
    The
Professor unfolded his arms and lowered the remote. The beam vanished.
    “Interesting. Yes, that’s absolutely
correct.” He gave Miss Larson a sidelong glance of utter disbelief. Maybe he hadn’t caught on? Abbie
thought. She hoped. The Professor lifted his hand again and aimed the remote to
change the projector slide.
    The
girl’s eyes narrowed, glancing at Abbie, and she mouthed the words “thank you.”
Abbie returned the smile, then noticed the Professor watching
her. He shook his head. Abbie sank back in her seat. Guess he did notice after all.
    The
Professor changed the slide and moved on with the lecture. “ Gollwitzer found that
revenge can succeed only when an offender understands the reason for the act of
vengeance .”
    The
lecture continued for another half hour and Abbie’s mind drifted to her
birthday, moving to Tampa, and about Clinton Reed. She should really buy a bus
ticket and go back home to visit him this week. She didn’t have any plans for
her birthday, much less the weekend. When the Professor assigned a paper due by
the next class, Abbie sat-up straight in her seat. She had no idea what she was
supposed to write about. She’d tried to pay attention, but between Miss Larson
squirming beside her and the rain falling outside and of course her
twenty-first birthday, Gollwitzer’s revenge study didn’t stand a chance .
    Professor Cunningham dismissed the class and
Abbie rose with the other students. She grabbed her purse and made her way
toward the door, when she heard her name called.
    “Miss
Reed. May I speak with you for a moment, please?”
    The sound of the Professor’s voice made her
pause. She didn’t want to turn back. She should just keep moving. When he
called her name again, she had to turn around. “Yes?”
    The Professor motioned for her to follow. She
knew this was about helping the blonde girl in class. He’d