First Kiss Read Online Free Page B

thirsty but she knew she would be. Heck, she should be, after sweating so much already. She stopped by a fountain and filled the bottle and took a drink out of habit. The water was lukewarm and not very satisfying. She snorted and walked into the gym, looking for a bike or a treadmill to warm up on.
    She ended up on a treadmill facing a TV with muted men and women going through a canned exercise routine. Beth put her headphones in and started up her music before starting out an easy jog. Her eyes fell on the TV and she watched the tight and toned bodies on the screen go through their exercises and stretches.
    Beth wanted a body like that. Fat free and tight. Her and every other woman. She'd been too caught up in living for somebody else in high school to live for herself. Now it was time to focus on herself and what she wanted.
    The clock on the treadmill read ten minutes. Her warm up was over. She felt good, her body loose and ready for a work out. She cast a last glance at the TV and promised herself that she'd look like that one day. Unlike her friend Crystal, it would take her a lot of hard work. Sure, Crystal had risked dying a few times and turned into a werewolf, but she'd gone from being one of the prettier plus size girls she'd ever seen to looking lean and gorgeous.
    But Crystal wouldn't let her risk it. She'd come right out and asked once, just to see. Crystal said no. It was too dangerous. She didn't want to risk losing her. Beth had no idea what gave Crystal the right to decide what risks Beth should and shouldn't take but it was bullshit. That had been the final straw for her. Her confirmation that leaving was the best thing.
    Beth walked from the cardio room to the open weight room. She was ahead of the lunch rush, giving her a choice of what to do first. Monday was the worst day of the week. Legs and core. That meant squats and back extensions and deadlifts and crunches. She sucked in a breath and headed for an open squat rack, wondering how many squats she'd have to do before she had an ass like Penny did.
    "As many as it takes," she vowed and began her workout.
    Between sets she would glance around, looking at the other people exercising without making it obvious. It was mostly men in the weight room, but that was typical. Nobody big and beefy, nor were they any super fit women. No pressure from anybody, but no inspiration either. Beth bit her lip and closed her eyes. An image of Penny popped into her mind and made her curse under her breath. She'd hoped the trip to Paradise Lost would get her fixation out of her system, not make it worse.
    Beth shook the thoughts away and tried to focus on the rest of her workout. Monday workouts sucked on a good day. Her lack of focus meant today's was going to set a new record for bad times.
     
     

 
    Chapter 5
     
    Beth looked over Vanessa's shoulder and froze. "Oh shit," she mumbled.
    Vanessa and Mandy turned to see what made her sit up straight in the booth.
    "Hey, that's the guy you went on the date with, right?" Carla asked. "I thought it went good?"
    Beth groaned. He was talking to the hostess and hadn't looked her way yet. "I guess it was okay."
    "So why are you avoiding him? That three day wait bullshit is so old!" Vanessa said. "Besides, that was four or five days ago, right?"
    "That's not it," Beth said. "I've just had a rough week. And yeah, it's been long enough he probably thinks I don't like him."
    "Has he tried to call you?" Mandy asked and reached for a french fry on her plate.
    "Yeah, a couple of times."
    "What?" Carla blurted. "You didn't tell me that?"
    Beth shrugged. "I've been busy."
    "You've been a zombie," Carla argued. "Between not sleeping and barely making it to class, what's going on?"
    Vanessa pushed her glass of water out of the way and leaned forward. In a hushed voice she asked, "Did something bad happen? He didn't force you, did he?"
    "What? No," Beth shook her head. "I mean, um, I—"
    "You sucked him off," Carla said when Beth stammered