Heart's Reflection Read Online Free Page B

and
Juliette," Lashonda had groused. "Just a couple of goody-goodies. You
both suck."
    But in the end it
was only my name that ended up on the stall door. Juliette was too nice. Too
sweet. Nobody wanted to hurt her feelings.
    The words on the
door, even if not true then, were certainly true now. I did suck. I sucked big
time. Reaching into my purse, I got out a ballpoint and scratched in an
exclamation point next to Lashonda's carving.
    But defacing
public property didn't make me feel any better. Had I expected it to?
    Sabotaging the
football stadium briefly seemed an option to saving Liam, until I acknowledged
that I had no idea how to do it. Maybe calling in a bomb threat would...but no.
The mania about football was so high around here that it might cause a delay
while they checked for a device, but it wouldn't cause them to cancel the
entire game.
    "Come out and
talk to me," Juliette said, knocking with a delicate rap on the metal
door. "I want to help."
    "Can you set
fire to the Astroturf in the stadium for me?"
    "What? No. Of
course not," Juliette sputtered but I barely heard her.
    Grabbing the phone
out of my purse, I did a quick Internet search. The answer about synthetic
grass being pretty much nonflammable made me toss the phone back into my bag in
disgust.
    "Damn
Astroturf!" I shouted.
    "What is this
about?" Juliette asked. "Why are you so angry at the fake
grass?"
    "Fake
grass?" I cried. "That's the least of my worries."
    "Okay,"
she said. "But I thought you hated it."
    Keagan's words
came back to me: Liam's ass is
grass—or in this case Astroturf— on Friday.
    "Shut up
about the damn Astroturf!" I cried.
    "Whatever you
want," she said. "Maybe I should get the guidance counselor."
    Something else
Keagan had said shot into my mind: I'd
have jumped at that offer in a heartbeat. He was saying he'd miss the game
for a chance to have sex with me.
    Why hadn't I
thought of it before? Keagan was the other half of the equation.
    If he didn't play
the game on Friday, then he couldn't be there to kill Liam. The fact that
someone else could replace Keagan and make the death-dealing tackle remained a
possibility. Nothing was certain. But that wasn't likely, I told myself. Only
Liam's brother had the heated drive to stop his brother at all costs. The other
team members were just playing a sport. Most likely if I could stop Keagan from
going to the game, I could save Liam.
    Suddenly, I did
have a chance to change fate, but only if Keagan had meant what he said. And
even if he meant it, would I be able to carry through? I was too inhibited to
have sex with Liam. Could I cheat on him with his brother? Of course, Liam
would never forgive me. But in the end, which was worse, betraying Liam in a
way that he would never forgive or allowing him to die?

Chapter
Three

 
    Bolting out of the
bathroom stall, I shot past a shocked Juliette and out into the hall. I made it
out of the school without anyone stopping me. As I strode to my Camry, it
occurred to me that this was the first time in my entire school career that I'd
skipped out, leaving school before my last class. I'd be missing cheerleading
practice too but I didn't care if I was thrown off the squad.
    "Who cares if
I get in trouble," I muttered. "Where has it gotten me to be
good?"
    A parking ticket
rested on the windshield, which I grabbed and promptly tore to pieces before
throwing on the ground. After a few moments fumbling in my purse, I managed to
grab the key ring and unlock the car. I jumped inside, fired the engine, and
peeled out.
      Keagan's school was to the south of the
downtown and I shattered many a traffic law getting there. Now that I had a
plan, it seemed imperative to put it into operation before I chickened out. Or
before fate conspired to put some other blockade in my way.
    When I turned the
corner to approach his school, Keagan and two other guys were lounging next to
the dumpster, smoking.
    Rolling down the
window of the old Camry, I shouted to him. "Hey