My Beautiful Lies (Beautiful Nothing #2) Read Online Free Page B

like it’s going to snow before Thanksgiving gets here, I think to myself, blocking out any other thoughts that might creep in. I set my eyes on Laney jogging in front of me in her pink hoodie and low-riding black yoga pants. She is so lean I can see every muscle working in each stride she takes.  We run for a few miles before breaking off the road onto a trail we found a month ago. She slows down until she comes to a complete stop in front of me.  I remove my ear buds and hear her talking to herself. Confused, I ask her what she said. She turns around pointing to her phone—she has a call.
    “Not a problem at all, Katy, I will be there shortly. Okay… you too. You’re welcome. ‘Bye.” 
    “Going in?” I ask her as I rub my hands together trying to keep them warm. I really need to get a pair of gloves for jogging; this shit is cold.
    “Yeah, Maggie called out, so I have to fill in. I’m sorry, I wanted today to be just me and you.” She pouts. I assure her that it’s not a big deal, even though I am worried about what my day will look like without her spending it with me.
    “You want me to jog back with you to make sure you’re safe?” I ask her, wanting to follow her.
    “You don’t need to do that. I’ll be good. You finish your jog, and I will text you when I make it back. I promise,” she says, walking over. Standing on her tippy-toes, she kisses me sweetly, and I don’t want to let her go.
    I watch her go, running off back down the way we came. Standing there, I feel lost. This overwhelming feeling of being alone strikes me down. The whispers are back; the voices they eat at me. “Save her…save them… be a hero… be their hero.” My head spins. I stumble to my left into a moss-filled tree. I reach out, searching for her—she’s gone... they are all gone. I am leaning against the tree in a wet pile of leaves as tears descend. I know what this means. I’m sick. I have studied these symptoms for years—schizophrenia. I am getting worse, the voices are getting more commanding, and I am struggling with reality more than what I thought.  Settling my head in my hands, I try to fight through the voices to think of what to do. 
    “James?” I hear Laney call my name and look up. She is dressed in a black satin dress flowing to the ground, her lips are rose red, and she has bloody tears rolling down her pasty-colored face. I close my eyes once and rub them and she is next to me. 
    “You didn’t save me. Help!” Then she’s gone. She is ripped away, vanishing into thin air.
    The world around me closes me into the tree, and I go numb. I wake to my phone vibrating in my pocket.
    “Hello?” I stutter out quietly.
    “James? Oh my god, are you okay? I have been calling you for hours! Where are you?”  Laney screams in the phone, obviously terrified.
    “I’m fine, baby. I must have fallen and bumped my head. I am still on the trail. I’m sorry I scared you. I am fine I must have hit my head a little too hard,” I tell her, staring out into the darkened woods. The sun fading behind the clouds makes it even darker than before.
    “Oh my god! I am coming to get you. You need to go to the hospital! Give me thirty minutes and I will be there.”
    “No, really I’m fine, don’t worry I can call a friend. He’s a doctor. You’re at work, please stay put.” I tell her. I do feel fine, it’s like nothing happened. I am lying next to a tree, soaking wet and freezing, but that’s about it. After I listen to her preaching for another fifteen minutes, she finally gives in and hangs up. Looking down, I check my phone for the time. I was out cold for three hours.  Something is wrong, but I don’t know what. I get up, start my playlist over, flip my hood up, and jog home.
    I blare the music as loud as I can; I don’t want to think of what happened back there, and I sure as hell don’t want it to happen again. Making it back home, I walk into an empty house. Laney won’t be home for a few more