My Ex From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy) Read Online Free Page A

out and had a good time dancing with my friends. Sabotaging Bethany was the farthest thing from my mind. Until 11:30. That was when I noticed Bethany making freaky twitching faces. I excused myself to grab some water. A cool refreshing drink, then it was time to put stage two of the plan into motion.
    You’re probably thinking that my plan didn’t work. Well, ha ha, it totally did. Perfectly.
    Boy, do I wish it hadn’t.
    Ten minutes before midnight, I was lurking in the shadows of the hallway by the open bathroom door.
    “Are we hiding or seeking?” a voice asked from close behind me.
    I jumped, thwacking my ankle in the process. “Jeez,” I muttered, shaking it out. “Put on some cat bells, Cassie.”
    Cassandra Jones. A bit of a loner. A bit weird. But nice enough. She was dressed in wild colors befitting her gypsy costume, her ginger curls bobbing around her pixieish face. Usually, I would have chatted with her, but not tonight. I didn’t want anything wrecking my plan.
    “Just taking a break from the fun,” I replied, all casual.
    “Ah.” She stood there, head tilted to one side, looking at me. Then she gave a little shiver. “Bethany’s coming.”
    Yup. I could hear her around the corner, chatting to her main suck-up, Veronica Chen. Veronica modeled herself after Bethany in looks and attitude, her only individuality being the high, sleek ponytail she always wore. I could just imagine the rapt expression on her face as she listened to her idol.
    Cassie placed a hand on my shoulder. “Watch yourself,” she cautioned. “All kinds of things can happen at midnight on Hallow’s eve.” Then she slipped off down the hallway.
    I stared after her for a second, concerned, before shaking it off. There was no way she could have known what I was about to do. Just Cassie being Cassie.
    I slipped behind the open bathroom door and pressed my back against the wall.
    Bethany was still with Veronica. I held my breath. I couldn’t pull this off if Veronica hung around.
    “If I need you to wipe my ass, I’ll hand you the toilet paper. Now back the hell off.” Bethany was such a charmer. I heard Veronica stammer her apologies and flee.
    Bethany was now running as she rounded the corner into my hallway.
    The click of her heels grew louder and louder. I held my breath, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.
    Bethany whipped into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. As she groaned and her bowels let loose, I jammed up the lock as I’d been shown. With any luck, Bethany would think she’d locked herself in. The perfect perpetrator-less crime.
    I’d done it. For once, I was going to have the upper hand and make Bethany hurt. Not huge amounts of hurt, since she didn’t even know this boy, but it would always bug her—missing out on what could have been the hottest hookup of her life—and that was good enough for me.
    I jammed on a cute black hat that I had at the ready. Identical to Bethany’s hair from a distance, my wig wasn’t up to close scrutiny and with the hat, it would just be the dark red ends sticking out. That ought to fool the guy. I darted through the exit into the moonlight.
    It was one of those perfect fall nights. Unseasonably warm with the right hint of chill and autumn crispness. Still, the sight of all the plants giving one last hurrah of color before dying always made me a little sad.
    I took a moment to breathe in the clean, country air and marvel at the silvery landscape. The moon was full and fat and seemed to wink cheerfully at me.
    The grass was damp beneath my shoes as I bounded out toward the back fence. Our school’s entire grounds were surrounded by a fence. Not a large one, more for show. Or so I thought. It was one of those chest-high, chain link deals, easy enough to hoist yourself over. Not that I ever had. I’d never gone out of bounds unless forced to in science class. There was just more grass, then some pine woods, and I didn’t see the attraction.
    I later realized