Taken In by the Pack: Second Chances Read Online Free Page A

had been with her affirmative, before looking to me questioningly, as though it didn’t occur to her at first that I might have a different opinion.
     
    I chuckled and shrugged a bit. “Sure, why not? Could be fun.” Josh’s ginger companion smiled at me winsomely.
     
    “Excellent!” Josh exclaimed. He was unpleasantly exuberant, I decided. People that boisterous just grated on my nerves. “Can’t wait to see you two there! You know how to get there, right?”
     
    When I nodded, he grinned and gave a thumbs up. He kissed Angie on the forehead, and patted her shoulder, before they continued on their way.
     
    Ang was all but vibrating in her seat, and after the two boys went inside and the door shut, she let out a high-pitched little squeal of excitement. I winced playfully and laughed.
     
    “I take it you’re happy,” I drawled.
     
    “Yes! Oh-em-GEE! This is gonna be so great! Oh, we have to go shopping, I need something new to wear!”
     
    I laughed again, shaking my head. “You are so adorable. After classes this evening?”
     
    “Yes!” she squeaked, bouncing in her seat. I rolled my eyes, picking up my bowl to finish off my soup, but truth be told I was rather looking forward to it myself. It had been too long since I had treated myself to buying anything new, and this seemed like as good an excuse as any.
     
    Angie, of course, spent the rest of the afternoon as bouncy as a bunny rabbit on speed; it got to the point that I seriously considered suggesting skipping our last class, but I couldn’t afford that on top of yesterday’s inattentiveness.
     
     
    ❖ ❖ ❖

 
     
    Angie managed, somehow, not to spontaneously combust before our classes were over. Since she lived in the dorms, we just took my car and headed for the mall. It had gone rather downhill in the last few years — most malls had, from what I’ve heard — but there were still plenty of clothing stores to be had, at least.
     
    Being a weekday afternoon, I managed to find a good spot near the food court entrance. We strolled in, laughing and cutting up, in no particular hurry.
     
    Even though this was not the mall I had ‘grown up in’, it had a pleasant familiarity, a uniformity shared by almost all malls. It put me at ease, relaxing the knot of tension from all the oddity of the last few days.
     
    We flitted from store to store like a pair of hyperactive hummingbirds, browsing, trying things on. Angie found at least half a dozen things she ‘just loved’, and bought most of them. I wished idly I had that kind of money to burn. I still hadn’t found anything I liked enough to spend my meager funds on, by the time we left the ninth or tenth store we’d stopped in.
     
    As we walked out, giggling about the awkward boy who had checked us out, I caught sight of Mr. Mutton-Chops again. My feet seemed to glue themselves to the floor and I nearly stumbled.
     
    “Adalyn? What is it?”
     
    I nodded in the direction I was staring. “Over there, by the Sunglass Hut… isn’t that the same guy from this morning?” I almost managed to keep my voice from quavering.
     
    She narrowed her eyes, peering in that direction, then frowned. “I think you’re right. Huh. Weird.”
     
    “He was in the plaza before class, too. I… maybe I’m just being paranoid, but I’m beginning to think he’s following me.” Maybe I was just being paranoid, after Bryson had followed me yesterday, anyway.
     
    She cocked her head to one side, pursing her lips. “I admit he’s weird looking, Ada, but why would he be following you?”
     
    I could feel myself starting to tremble a bit with adrenaline. “How should I know? But that’s three times today, in three different places, two of which he seemed totally out of place.”
     
    “Well, if you’re really worried about it, we can go ahead and head out. I have something to wear to the bonfire now, anyway.” As if she didn’t have a closet stuffed with at least three or four times as many