Preloved Read Online Free

you’re supposed to be a waiter … no, hang on … a groom,” said Peter Cooper, who had put so much dedication into his Michael Jackson costume that he even had a toy chimpanzee slung around his neck.
    “Excuse me,” I said. I walked in without being invited. The handful of students, all male, stared at me like they’d never seen a girl enter the room before.
    I walked up to the tool-covered bench and stood there, staring.
    “Can I help you?” asked Michael as he came to stand next to me.
    “Nope.” I ran my hand across the various screwdrivers.
    “Look, you tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll …”
    “Perfect. Three millimetre slotted head.” I held the little jewellers’ screwdriver up to his face and smiled.
    I walked over to one of the workbenches and helped myself to a chair. I took the necklace from around my neck and placed the locket down flat.
    “Whatcha got there, Amy?” said Michael, approaching me again.
    “It’s ‘Amy’ now, is it? I thought my name was ‘the Bexter’s Groupie’.”
    “Don’t be like that, Amy. I don’t know what came over us. Your friend just has that effect on all the males. She’s like some sort of siren.”
    “A what?”
    “You know. One of those mythical maidens that cause men to go wild and throw themselves off their ships to their watery deaths.”
    I accepted Michael’s attempt at an apology. He only seemed to turn into a wolf when his pack was around. I didn’t mind him when he was alone.
    I carefully inserted the screwdriver, like I had seen Mum do, into the edge of the locket. I levered it gently. I could see the boys on the opposite side of the room staring at me. But I knew if Rebecca was here they wouldn’t be looking at me.
    “Is that the only reason why you’re dressed as Jason Donovan?” I said to Michael. “Because you knew she’d be Kylie Minogue? How did you know, anyway?”
    “We have our means,” replied Michael. “Oops. Too much information?”
    He looked at me for confirmation, but I just worked on trying to open the locket.
    “That girl sure has something. When she comes into the room, I swear she walks in slow motion and a wind machine blows her hair back, just like in a bad Eighties movie. Ahhh, the things I do for her. Otherwise I would’ve come as my little-boy Eighties dream: a stormtrooper.” Michael sighed wistfully.
    “Huh.” I said and I shook my head. But I smiled. “Shit. Why won’t this open?”
    I knew if I tried to pry it open any harder, the metal was going to bend. Or in the case of this flimsy thing – the fake silver-plating was going to crack and flake off.
    “Can I see?” asked Michael.
    Reluctantly I held it up by the chain. He took it from me.
    “Where did you get it?”
    “I found it. No; more accurately, it found Rebecca. Kind of.”
    “Hmmm.” Michael turned it around in his hand. He tried opening it himself, but of course it was stuck fast.
    “You know, from my experience of watching movies with a fantastical, supernatural element–”
    I groaned audibly.
    “Hear me out, Amy. As I was saying, based on my extensive movie viewing, I’ve actually stockpiled rules in case I need to use them in real life. For example, in the case of a zombie apocalypse, if you find yourself barred inside a shopping centre – stay there. Do not in any circumstance try to escape to an island you think has no zombies. And if you find a vampire at your window, under no circumstances say ‘come in’, because you are effectively giving them permission to enter and eat you.”
    “Can I have the locket back?”
    Michael was starting to sound like a geek-boy version of Mum.
    “If you find a magic locket and can’t get it to open, it’s because it can only be opened by the true owner.”
    Michael put the chain back around my neck for me. Then he patted me on the wig.
    “Now, Miss Buttercup, do you think maybe my advice deserves a small payment? Like you put in a good word for me with The