The Trouble With Spells Read Online Free

me pick up my things.
    He handed me my
last book and stood up, reaching a hand out.
    I was shocked by
the gesture, but I took it, feeling sparks shoot up my arm at the contact when
he pulled me to my feet.
    “I can give you a
ride,” he offered, letting go of my hand, and I felt a little sad at the loss
of it.
    I couldn’t speak. Vance
Mangum had just offered me a ride home. What should I say? I must have stood
there looking bewildered because he spoke again.
    “Of course, if
you’re afraid of motorcycles.…” He let the sentence trail off, almost like he
was accusing me of being scared.
    “No. Not at all,”
I replied with a bravado I didn’t really feel. I raised my chin a notch,
determined not to let him see how nervous he made me. “I’d be happy to accept a
ride.”
    “Great.” He smiled
widely, and I almost choked.
    I suddenly
realized I’d never seen him smile before, and it was devastating to my girlish
heart. I’d never seen anything so beautiful—all perfectly straight, white teeth,
framed in by those great lips, and masculine dimples that suddenly appeared in
his cheeks.
    The guy should
be a model, I thought to myself. He’d make millions.
    Vance took off
down the hall, and I slung my backpack on, trotting after him like a willing
little puppy.
    When we reached
his massive motorcycle, he took his helmet off the seat and handed it to me.
    “Safety first.”
    “What about you?”
I objected, reaching to take it from him.
    “I’ll be fine,” he
replied, swinging his leg up and over the seat while knocking the kickstand up
in one fluid motion. “Just hop on behind me and hang on around my waist.”
    I stood there for
a moment, struggling to adjust the strap on the helmet after I put it on. Vance
reached over to help me with it, tightening it nicely around my chin.
    “There you go. Perfect,”
he said, and he jump-started the engine.
    Yeah right, I thought. I probably looked like an idiot with my hair sticking out of this
thing and hanging down over my geeky backpack. Thank goodness I’d worn pants
today!
    I threw my leg
over the seat, settling on it comfortably, and wrapped my arms around Vance’s
waist. I didn’t know what to do with my feet though. Vance patted my leg and
gestured to me over the roaring engine to put my feet on the pegs next to his.
    As soon as I was
situated, he took off, catching me by surprise, and I found myself grasping his
waist tightly with both arms. I couldn’t help but notice the stares of many
onlookers as we passed by them on our way out of the parking lot. I didn’t
blame them. I was in shock too.
    The next surprise
I got was when Vance dropped me safely off at my front door without me telling
him how to get to my house. I hopped quickly off the bike, even though I was
sad to let go of him.
    Vance helped me
again when I struggled with the chinstrap. When he was done, I took the helmet
off , handing it back to him.
    “Thanks for the
lift,” I said, trying to casually straighten my wayward hair while hoping he
didn’t notice how horrible I must look.
    “No problem,” he
said, not breaking eye contact with me.
    We waited there
awkwardly for a couple of seconds, not knowing what else to say.
    “Well, I guess
I’ll catch you later then,” I said, feeling dumb because I knew that wasn’t a
likely thing to happen.
    He nodded, and I
turned away, tempted to run up the sidewalk to escape further humiliation.
    “Hey!” Vance
yelled after me when I’d gone only a few steps.
    I turned around.
    “Happy birthday!”
He gave me another devastating smile, and then the engine roared to life and he
was gone.
    I stood there,
staring down the street after him, until I couldn’t even hear the engine
anymore. With a silly girlish giggle, I turned and ran into my house hoping
Shelly would call me soon.
     
    The football game
was in full swing by the time Shelly and I finally showed up. She had been at
the dentist for a long while, so when she came to pick me up we were