1 The Dream Rider Read Free Page A

finished the climb and were standing just outside the
Psychology building. Twenty feet away, a group of four girls were loitering,
chattering away. “You are going to this party tonight. I need you to go. You’re
my wingman.”
    “You don’t need me to go,” I replied. “And I’m not your
wingman. You’ll probably get hammered and forget I’m even there.”   I gave him a look that told him I knew
better.
    “That’s not true,” he pleaded.
    “Really? What about Bowen’s party last month? You ran into
some chick and disappeared. I never even saw you the rest of the night.”
    “Come on, man,” his begging was actually kind of
entertaining to watch. “It will be fun. You look like you need to unwind a
little bit anyway.”
    He was right about that. I did need to unplug and relax,
not just because of the bad dream. But I still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know.
I appreciate it but—“
    “You’re coming,” he insisted, making a sad puppy-dog face.
    “You look ridiculous when you do that,” I said and started
to walk away.
    “So, you’re in?” he pressed.
    “Yeah, I’ll come,” he smiled as I answered. “But just for
a little while.”
    He put up his hands in triumph and yelled, “Did you hear
that ladies?”   His proclamation
startled the girls at the corner of the building as we entered the lobby. “Finn
McClaren will be attending tonight’s party. You’re welcome!”
    “You’re an idiot,” I said to him, passing the giggling
girls. “I’m glad you’re my friend. But you’re an idiot.”

Chapter 3

 
    Heavy bass pounded from subwoofers on the porch. The host of
the party had turned the entire concrete patio into a dance floor, and it was
packed with drunken revelers, blowing off steam from their week of study. The
guy throwing the party had produced four kegs of beer, all of which were being
used at various spots on the property.
    There were no houses next to the home so, playing the
music at full volume and having four hundred guests was no problem.
    Nate had done exactly what I’d said he would. He’d offered
me a few beers early on, which I turned down, before he wandered off. Some
people thought it odd that I didn’t drink. One friend from high school had
asked me how it was possible that I was half Mexican, half Irish, and didn’t
drink alcohol. I told them I’d just never acquired the taste.
    For the most part, I was relatively invisible. I’d been
sitting on a log near one of the bonfires for the last hour, the only person
who’d said anything to me was Nate, right before he stumbled away yelling
something about the greatest night of his life.
    I didn’t mind being alone. But I did mind being invisible.
My whole life, I’d always lived in other peoples’ shadows. Everyone always paid
attention to people I hung out with. I was always the sidekick. It was like
that with girls, too. They all went after the guys who were older, stronger, richer .
    My train of thought returned to the present. Why had I even
come to this stupid party? Nate always talked me into doing things I didn’t
want to do. I stared into the fire, gazing into the orange coals, getting more
annoyed the longer I sat there. I decided to leave before I got any angrier. No
one would notice. Well, Nate might when he sobered up. But the campus was
within walking distance. He’d be fine.
    Just as I was about to stand up, I felt someone sit down
next to me. I turned my head to see a young woman beside me on the log. She was
gorgeous, wearing a black vinyl jacket and skin tight, matching pants. Long,
curly brown hair framed a pale face with a gently sloping nose. I couldn’t see
her eyes until she turned to face me. When she did, they were greener than the
fields of Ireland.
    “Hello, Finn,” as she spoke I was instantly locked into
her deep, mesmerizing eyes.
    “Hello?” I struggled to get the word out. I panicked. Who was this
beautiful girl and why was she talking to me? Me? I started to