All-Night Party Read Free Page B

Gretchen whispered to herself. She hurried inside.
    Gretchen flung the front door open. She reached for the light switch along the wall and flipped it up.
    No lights.
    Gretchen stared into the darkness.
    She jiggled the switch up and down. What’s going on? she thought. It worked perfectly this afternoon.
    She jiggled it some more, then gave up.
    Gretchen took a few steps into the darkness. She didn’t feel scared. She knew the floor plan by heart.
    The door opened to the front room. The kitchen and a bathroom were to her right. A stairway near the kitchen door led to the second floor where there were two bedrooms and another bathroom.
    Gretchen decided to find a candle. She walked deeper into the room.
    What was that?
    She stopped—and listened.
    Silence. Then she heard it clearly.
    A footstep.
    Then another.
    Gretchen wanted to run, but her legs suddenly felt like two cement blocks.
    The slow, heavy footsteps moved closer.
    Gretchen turned and stumbled toward the door.
    A tall figure jumped out of the shadows behind her.
    Strong arms reached out of the darkness and wrapped around her.
    She opened her mouth to scream.
    A rough hand covered her mouth, smothering the sound.
    The arms pulled her close.
    Squeezing hard. Harder.
    I’m dead, she realized. He’s going to kill me!

Chapter
6

    G retchen gasped for air. She squirmed and struggled to break free. No—please! Please! she silently begged.
    To her surprise, the hands released her.
    Gretchen stumbled, then whirled around to face her attacker.
    â€œYou?” she gasped.
    â€œSurprise!” he cried. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
    Marco.
    Gretchen’s pounding heart slowed. She felt her body sag with relief.
    â€œHey, Gretch,” Marco laughed. “Did I scare you?”
    â€œYes!” Gretchen shouted. She pounded his chest with both fists.
    She felt her fear drain away, replaced by simmering anger. She had been looking forward to a night away from Marco. Now here he was, standing in front of her.
    She pulled a box of matches out of her pocket and lit one of the candles.
    â€œHey—it was just a joke,” Marco said.
    â€œYou nearly scared me to death,” Gretchen snapped. “For your information, there’s an escaped killer on the loose. He—he murdered three girls. I thought—”
    Marco ran a hand through his long hair. “How was I supposed to know that?”
    â€œThe police are keeping it quiet,” Gretchen told him.
    â€œThen how did you find out?”
    â€œPatrick found out from his father, who told him not to spread it around.”
    â€œYou can’t be angry at me for something I didn’t know,” he argued. He tried to pull Gretchen back into his arms, but she wriggled free.
    Marco stared at her with a hurt expression. Then he folded his arms across his chest and sighed.
    She couldn’t help but notice the way his white T-shirt hugged his muscles or the way his blue jeans were molded to his legs.
    Marco had a great body.
    Most girls at Shadyside High would love to trade places with her, she knew. But she really didn’t want to go out with him anymore.
    She couldn’t help it. It was just the way she felt.
    Gretchen stepped away from him and shrugged off her jacket. She hung it on an oak coatrack near the front door. “How did you even know I’d be out here?” she asked.
    â€œYour mom told me when I called your house tonight,” Marco replied.
    He leaned against the banister leading upstairs and gave Gretchen a sly smile.
    â€œI hid my boat on the other side of the island so I could surprise you,” Marco boasted. “You can’t get away from me so easily, Gretchen. Don’t you know that?”
    Gretchen frowned.
    Does he know that I want to break up with him? Has he figured it out?
    Probably not. Marco is so vain…
    She heard sounds at the door and saw the beam of Gil’s flashlight against the front