Braced to Bite Read Free Page B

armpits—that kept me distracted enough not to hear the sound of footsteps in the leaves. When I realized someone else was on the path, they were literally right behind me. Big dope that I am, I was busier thinking about my clothes than my surroundings.
    I picked up the pace and adjusted my backpack, nonchalantly peeking over my shoulder to catch a glance behind me. I was surprised to see absolutely no one. The stadium lights still glowed so the path was fairly well lit. I breathed a sigh of relief. Guess it was a rabbit or something . I decided to take off my jacket and tie it around my waist for the rest of the trip home. It would keep my legs a little warmer. I was just starting to put my pack back on when the stadium lights went out, leaving me in total darkness.
    “Crap,” I muttered, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the evening. There was still a moon out, so I could see down the trail, but without the glowing overhead lights, I was feeling a lot more vulnerable.
    “Colby.” I thought I heard my name whispered when a slight breeze stirred up the leaves.
    “Piper?” I whispered tentatively.
    Silence. I waited another moment. I must have imagined it and took another couple of steps.
    “Don’t leave.” The soft voice rasped again.
    I spun around and nobody was there.
    At this point, in all major horror movies, the stupid, solitary cheerleader (that part to be played by moi ) would run away from the voice and trip over some lame obstacle so the killer/monster could attack her easily. Not being a fan of the genre, I stood my ground and said, “Okay, enough screwing around. Come out.”
    It wasn’t bravery or bravado that compelled me to confront this unseen tormentor. It was really the immortality of youth. I didn’t believe for one minute that the Eastside Attacker happened to be on the same trail in the backwoods as I was on a Friday evening. The odds were extremely unlikely. Also, those types of things didn’t happen to me. I was the one who won first place in debate and trophies for cheer squad. I was not attacked by some loser in the dead of night. That happened to other people. Not to me.
    So imagine my surprise when a familiar-looking guy stepped out of the darkness to stand in front of me. I should have been afraid. I should have screamed and run and did all that stuff, but oddly enough, I wasn’t scared. After all, this was just a kid, hardly older than I was, nondescript with soft brown hair and eyes, wearing jeans and a sweater. It was like walking down the mall and running into every guy I ever met rolled into one. I was sure I had seen him at the football game.
    “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
    He looked mildly surprised and shook his head no.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked him, still irritated.
    “Following you,” he said simply, still keeping his distance.
    “Why?” I demanded, now starting to feel a prick of unease.
    “Because you’re walking alone in the dark and it’s not safe,” he replied.
    I let out a whoosh of air, surprised I was holding my breath. I couldn’t think of his name, but he did have a face that I was certain I knew. Maybe he went to my school. A lot of people knew who I was because of cheer squad so it wasn’t unusual that I wouldn’t know his name.
    “Oh, that’s nice of you but I’m okay really,” I assured him as I walked past him.
    “I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said softly, matching my pace.
    Great, I have a new admirer .
    “Really? That’s nice,” I said, mentally trying to figure out how close I was to the main street.
    “No, not nice stuff at all.”
    And this was the point I started to get the creepy chills up my back and neck.

Two

    I laughed nervously. “Then you must be talking to the wrong people because I’m really very nice.”
    “Show me,” he insisted and suddenly I found myself face-to-face with him.
    People react differently when cornered. Some freeze, others panic and some keep their cool. I fall