Captivated (An Affliction Novel) Read Free Page A

have been albino. The guy wore a long sleeved button up shirt with the sleeves pushed up, exposing his pale, lean arms. He had a few beaded bracelets on his left wrist that were in no way feminine. His hair was silver and the silky straight locks reached down to his cheek bones. But I could still see part of his face through it. His lips looked soft and his chalky skin seemed almost fragile. The blue eyes painted on his face glowed against his skin. He was beautiful, like a walking glamour shot.
    “What’s the story on powder puff?” Ayden asked a little too loudly. All the eyes that were locked on the boy switched towards Ayden in amazement.
    “Ayden!” I gasped out.
    The guy faced Ayden and stared at his pencil on my neck. He then looked up at him and smiled broadly, flashing rows of bright white teeth. The guy’s eyes flickered to mine and he swiftly walked towards me without removing his gaze.
    “And what is your name?” his soothing voice asked me. It was like listening to a song that brought you into a world of no worries.
    “I…” I cleared my throat. For that second, I forgot my name. My jaw was dropped and I couldn’t help it, I felt drugged. There was complete silence.
    “Her name is Mindy.” Ayden’s rugged voice blurted. It made me jump a little , almost breaking the trance I was in.
    With the gu y’s eyes still on mine, he reached for my limp hand. His hands felt cold and fresh. It wasn’t like ice; more like his hands gave off a minty sensation when he touched me, like when you chew a fresh piece of gum and inhale a little through your teeth. The fresh feeling threw me deeper into the trance.
    “Mindy.” he softly said my name. “Tell me…my beautiful red rose,” he continued, “why must you let this thorny bush grip onto you, keeping your light in its dull and ugly world?” He raised my hand up in the gentlest way, I hardly felt it move. A marking on his arm snagged my attention and I could only see part of it peeking through the rolled up sleeve. The color was the blackest of black. Either that or his white skin made it seem darker than it was. I couldn’t quite tell what the design was. Some sort of tribal marking? The guy lowered his face towards my hand. It looked dirty against his satin skin. His intoxicating eyes were still locked onto mine and his perfect lips puckered as they inched towards my hand. He gently pressed his delicate lips against it and I stopped breathing. Pure silence had taken over the classroom.
    “What are you doing, Mindy?!” Ayden yelled out. He jumped up huffing.
    I didn’t answer. I couldn’t move. Who would even try?
    “Is thi s clown your boyfriend?” the guy asked.
    “Hey! Who-who you calling a clo wn!” Ayden exploded, but the guy ignored him.
    “No.” The word crept out of me. Even if Ayden were my boyfriend, I think that word would have still seeped out of my mouth.
    “Ah…I see.” The guy smiled even wider, as if he proved himself right about something. “He is the insect that uses your precious petals as a resting spot. Is the friendship beneficial for you or the fly?” the pouty lips asked me, but I was too dazed to answer.
    “That’s it!” Ayden snarled. “How about I stick my thorny bush up your-”
    “Ayden!” Mr. Shapiro interrupted. “Now, that’s enough of this charade!”
    “Thanks, Shapiro.” The guy laughed. He carefully placed my hand back down on my desk. “I think he was hitting on me.” He turned, smiling at Ayden.
    The class broke out into a roar of laughter. Ayden shrunk in his seat with his head down. He’d never been embarrassed publicly like that before. I’m sure there had been many chances, but no one had ever been brave enough. People didn’t really mess with jocks like him. I even saw Mr. Shapiro’s lips forcing themselves not to smile.
    “Class!” he shouted out over the laughter. As the class calmed down, he spoke again. “After Shane takes a seat, we’re going to open our books to page