Captivated (An Affliction Novel) Read Free Page B

twenty-three.” his tone turned serious.
    “Shane.” I purred. I then melted in my chair and put my hand against my chest. From across the room, he shot me a wink when I said his name.
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
    ey, Rose.” Tanya teased. “I just told Markus about what happened in first hour.” Tanya cut in front of me at the lunch line and Markus slowly eased beside me.
    “I wish I could have been there!” Markus said. “I can’t believe Ayden got punked!” He threw back his head and laughed.
    “Have you seen Shane around?” Tanya asked with her eyes scanning the lunch line.
    “Yup.” I muttered. “He’s in between the Barbie girls.” I pointed at the table near the exit where Ashley and Jennifer’s bodies were seated so disgustingly close to his. They weren’t that pretty in the face and I didn’t think they had even a small percentage of fat in their bodies. Their poufy blond hair probably weighed more than they did. The only way either of them could get a guy’s attention was with their overly flirtatious behavior, which always involved touching and sticking out their chests.
    “Gross.” Tanya spat. “Look how far they’re sticking out their boobs!” Her face scrunched in disgust.
    “They’re sluts with four L’s… slllluts. ” Markus made sure to exaggerate the ‘L’ sound.
    Shane looked like he was enjoying the attention. His irresistible smile never ceased. Especially as Ashley flipped her hair back exposing her cleav age a little more. The girls didn’t look right being next to Shane’s perfection.
    “Next!” Lenore the lunch lady called out. Her white hair was up in a messy ponytail and it wasn’t one of the ones that were in style. I was talking about the ones you would get if you slept with a ponytail and didn’t bother to fix it in the morning. Her apron had food splatters all over the front and some stains looked like hand prints. My guess was , she wiped her hands on her apron instead of washing them.
    I grabbed my plate and utensils. The selection looked okay. As I scooped up what looked like meatloaf patties sitting in sauce, I couldn’t help but cast a glance in Shane’s direction. I was so confused. Well, all he had done was compliment me. And in doing so, made me forget about everything else that existed. Could he be doing the same thing to them? The Barbie girls? I rolled my eyes. He wouldn’t have to try too hard. Just saying hello to Ashley and Jennifer got them excited.
    “Forget about it.” Markus insisted. “That’s just how some guys are.” He gently pushed me forward to move the line along.
    I skipped the mysterious soup and served myself salad and some scary looking meat patties. I couldn’t wait to eat outside to avoid that vulgar display.
    Shane was near the exit. As we walked past him, I turned to Tanya to avoid looking at him and spat out anything that came to mind.
    “So, th-the meat looks good.” I stuttered. No, it didn’t. In fact, I didn’t even think it was real meat. The group of kids walking in front of us stopped before they stepped out, blocking my exit. Now , I was stuck behind them. Great.
    “I didn’t get the meat,” Tanya said. “I just grabbed a couple of apples and some chips.” She raised one of the green apples to show it to me.
    “Yeah, I didn’t get it e-either.” I was still stuttering. My nerves were really getting to me. Once again, I gazed at Shane running his hand through his silvery hair. The strands bounced right back into place. I knew he was too good to be real. There had to be a flaw and his flaw was probably like most other guys; he was just chasing.
    “Yes you did. You loaded up on the patties, Mindy.” There was concern in Tanya’s tone.
    The group in front of us still hadn’t moved. They were calling out to Shane to get his attention. The Barbie girls looked bothered by the interruption. Shane winked at me, but I wasn’t falling for that again. I couldn’t stand it there any longer so I