Freaksville Read Free

didn’t give this away at all. Especially when he laid it on me his parents were dead and he was the only one left in his family.
    I guess I passed all of his tests because the next morning he picked me up and drove me to school. He’s been driving me ever since.
    “I can’t accept that,” I mumble quietly, coming back to the here and now once he jerks to a stop at a red light.
    “Idiots continuously slamming on the damn brakes,” he grumbles before sighing and glancing over at me, “What if it’s a birthday present?”
    “No,” I announce firmly, scowling over at him.
    He sighs and takes off once the light turns green.
    “But, seriously, thank you.” I gratefully lay my hand on his forearm.
    He gives me a very rare smile back, bringing sunshine into his vehicle of doom.
    “Where are we going?” I ask once I realize I have no idea where we are. He gives me his signature devious look before turning on his radio with one busted speaker that he’s never bothered to get fixed.
    “The freaks come out at night. The freaks come out at night….” plays through his good speaker, and I can’t help but snort at the irony.
     

CHAPTER TWO
     
    ~ Knock, knock. Who’s there? ~
     
    Glancing over at Devin one more time, I make sure he’s serious about this. Why is he trying to make me do this? He beams at me, eyeing the line ahead of us. Crossing my arms over my chest, I try to keep my teeth from chattering. It’s not really from the cold; it’s more from nerves.
    I hate places like this.
    After I asked three more times where we were going, he still didn’t give me an answer, but by that time we were pulling into the parking lot. And a loud gulp escaped me. We came down from the mountain I’m used to and into a small city. Something I’m not used to.
    I don’t like being around a lot of people, especially not all at once. When they’re all on top of you and shit? Hell no. But this bastard dared me to go into this club with him. I don’t even remember the name of the place. The point is, it annoys the hell outta me when someone says I can’t or won’t do something. And the expression on his face was insinuating I wouldn’t. Another hell no to that.
    Jumping when soft, warm material falls on my shoulders, I glance over at him in confusion. He just took his leather jacket off and put it on my shoulders, like some old sappy romance story.
    “I was messing with you. You don’t really have to do this,” he utters in my ear once we’re the next ones in line. Which makes me want to punch him in the face.
    Instead, I hand the bouncer my fake ID with a flirty smile and move right through the door without an ounce of hesitation. He’s not far behind me as we make our way through a long, creepy hallway lined with couples making out. Once I sense all of the energies in the room, I start to panic a little bit.
    What am I doing here? The room’s dark, aside from the glow sticks and people covered in fluorescent paint. The music’s so loud, the walls and floors shake and here I am…about to barf on their parade.
    Starting to hyperventilate, I cling to the wall, mentally grasping for that last bit of serenity. My knees would’ve buckled if he didn’t wrap his arm around me and hug me against him. Out of the way of another crowd of people who’re practically running down the hall and yelling loudly. I can’t even muster the energy to yell a “Shut the fuck up!”
    “It’s okay,” he breathes. I don’t even know how I’m able to hear him over this music but soon his voice is the only thing going through my head. “You’re okay, everything’s fine.” He continues running his fingers through my hair. Surprisingly calming me down even more, almost to a point where I’m Zen.
    Now wait a dag-blain minute!
    “What did you just do to me, Devlin?” I hiss, knowing he’s more than capable of hearing me. He wiggles his eyebrows without answering and takes my hand, leading us out into the mass of sweaty, glowing