Hypnotized Read Free Page A

“I need to use the restroom. Hold my drink.” I handed it to Kristy.
    I wandered around the house. It was two stories, surely they had a restroom down here, but I didn’t find one. I headed up the creaky stairs. Sounds of groaning welcomed me at the top, making me giggle. Some people were having a lot of fun.
    After using the restroom, I checked my appearance in the mirror. I turned by head back and forth. Maybe I did need to let my hair down. Tugging the elastic out, I let my long locks fall over my shoulder. I fluffed it with my fingers. The crease wasn’t so bad, and besides, more than half the people here were drunk. They weren’t going to care how my hair appeared.
    I left the bathroom and stopped in my tracks. Leaning against the opposite wall was Gabe.
    “Uh, hey again.” I grinned awkwardly.
    “Having a good time?”
    “I guess.”
    A girl walked up wobbly, holding the wall the whole way. She pushed me out of the way, slamming the bathroom door. Now I stood close to him. Near enough I could touch him if I wanted.
    “You sure that guy isn’t your boyfriend?”
    I nodded. “Positive.”
    “He comes across like he is.” His blue eyes bore in to mine.
    “Well, he isn’t. Why would I lie?”
    He shrugged. “Walk with me.”
    I glanced around. We were upstairs, and there wasn’t anywhere to go. I knew once I went down stairs and Evan saw, he’d stop us. “It’s not a good idea.”
    “Why?”
    I leaned closer to him, inhaling his intoxicating scent and said, “From what I hear, I should stay away from you.”
    He chuckled. “Is that so? And what do you think?”
    I think I should see where he wants to take me, but I didn’t say that. “I don’t know you.”
    “Then get to know me. Come on. One little walk. What could go wrong?”
    The bathroom door opened and the drunk girl reemerged. “Awesome party!”
    I laughed and watched as she concentrated on walking. Poor girl. I hoped she made it down the stairs.
    “So?” He raised an eyebrow.
    It was tempting. Take a walk with him, talk, get to know him, and find out why everyone thought he was trouble. “I think I’m going to pass.”
    The cutest smirk I’d ever seen appeared on his face. “Paisley, you’re really going to make me work, aren’t you?”
    The sound of my name on his lips was like music. “How did you know my name?” That was stupid, he could’ve asked someone.
    “From the coffee shop when you got a drink.”
    “Oh, yeah.”
    He reached out and brushed a lock of hair from my face. My breath caught when his fingers lightly touched my skin, and I swear every nerve was on end.
    “I like a good challenge.” He walked away, leaving me standing there, speechless. I was in trouble when it came to him. I wanted to know him, but had a feeling the talk was true. He was bad news. That fact alone made me that much more attracted to him.

 

     
    As I went down the stairs, walking away from the girl who had caught my attention, I had the desire to go back, grab her by the hand, and whisk her away. She captivated me.
    “Dude, where’d you go?” my friend Erik asked.
    “Bathroom.” I glanced around. “This party is lame. Want to get out of here?” Parties always seemed to be lame when you really weren’t into this type of scene anymore.
    Erik pulled his phone from his pocket, looked at it, then shoved it back into his jeans. “Sure. It’s a bit too packed.”
    Packed? Yeah, that was for sure. The party was full of younger kids just getting out on their own. It was loud; surely the cops would be showing up before long. I didn’t need to get mixed up with that. I’d worked hard to turn my life around. I’d been one of these kids once, and the path I had chosen had been the wrong one. It had taken walking away from almost everyone I knew in order to get back on the straight path.
    At the door, I turned, feeling her eyes on me. Sure enough, there she was with another girl. She watched me. I could almost see the wheels turning in