Love and Lies Read Free Page B

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CHAPTER THREE
    It took a couple of days before I finally had a chance to talk to Logan alone. Alec wasn’t there to interrupt and take over the conversation. Eric was in class, no longer attached at Logan’s hip as he had been since we’d met.
    “Tell me the truth about Eric. There’s something that doesn’t fit. You don’t befriend every person you meet.”
    We were in his room studying for our World Literature, a class every student had to take during their fourth semester, quiz the next day. Professor J. always gave quizzes on Friday. He called them pop quizzes, which I thought I’d escaped after high school. All it took was one semester with him to figure out he only gave “pop” quizzes on Friday.
    “ What do you mean? He’s a nice guy. Asked me for help moving in and we got along.”
    “ Okay, but he’s following you around like a puppy dog. That’s just weird. And the fact that he’s from New York? The same place I live. He’s infatuated with me, too. Nearly every time I try to talk to him, or ask questions to get to know him, he turns them into some kind of innuendo. It’s kind of creepy.”
    “ You’re overreacting, Carissa. I know you’re parents weren’t the greatest. While you haven’t told me much, I get that they didn’t let you do things on your own. You’ve been looking over your shoulder since you got here. Like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
    In that , he was right. I was looking over my shoulder. It’d been too easy to leave. At first I figured they’d send someone down after I got moved in. Give me the illusion of doing something on my own before blowing that dream and sending another “personal assistant” as they called them.
    When months passed and no one showed up , I started to think maybe they’d followed through. That’s what the monthly phone calls were for—they were taking an actual interest in their daughter rather than relying on others. But this was too convenient. Something they’d do—send a guy to watch over me and tell him to work his way into my group. Was I paranoid? Yeah, probably so. Maybe Logan was right, I was overthinking, overreacting. Eric could have been a good guy. He wasn’t bad to look at, and if I looked beyond my own paranoia, I had to admit I wouldn’t mind getting to know him a little better.
    “ Maybe you’re right. I don’t know, Logan. Something just isn’t sitting right.” My mom’s phone call from the first day of school still sat like a brick in my stomach. Did that have any tie to Eric? Was that another coincidence?
    Logan’s hand found its way to my leg , and I brushed him off. For the most part I didn’t mind his advances, but occasionally he pushed too far. I looked at him and shook my head.
    He sighed and returned to looking through the chapter we’d been reviewing. “Riss, why won’t you give me a chance?”
    “ I did, remember?”
    “ We had one date, if you want to call it that. Alec was with us, and we went bowling. That was more going out with friends. You’ve never let me take you out, just you and I.”
    “ You bought my dinner.” Okay, I was reaching, but I didn’t want to have this conversation. Not when I was already occupied with thoughts of Eric, and Mom, and classes. It was too early in the semester for things to be so complicated.
    “ I’ve bought your dinner plenty of times since then, and I’ll do it more in the future. All I’m asking is for a chance. We go out on one date. If you don’t feel anything, I stop trying.”
    “ And our friendship?” That was the other reason I didn’t want to give “us” a shot. I really liked Logan. He was a sweet guy. One day he’d find a girlfriend that was perfect for him. And I’d still have him as a friend.
    “ It won’t change. I like you now, and that hasn’t had an effect on us. Has it?”
    No, he was right. It hadn’t changed ou r friendship. Didn’t mean it wasn’t still a concern.
    “ Can we just