Spirits of Spring (The Haunting Ruby Series Book 4) Read Free Page B

thought.
Maybe I had come into contact with him but I just didn’t realize it at the
time.
That freak wind, that unending sense of cold—was it
possible that Zach was now gone and transformed into a new
type of entity that I never knew existed? Oh dear God, no! If he
died thinking
that I betrayed him, it could turn
him
into
something dangerous and vengeful. I couldn’t let Rachel know
what I was thinking—it would only cause her to freak out. We
needed to both stay calm and find him as soon as possible.
    “We need to find him now , Rachel!” This time I was the
one grabbing her arm and towing her behind. “Come on—let’s go !”
    Rachel firmly
planted her feet in
the doorway
and
shook her head no. “I can’t, Ruby! My intestinal tract is still a
mess.
I barely made it here from the theater in time, if you
know what I mean. You’ll have to go find him yourself.”
    Just what I didn’t want to hear. I was afraid to go alone
now just in case I found him dead somewhere. Lucas would go
with me if I asked him to but I needed to stick firmly to what I’d
said to Rachel. If I couldn’t be with Zach, I would rather be
alone. My friendship with Lucas had to end tonight. It had to
end now. All I needed was a ride back to the theater to grab my
keys and phone. This was the last favor I would ever ask from
Lucas. The theater wasn’t even that far away. What’s the worst
that could happen?
2. Wicked Game
    CRASH!! I don’t know which was worse—the jarring
blow as the Neon impacted with a large pine tree or the shock
from the airbag thrusting into my face as I flew forward. It was
sheer sensory
overload.
My ears
were assaulted with the
sounds of both crunching metal and what sounded like a close
range gunshot.
My left hand was still clutching the steering
wheel and covered in the hot powder released by the airbag.
My chest ached from where the seatbelt locked tightly around
me and I was shaking all over. Nearly every part of my body
hurt in some way but I was alive—I was definitely alive. Which
was more than I could say for my car. I took one look at the
crumpled front end and called the time of death. The Neon was
most definitely totaled. I may have survived the accident but I was most certainly going to be dead when my dad found out.
    Once the first layer of shock from the accident wore off,
I remembered
why
it happened
in
the
first place.
Ruby.
Watching her kiss Lucas hurt far worse than hitting that tree
did. I knew she was torn between the two of us but I begged
her to tell me first if she decided that she didn’t want to be with
me. She knew how upset that kiss was going to make me. Why
couldn’t she just be honest with me? There’s no crueler thing
in this world than to mess with someone’s heart when you
know that they are in love with you. Even though she hurt me
in the most terrible way, I was still just that—in love with her.
How was I ever going to get over her? Was it even possible to
get over her? God, I just wanted to curl up into a little cocoon
and never come out again.
    The closest thing I had to a cocoon was my bed and that
was exactly where I wanted to be—but first, I needed to get a
ride home. Okay, make that the second thing I needed.
First, I
needed to find my phone. I always tossed it into one of the cup
holders as soon as I got into the car but it definitely wasn’t
there now.
As a matter of fact, nothing was where I usually
kept it. My car wasn’t just a wreck on the outside—it was a
wreck on the inside, too. Every single thing was lying in a heap
on the floor. As I dug through the pile of books, papers, and
random crap lying on the passenger side floor, I imagined how
mad my dad was going to be. He would go on and on about
how my reckless driving just cost me tons of money. I would
hear about how expensive cars are and that I should have taken
better care of the one I had. Not to mention the five hour long
speech about how much the cost of my insurance was about to
go up.