Stolen Hearts: Book 1 (Grim's Labyrinth Series) Read Free

collective groans were only punctuated with one voice who said, “Do you think she heard us talking about her?”
    “So what if she did?” Brit fired back. “It’s not like she can do anything about it. She’s such a loser.”
    “A loser who can hear you,” she called back behind her. “That’ll be another two laps.”
    Despite the smug grin she allowed herself, it really was strange that Jessica suddenly had the ability to hear them, given how far her tingling quads had already carried her. It wasn’t something she’d ever noticed before, and instead of feeling put out by the strange new sensory skill, she simply enjoyed the fact that the fates had aligned and let her tear down one of the up-and-coming queen bees in the school. Brittany was two years behind Jessica, but that didn’t stop the girl from taking the occasional stab when the rest of the popular crowd was there to back her up.
    “That’s got to feel good,” her friend Tameka said with an easy laugh, falling into step beside her. Tameka was on the track team, and her events were shorter distances than Jessica’s two-hour overland route carried her. But the coaches were confident enough in both Tameka’s ability and Jessica’s demanding nature that they let Tameka skip practice twice a week to go to her after-school job. Anyone who could keep up with Jessica for even one class period didn’t need the extra practice time.
    “Well, it’s what I’m supposed to do,” Jessica answered effortlessly, her blond curls pulled back in a ponytail that swung from side to side with each of her footfalls. She fought back a smile. Assigning laps was in her job description as teacher’s assistant, after all, even if handing them out as punishment wasn’t. Somehow she doubted the PE coaches would mind all that much that she’d made some of the more notorious whiners in the bunch run a little farther.
    “I can’t swear that that’s what they meant by ‘keep ’em in line,’ but hey, I’m not complaining, girlfriend.”
    They ran along for the rest of the class period without much conversation, both of them just enjoying the run. When the whistle blew signaling the end of the class period, they took several strides to slow down and walked it off, heading back inside to the locker room with a little less rush in their steps.
    “Lookin’ good out there today, ladies,” Coach Miller called out, checking her clipboard for all of the students. “Tameka, good leg position on your front leg, but remember to really push off with your back leg through every stride. It’s where your power comes from, and it will take some of the work off your quads so you can finish strong.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Tameka answered, her grin showing her perfect white teeth, offset by the caramel color of her skin. She was stunning, even if she’d never admit it, and her born-with-it running talent was just icing on the cake.
    Coach Thompson, on the other hand, averted his gaze as Tameka walked in ahead of her friend, leaving Jessica to follow. He was still embarrassed about the ugly confrontation that had taken place with her stepmother when he’d showed up on their doorstep over a year ago, practically begging the monster that Jessica be allowed to go out for cross-country.
    I tried to warn him, Jessica thought to herself with as much sympathy as she could muster. I didn’t know she was gonna go all “Exorcist” movie on him, but I knew it wasn’t going to go well.
    Jessica and Tameka got dressed and said their goodbyes in the hallway as they headed in different directions. Jessica tried to walk confidently, knowing that she had absolutely nothing to be afraid of from these people. They might be petty or silly, but it wasn’t like she was their favorite victim. She knew better than that, and the truth—the reality that they left her alone because her father was dead and her stepmother made the term “abusive parent” look weak in comparison—was actually harder to