The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation) Read Free

like she was floating. If it weren’t for her books weighing her down, she surely would have drifted toward the ceiling. What was this feeling? Lust? Love? Enamoration? Whatever it was, Katie liked it. For too long she had only felt anger and irritation or heartache because of a boy. She’d forgotten there could be an upside to relationships, a reason to care. She didn’t want the feeling to end.
    “Does he bother you often?”
    She shrugged her shoulder. “Depends. Sometimes he does, but most times he leaves me alone.”
    “Did you use to date him or something?”
    “No! I used to have a crush on him, but he’s never felt the same way.”
    Oh, crap!  Why did I just tell him that? Josh didn’t need to know about her feelings for another boy. She lifted her books toward her face, hoping to hide behind them.
    Josh looked at her, confused. “So you don’t have a crush on him anymore?”
    Katie suddenly felt very uncomfortable talking to Josh about her feelings for Wes. She wanted the guy to like her, not think she was pining for someone else, but at the same time, she didn’t want anything bad to happen to Wes. She didn’t think Josh would beat him up or anything, but she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t know Josh well. Besides, she saw the look on Wes’s face when he stared at them from across the hall; he genuinely looked hurt. Sad, even. It made her feel bad for him. She shook her head. That was exactly the type of thinking that kept sucking her back into his game. It was a good thing he was sad. Maybe that meant she was actually getting to him. A little heartache would do him some good.
    “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
    Did she really just say that out loud? Why didn’t she tell him no? She didn’t have a crush on Wes anymore; he was ancient history. The words were there, they just wouldn’t come out.
    “Well, maybe you can tell me about it later. Here’s your class.”
    The two of them stopped in front of the door. Katie stared into the classroom and then back at Josh.
    “Yeah, sure. I guess.”
    He smiled that melt-you-in-your-shoes smile. “I’ll be here after class. Then, I’ll give you a ride home. If you don’t mind. I want to make sure you’re going to be all right.”
    Katie’s stomach flip flopped. “That would be great.” The words squeaked out of her mouth.
    Josh squeezed her arm before leaving to go to his class. Katie floated to her seat. She wasn’t going to be able to pay attention in this class, either.
    Just as he promised, Josh waited for Katie after class. Her face flushed and her ears got hot when her gaze fell on him in the hall. She couldn’t look him in the eye. This much attention from a guy was new territory for her. He walked close to her, his arm occasionally brushing against her shoulder. Her grin spread from ear to ear. A giggle threatened to escape her lips, but she kept it in. As they approached her locker, the smile vanished. The giggle turned into a growl.  Wes stood in front of the door. What did he want now? Couldn’t he get the hint? Didn’t Katie make it clear she wanted to be left alone? Didn’t both Katie and Josh together make that perfectly clear?
    Still, she couldn’t just turn off the feelings she had for Wes, especially since she’d had them for so long. That irritated her. Why was Wes so hard to get out of her system? If she was honest with herself, she’d admit having two boys vying for her attention made her feel special and wanted, even if one of them was Wes. But she knew how the story with Wes would end. With heartache and disappointment. There was no contest who the winner of that battle would be. Josh hadn’t done anything to make her not trust him. Yet. Her stomach tightened with fear.  Would Josh do something to make her question his feelings? What if he turned out to be just like Wes? It was possible. Although Katie thought it highly unlikely. So far, he’d fulfilled every promise he’d made to her. It may have