Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) by Tricia Drammeh

more?
    “I like you, Jace, but I just got out
of a relationship. I’m not ready to date, but I do want to hang out
with you again. Can we be friends?”
    “Of course.”
    Like a true gentleman, Jace tried to
hide his disappointment, and that hurt me more than anything. I
longed for Jace with an intensity I never felt with Robert. It was
torture to rein in my feelings, to deny myself the one thing I
wanted more than anything. But I couldn’t hurt Alisa. Since Jace
moved to town, she seemed so happy. How could I take that away? I
couldn’t. Wouldn’t. After everything Alisa had been
through—everything I stood by and allowed to happen—I wouldn’t
steal away the one person who gave her joy.
    We walked to the car in silence. The
ride back to Oaktree was uncomfortable. A feeling of emptiness
descended upon me as he pulled the car into my driveway. I wondered
if I’d made the biggest mistake of my life.
    “I’ll see you at school tomorrow,”
Jace said as he walked me to the door. I could only nod, afraid if
I opened my mouth to speak I’d say something I’d regret.
    That night when I cried myself to
sleep, it was little consolation that Alisa’s relationship with
Jace remained unchanged. My heart was broken.
    ***
    I avoided Jace and Alisa as much as I
could, sometimes taking the long way to class to keep from having
to walk past their lockers. They always spoke to me when we had
class together, and I honestly didn’t want to be rude, but it was
painful to have to deal with them. Alisa’s love for Jace broke my
heart because I knew he didn’t feel the same. Jace’s desire to be
with me was torture because I knew it could never
happen.
    I longed for simplicity, for the days
before Jace came to Oaktree, when my life was vapid and predictable
and fake. I missed my friends, gossip, and frivolous fun. Becky
represented all those things, and part of me missed her. When she
approached me after cheerleading practice, I decided it wouldn’t
hurt to see if we could set aside our differences. Maybe we’d never
be friends again, but we could at least be cordial.
    “Hey, Rachel.”
    “Hey, Becky.”
    “I’ve been meaning to tell you, you
looked so gorgeous at Homecoming. Your dress was stunning,” she
said.
    “Thanks, Becky.” God
forgive me, I couldn’t compliment her dress. The hemline was so
short, it was practically immoral, and the amount of cleavage she
displayed made me blush. My mother always said if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at
all . “Your hair was beautiful—the
prettiest I’ve ever seen.” Okay, at least that was the truth. Her
updo with the miniature roses and strands of pearls was a work of
art.
    “Ah, thanks. You’re too sweet.” She
flashed a bright, white, perfect smile. “Girl, I miss
you.”
    “I miss you too,” I admitted before I
could help myself. I did miss Becky. For all her faults, we’d had
some good times together. Becky could be cruel and cunning and
conniving, but no one was perfect. And I was lonely and
bored.
    “We should hang out this weekend. Just
like old times. What do you think?”
    “I’d really like that,” I
said.
    “We can go shopping.”
    Becky could be a pill, but she sure
could shop. I missed our shopping sessions.
    “Oh, and get some coffee at the
mall.”
    Becky and I were the only girls in our
group who loved coffee. The other girls liked soda and sweet tea.
Becky and I loved cappuccinos and lattes.
    “We can talk about
boys…Jace.”
    “I don’t want to talk about Jace,” I
said.
    “Why not? He was easily the hottest
guy at the dance. I saw you two together.” She winked. “He likes
you. Really likes you. You should hook up with him.”
    “Nah. I mean, yes he’s cute. But I’m
not really looking for a relationship right now.” Ugh, what a lie.
I craved Jace so badly, I couldn’t breathe.
    “You and Robert have been broken up
forever. Time to move on. And Jace is so much cuter than
Robert.”
    “But