Deadly Cool Read Online Free Page B

in the fridge.”
    I wrinkled my nose. Mom didn’t eat gluten, hence the rice-crust pizza. She also didn’t eat dairy. Or processed foods. Or meat. Which basically left her existing on exercise.
    “Fine,” I answered, scooping another mouthful of B & J’s onto my tongue.
    “How was your day?” she asked, grabbing a soy protein shake from the fridge.
    Bad. Awful. Deadly.
    But after enduring Detective Raley’s interrogation, I couldn’t face another one from Mom. At least not until I’d had time to put together an edited-for-parents version. So, instead, I went with the standard, “Fine.”
    “Great. Listen, I’m meeting some of the girls for coffee after yoga, so I’ll be late. Don’t wait up. Oh,” she added, grabbing her keys from the hook by the garage door, “and get cracking on your homework. Don’t save it all for the last minute again this week, huh?”
    “On it,” I lied as she disappeared out the door. A beat later I heard her minivan start up and the garage door rumble closed behind her.
    Generally, I’m a pretty honest person. And my 3.5 GPA attests to the fact that, despite my tendency to procrastinate, I almost always get my homework done on time. But tonight I just didn’t have it in me.
    So I ignored Mom’s decree about ice cream not constituting a complete meal and trudged up the stairs to my bedroom, flopping spread-eagled on my patchwork quilt as I tried to block out the gruesome slide show of my day.
    I shut my eyes, took a few deep, cleansing breaths . . . then felt my cell buzz to life in my jeans.
    Josh.
    I grabbed for it, catching a nail on the edge of my pocket in my clumsy haste before flipping it open.
    A number that was clearly not Josh’s lit up the display. Crap. I swallowed down the surge of disappointment as I read the text from Ashley Stannic.
is it true? cc dead?
    I bit my lip. Courtney’s entire life had just been reduced to one line of text. Granted, I hadn’t been the president of her fan club, but I hadn’t actually wanted to see her dead. (Maybe just maimed a little . . . )
    I flipped the phone shut, dropping it on the quilt beside me, leaving Ashley to get her gossip elsewhere.
    Two minutes later, my phone buzzed to life again. I looked at the readout. Jessica Hanson.
OMG! cc dead?
    I deleted the message, slowly setting my cell down again. Or trying to. It buzzed in my hand before I could even let go.
ding dong the bitch is dead!
    I quickly flipped it shut, a sick feeling churning in the pit of my stomach, warning of a repeat appearance by my Cherry Garcia.
    A second later it buzzed again.
    I immediately hit the power button without even checking the readout, then threw the offending device into my book bag as if it was a time bomb ready to go off.
    I lay back on the bed, willing Ben & Jerry to stay put. Eventually I think I fell asleep. Because the next thing I knew, I was back in Josh’s bedroom. It was dark; I could just make out shadows, flashes of color in the moonlight. And then I saw her: Courtney Cline, still dressed in her purple Color Guard uniform. But she wasn’t slumped in the closet anymore. She was standing next to it. Walking toward me, her arms stretched in front of her like some sort of zombie. She was coming after me, I could feel it. I turned toward the door, but it was like my feet were stuck in molasses. I tried to call out for help, but I couldn’t make my voice work. I tried harder to run, pumping my arms with all my might, willing my feet to move. But she was gaining on me, the Courtney zombie with the grotesque earbuds wrapped tightly around her neck. She was almost on top of me.
    And then I tripped, falling to the floor. I felt her hovering over me, her shadow blocking out the last of the moonlight. I turned to face her. She reached out a hand and . . .
    Fingers squeezed my shoulder. I screamed, bolting upright in bed. Sweat trickled down the small of my back, my breath coming out in ragged pants as I focused through the