Lie to Me (an OddRocket title) Read Online Free Page B

never beautiful. No. Beautiful was a word reserved for girls like Priya. I rolled the word over in my mind, wanting him to say it again. Beautiful . Beautiful girl. With one word, I felt like RD had reached inside me and gently squeezed my heart.
    "Later," RD said.
    I ran down the dock, but before I opened the gate to escape up the hill, I turned and looked back. RD was on the dock adjusting the fenders. I swear I saw him pause and smile at me. It was as if I could feel his pale eyes reaching me through that gray rain. It may seem impossible that I'd remember everything like this, but I do. Every word, every touch, and the way I felt inside when it first began, because it started right then. RD said the word "beautiful" and somewhere between us a door opened. I was destined to fall, no matter how big of a mistake I was making.

Chapter 4
    The Hideaway is an old restaurant with crooked floors and big booths with seats covered in red, cracked vinyl. It looks like somebody built a roadside diner inside a bungalow by the sea. There are three different stained glass chandeliers. One actually contains a ring of horses that pull a carriage when the lights are turned on. Mom says that when she and Dad bought the place, they insisted the former owner throw in all the light fixtures including the one with the horses. People sure get weird about antiques.
    The Hideaway is burgers and shakes and grilled cheese sandwiches. Locals come out of habit and people passing through the marina come because they know what to expect the moment they walk through the door. The Hideaway is Mom's other baby and I could tell from the way she held her mouth that I had not impressed her by being late for my shift.
    "Sorry," I said, shaking the rain off my shoulders, trying to dry my shoes on the mat at the front door.
    "And you're soaked," Mom said, handing me some hand towels from behind the counter. They were not fluffy and warm like RD's. "You're dripping water everywhere. Finish drying off before you catch a cold." Mom wore her curly red hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. My mother never put on a lot of eye make-up and she didn't have on her glasses. I always thought my mom looked pretty young for a mom, but right then I remember thinking that she didn't look young, she just looked tired. I immediately felt guilty about being so late.
    "Sorry," I said, looking over my shoulder, half expecting RD to be standing behind me. "There was a turtle incident."
    "Who were you talking to on the dock?" Addie asked. She sat in a booth by the main window under a purple chandelier made out of glass grapes. She had a hot fudge sundae piled high with whipped cream and nuts sitting on a pie plate right in front of her.
    Unbelievable. My guilt vanished. "No way." I ignored Addie and turned to my mother. "She runs away from camp and she gets a sundae? And her turtle..." I kept my voice low since I didn't want to have a family meltdown with Nick nearby.
    "Cassie, please. Not today. I need you to help Nick. He's got a few tables going and I'm not sure he can handle it, okay?" Mom closed her eyes and held her hands to her temple while she exhaled. "Please don't test me today." She turned her back to me and started a pot of coffee behind the counter.
    Nick stood in front of table five, where a trio of women all drinking Chardonnay looked at him with equal parts confusion and sympathy. He was a very bad, but extremely good-looking, waiter. He held a stack of "Little Pirate" kid's menus under one arm and a plate of fish and chips in the other. The women laughed and pointed to another table; he'd obviously tried to bring them someone else's order. Even the customers couldn't resist helping him. I hoped those stupid women gave him a big tip so he'd be that much closer to buying the new drum set he wanted for his band. Maybe then he'd quit.
    I headed into the kitchen. "How's Einstein doing?" Mariah said. She stood at the grill cooking up a burger and a fish patty. I could