Shadow Touched: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (A Touch of Vampire Book 1) by Becky Moynihan (great reads TXT) 📕

I knew for certain that Peyton was avoiding me though, and it sucked big time.

“You going to the football game tonight?” Isla asked me after the final bell rang. I was so busy thinking of ways to approach Peyton that I didn’t hear the question.

I glanced at her sheepishly as we filed from the classroom. “Sorry, what did you say? My mind was elsewhere.”

She gave me a knowing, sympathetic look. “There’s a football game tonight here at the school. Usually we don’t go, but with Peyton hanging out with Reid so much lately, and him being the quarterback and all . . .” She let the statement dangle between us, letting me figure out the rest.

Oh. Oh.

Maybe if I put some effort into repairing things with Reid, Peyton would come around and start talking to me again. A week had passed since the lakehouse, and she’d dodged my attempts at apologizing several times since then. She’d even started hanging out at Reid’s table during lunch, which I knew hurt Isla and Hailey too. They hadn’t blamed me, but there was an undercurrent of tension between us now.

I sighed, then nodded. “I’ll be there.” Isla shot me a relieved smile and slipped her arm through mine.

It wasn’t hard to convince Aunt Tess to let me go. In fact, I didn’t even have to lie. “You’ll be with Isla?” she’d simply asked, then told me to be back by midnight. I was starting to get suspicious but wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. As long as we didn’t ask each other probing questions, I could continue living a normal life here in Rosewood.

I’d changed into maroon pants and a golden yellow V-neck to show my team spirit, parting my hair into two french braids tied with red ribbon. I pulled into the school parking lot just as the sun kissed the horizon, surprised at how packed it was. At least I’d worn canvas sneakers tonight, along with my cropped leather jacket.

I checked my phone to see that Isla had already arrived and was saving us seats, so I crossed the parking lot at a brisk pace, sticking to the well-lit sidewalks as I made for the field behind the school. When I spotted the metal, high-rise bleachers, Isla stood and waved wildly. I waved back with a smile.

Weaving through the crowd, I managed to avoid bumping into too many people. Aunt Tess would hate this—the bustling about and boisterous noises, the bright lights shining down from all angles—but I felt my muscles loosen after a tense-filled week. The marching band was playing a fast, staccato beat, and the cheerleaders dressed in short maroon-and-gold skirts were geering up on the sidelines. The stands were filled with people wearing their team’s colors, waving “Go, Cougars!” flags and banners.

An invisible weight slipped off my shoulders as I breathed in the delectable smells of fresh popcorn, hot dogs, and nachos. My stomach growled loudly. I hadn’t eaten dinner yet, saving my appetite for the game.

I had just grabbed the railing to climb the bleacher stairs when someone rammed into me from behind. My shoulder hit the metal guard with violent force, and I yelped. The person shoved past me without an apology, racing up the steps. Before they disappeared into the masses, I caught a glimpse of their maroon and gold varsity jacket with the number eleven stitched on the back.

“Great school spirit,” I grumbled and carefully rotated my shoulder with a wince. Definitely bruised.

I finished the climb to Isla with a little less pep in my step, but decided not to crush her high spirits by mentioning the incident.

“Are Hailey and Peyton here?” I said instead, and she pointed toward the concession stand.

“Getting snacks!” she yelled over the trilling drums and blaring trumpets. Sure enough, they were loading up on all the good stuff, situating four drinks into a cup holder. I dug in my purse for some cash but Isla waved it away, saying, “I’ve got it covered. I kinda forced you to come anyway.”

I shook my head good-naturally. “Are you kidding? I wanted to come.”

“Oh yeah?” she challenged with a smirk. “When’s the last time you went to a football game?”

“Um . . .”

She laughed. “See? But I’m glad you came. It means a lot.”

I knew what she meant, and I smiled, not even caring that it wobbled a bit. “I’ll do anything to fix this. I hate that your friendship with Peyton is strained because of me.”

“Girl, don’t blame yourself,” she chided, nudging me with her elbow. “It was a freak accident. Didn’t I tell you things would be more interesting with your arrival? I, for one, am loving all the drama.”

I snorted, then fell into helpless laughter. She joined me, and before long, we were both clutching our sides. What would I do without this girl? She brightened my life in more ways than one. “Thanks for that, Isla,” I gasped out, “but you need a hobby.”

She sobered, smoothing her expression to one of mock seriousness. “I have one already. It’s very rigorous and time-consuming. In fact, I might have to make it a full-time job.”

Stifling my laughter, I sobered too. “Oh? And what’s that?”

She leaned in close and stage-whispered in my ear, “I’m stalking your stalkers. Kinda like a private detective. You’re welcome.”

My mouth fell open and I glanced at her sharply. Did she know about the red-eyed man? Had she seen him somehow?

“Free of charge, of course,” she added before I could speak. “You get the friend discount. Just call me Isla, PI. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

I swallowed, fishing for the right thing to say. “Who are you stalking exactly?”

“See? You desperately need someone to watch your back. What if one of them asks you out and ends up being a douchebag? I’m especially suspicious of Reid since he made