The Follower by Kate Doughty (ebook reader with built in dictionary TXT) 📕

only talking about it because he’s nervous about meeting the townies, anyway,” she teases. Cecily is clearly relieved for the subject change.

Rudy rolls his eyes. “Am not! These kids are going to love me. I might even finally try to form that garage band—”

“Please, you say that at every house! I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The conversation dissolves into banter about Rudy’s questionable singing—“Stick to guitar!” Cecily says, laughing—and by the time they pull up to the trailhead, the Tremont ghost story is out of Amber’s mind.

Bella is waiting for them at the trailhead, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in excitement.

She sweeps her platinum hair over her shoulder and gives Cecily a huge hug. “It’s so weird, meeting you guys! Weird but cool, I mean. I’ve been following you, like, for ages. I used to watch all your hair tutorials.” She turns to Amber and, before Amber can react, goes in for another hug. Her smile is too genuine for Amber to be annoyed. “You, too! I miss that fashion content. I swear you’re going to think that we’re all total slobs.”

Amber laughs. “What are you talking about? You look fantastic!” Bella gives her a mock curtsy in her outfit—edgy black ripped jeans that she totally pulls off and a band tee—before greeting Rudy.

“Everyone’s so excited to meet you all!” she says, leading them into the woods. “Be warned, though. Norton has to be so much more boring than—where were you last? California?”

“I don’t know,” Rudy says. “Sure, we were in Cali, but we were staring at paint swatches the entire time! Thanks for the invite.”

“Anytime!” Bella says, striding down the trail in front of them with practiced familiarity, even as they leave the streetlights behind and the trees surrounding them begin to cut off the moonlight.

Despite her outward bravado, Amber feels nerves rise in her chest. She reminds herself of how good she looks thanks to Cecily’s amazing makeup job. After all, half of a look is confidence. But what if they don’t like her? What if this goes terribly? She shakes her head. If they hate her, well, the Coles are moving again soon. It won’t matter. They won’t matter. She tries to summon some of Cecily’s self-assurance. She thinks about the comment—Go Amber! We need more of her—and feels herself stand up a little taller.

Up front, Bella is talking a mile a minute. “I swear, none of them believed me when I told them I met you—I’m pretty sure some people are going to lose money when you three actually show up to this party. They’re going to flip.”

“Great,” Amber deadpans.

Through the trees, Amber starts to see a few stray flickers of light as the bonfire comes into view. It’s in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by high school kids drinking and dancing. Amber has the strange realization that although she can see them clearly in the firelight, they have no idea that she is watching, or that Bella and the Coles are even approaching through the woods. Once she enters the firelight, she will be just as exposed to anyone in the woods around them.

She shakes off the feeling. This is a party. She’s supposed to be having fun, not be paranoid. She reassures herself that there is no one in the woods besides these high school kids.

Bella rounds a large oak, and the four of them step into the firelight. Amber takes in the scene ahead of them. Scores of kids are loitering around a bonfire, talking and laughing in smaller groups. A makeshift bar is set up on one side, far away from the fire, where a group of girls mix cranberry juice and bottom-shelf vodka. Off to another side, a group of boys toss a light-up Frisbee through the darkness. Near the far edge of the woods, a smaller pocket of kids are passing around a joint. The unmistakable scent of pot reaches Amber’s nose. Someone is playing pop music, and a few kids are already dancing, pausing to scream lyrics amid gales of laughter. They look so . . . happy. So normal.

Bella leads them into the clearing, and just like that, Amber feels like everything stops. Heads turn, friends grab one another and speak in hushed whispers. A few kids even point.

“Everyone, this is Cecily, Amber, and Rudy Cole—but you already know that,” Bella says, laughing. Amber gives a self-conscious, shaky wave and hopes she doesn’t look as awkward as she feels. Bella leads them over to a cluster of kids to their right, making quick introductions. The boy from the hardware store, Miles, is here along with some jersey-sporting football players and a few other guys that easily fit into the jock stereotype. A group of girls who Amber assumes must be Bella’s core group of friends wander over, including Jada and a girl named Alicia who introduces herself as Bella’s bestie.

“Of course we all know them!” one of Miles’s friends says. He introduces himself as Trent and walks toward Rudy, going for a bro-hug, and Amber’s brother is instantly on. He waves off offers of a drink—explaining that he’s DDing—and effortlessly strikes up a conversation about the local sports teams. He’s always been good at that—at getting people to like him.

Amber can’t help but feel just a little jealous.

“Hey, remember me?” someone asks. When Amber turns, it’s a boy who she definitely does not remember.

Cecily frowns and whispers in her ear: “I met that guy at the pizza place. His name is Steve, I think.”

Steve comes in for a hug, too, but Cecily offers a handshake instead. He makes a sour face and takes it. Amber can’t tell if it’s the firelight, or if her sister is actually . . . nervous. Amber shares the feeling; something about Steve is . . . weird. Creepy.

He sidles up to Cecily and moves to put a hand around her shoulder, but Cecily inches away. Rudy shoots Steve a glare. “Cecily, is this dude bothering you?” Cecily doesn’t answer, but Steve