Page 64 of Faking it with the Hybrid

And with that, she turned back and walked resolutely into the night, just as it started to snow.

THIRTY-SEVEN

MATTIE

Mattie didn’t know where she was going. She had told Grath she was going to walk home but honestly it felt like she was just wandering aimlessly along the side of the road. It was snowing now—big flat snowflakes that drifted down silently from above. They would have looked magical to her earlier—now she barely noticed them.

The effects of the big Hybrid’s essence on her were wearing off and she had left her velvet shawl back at the Yule Ball. Slowly, she began to shiver. But perversely, she was glad of it.

Good—I don’t want anything to remind me of him, the big asshole!she thought angrily.Not his essence or anything else. I’m glad it’s wearing off! How could he do that to me? How could he make me fall in love with him, knowing all along that he was never going to want anything permanent? That bastard!

However, as her shivering became more violent and the snow began to fall faster, she began to think maybe she had been a little too hasty in leaving the Ball. She should have gone back and faced her family and admitted everything.

But just the idea of seeing the disappointment on their faces made her cringe inside. Grandma Thelma, especially, would be inconsolable. She was always saying that if she could just see her great-grandchildren and hold them in her arms once, she could die happy.

Well, she’s not getting great-grandchildren out of me anytime soon,Mattie thought morosely.Too bad about that.

Her teeth began to chatter with the cold and she clamped her jaw shut firmly to stop them. The off-the shoulder dress which had seemed like such a good idea when she put it on now seemed to offer no more warmth than a Kleenex—she started rubbing her frozen hands up and down her arms, trying to generate some heat but she was failing miserably.

That’s it, Mattie—you’re going tohaveto go back to the Ball,she told herself reluctantly.Yes, it’s going to be mortifying to admit everything to your family, but if you stay out here much longer you’re going to freeze to death!

But when she looked around to try and get her bearings, she barely recognized where she was. The snow was flying so thick and fast now the road was barely distinguishable, let along anything else on the street.

Crap!Mattie looked around with rising panic. Where was she? How had she gotten so far from the Civic Center? And how was she going to get home before she froze to death?

But just as she was truly starting to panic, a car pulled up beside her. Mattie couldn’t see what kind of car—it was too dark and the snow was flying too thick for her to make out details. But she could see the headlights floating beside her and hear the rumble of its engine.

The doors opened and two people—both bundled up in thick winter coats with hoods hiding their faces—came out to her.

“Mattie Porter, what are you doing out here?” a vaguely familiar voice said. “Why, you’ll freeze to death!”

“You’d better let us take you back to the Ball,” the other person said. Again, the voice was vaguely familiar but muffled by the snow and the thick furry hood which hid their face.

Normally Mattie would have asked who her two saviors were but at that point she was so cold she could barely speak. Besides, they knew her name so it must be someone she knew from town.

“O-k-k-kay,” she finally managed to get out.

But the two people weren’t waiting for her answer. They were already taking her by the arms and leading her to the waiting car, whose engine was still rumbling.

Mattie expected them to put her in the back seat—although the front would have been nicer, since it would have been closer to the heater—but then the car’s trunk flew open.

She frowned, wondering what was going on. Then one of the people said,

“There’s blankets in there.”

Oh—they must want me to grab a blanket to warm up in,Mattie thought. Which made sense—by now her gorgeous ball gown was soaked through and pretty much ruined by the snow and the salt that was used to keep the roads free of ice.

Leaning into the surprisingly large trunk, she reached for one of the colorful quilts she could just barely see stacked inside. But before she could grip one with her frozen fingers, someone gave her a shove from behind and Mattie found herself falling forward,intothe trunk!

“Hey—help!” she gasped but it was too late. Before she knew it, she was fully in the trunk and the lid of it was coming down towards her head.

She ducked to avoid getting hit in the head and the trunkbangedshut above her. Outside, she thought she could hear muffled laughter.

“Got her!” one of the vaguely familiar voices said. “Who would have thought it would be that easy?”

“Told you she’s a stupid little slut!” the other voice replied. There was asbang,like someone hitting the trunk with their fist. “Enjoy the ride back there, Fatty-Mattie!”

Then the front doors slammed shut and the car roared off into the night, taking Mattie with it.

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