I backed up a step. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Please, Princess, your father needs to see you. You have to come with me-" But I wasn't listening anymore. I turned and ran away from him as fast as my feet could carry me, thundering up the stairs in record time and down the street to my house where I slammed the door behind me and tried to put Michael out of my mind forever.

Chapter 3

Just as I'd expected, the house was empty when I got home. I turned the lock and stood with my back against the door, trying to bring my breathing back to normal while my head throbbed with pain.

I still had the envelope he'd given me clutched in my fist.

At least I'd gotten away from him. I guess I was a faster runner than I thought. I let out a long, shaky breath and tried to relax.

I was home. I was safe. Everything was fine.

Breathe.

I went into the kitchen and saw that my mother had left me a plate of food in the fridge-vegetable lasagna and salad-and a note reminding me about the party that night.

I wasn't hungry. Not even for leftover birthday cake.

When I passed the door again, I glanced out the side window and felt my insides freeze.

Michael was in front of my house at the end of the driveway.

Just standing there.

My heartbeat, which had just calmed down to normal, picked up its pace and panic welled up inside me again.

He'd followed me home. He knew where 1 lived.

I dropped my backpack with a thud and went to the phone. I'd call 911. They'd take care of my escaped-mental-patient stalker. Just as I reached for the phone, it rang and I shrieked, nearly jumping right out of my skin.

I picked it up and held it to my ear.

"H-h-hello?" I croaked out.

"I didn't know you had a stutter," Melinda said, obviously amused. "You should probably work on that. Listen, I wanted to know if anything else happened with Chris. Since I'm your official matchmaker, I'm painfully curious."