bad idea, because I stayed up all
night thinking about Fletcher’s cryptic messages and vicious animals who tore
people apart.
Chapter Six
My eyes burned the following morning from
lack of sleep. I wasn’t looking forward to the school day. I didn’t want to
talk about Mr. Thompson, and I knew I would be spending the day alone since the
only friend I had was no longer my friend.
As I walked through the student parking
lot toward the school, Bailey pulled her mother’s car into a parking space.
Usually she arrived in Lacey’s Mercedes SUV with the others. She got out,
carefully balancing a cup holder with four coffee cups and her purse.
I acted as if I hadn’t seen her and kept
walking, but unfortunately we hit the sidewalk at the same time. She almost
bumped into me, and we ended up doing some awkward shuffle to dodge each other.
“Sorry,” we both mumbled at the same time.
Bailey looked as if she wanted to say something else, but I pushed on ahead.
She wasn’t the only one who could pretend we didn’t know each other. Bailey
stayed on my heels. When we entered the foyer of the school, Lacey stood by the
trophy case with Trista and Marley. The three of them sported messy buns, while
Bailey’s hair hung loose. I guessed she had missed the bun memo.
Thankfully Lacey ignored me, but she shot
eye daggers at Bailey. I should have kept moving toward my locker, but I
stopped to watch. What was going on with them?
Lacey snarled. “It’s about time, and our
orders had better not be wrong like yesterday.”
Bailey rushed over to them breathlessly
and passed out the cups. “Sorry. There was a line at the drive-thru.”
Marley scoffed, obviously enjoying
Bailey’s groveling. “Excuses are for losers.” I imagined the three of them were
always clamoring to be Lacey’s number one.
While watching Bailey was pathetic, I
couldn’t help but think she deserved how they were treating her. She knew Lacey
was an evil witch when she became friends with her, so what was she expecting?
I decided to eat my lunch outside against
a wall. Lacey had taken over the picnic area again, and I didn’t feel like
seeing her or Bailey. Fletcher had tried to speak to me in third period, but I
ignored him. He kept talking to me until I told him I was giving him the silent
treatment.
A shadow loomed over me as I bit into my
grilled cheese sandwich. “Go away.”
Fletcher sat beside me. “Are you mad?”
“Yes, I’m mad. Why do you think I don’t
want to talk to you?”
“What did I do?”
“I’m tired of your riddles and you telling
me things that make no sense. You treated me like crap yesterday. I’m over it
and I’m over you. Why do you even want to be my friend if you think I do such
horrible things?”
Fletcher was quiet for a moment. “Because
the bad part of you is just a small part, and you can’t help it. I’ll tell you.
I’ll tell you the truth very soon. The time has to be just right. You have to
be ready.”
“What does that mean?”
Fletcher gazed off into the field, where a
group of boys played Frisbee. “It’s going to make you sad, and once you know,
you can’t unknow it.”
“Okay, now you’re scaring me. What’s going
to make me sad?” I wanted to know then more than ever.
“Please don’t be mad at me. You’ll
understand one day why I had to keep some things from you until a certain
time.”
I looked into his large amber eyes, and I
couldn’t be mad at him anymore. Whatever it was, he really felt like he
couldn’t tell me. If it was going to depress me, maybe I didn’t want to know.
Maybe he was only trying to protect me.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
I took another bite out of my sandwich.
“Yeah? How?”
He bit his bottom lip and stared across
the schoolyard again. “What do you want me to do?”
I thought for a moment. “I want you to
come to my house. Actually come inside. Come to dinner one night. It’s about
time you meet my
night thinking about Fletcher’s cryptic messages and vicious animals who tore
people apart.
Chapter Six
My eyes burned the following morning from
lack of sleep. I wasn’t looking forward to the school day. I didn’t want to
talk about Mr. Thompson, and I knew I would be spending the day alone since the
only friend I had was no longer my friend.
As I walked through the student parking
lot toward the school, Bailey pulled her mother’s car into a parking space.
Usually she arrived in Lacey’s Mercedes SUV with the others. She got out,
carefully balancing a cup holder with four coffee cups and her purse.
I acted as if I hadn’t seen her and kept
walking, but unfortunately we hit the sidewalk at the same time. She almost
bumped into me, and we ended up doing some awkward shuffle to dodge each other.
“Sorry,” we both mumbled at the same time.
Bailey looked as if she wanted to say something else, but I pushed on ahead.
She wasn’t the only one who could pretend we didn’t know each other. Bailey
stayed on my heels. When we entered the foyer of the school, Lacey stood by the
trophy case with Trista and Marley. The three of them sported messy buns, while
Bailey’s hair hung loose. I guessed she had missed the bun memo.
Thankfully Lacey ignored me, but she shot
eye daggers at Bailey. I should have kept moving toward my locker, but I
stopped to watch. What was going on with them?
Lacey snarled. “It’s about time, and our
orders had better not be wrong like yesterday.”
Bailey rushed over to them breathlessly
and passed out the cups. “Sorry. There was a line at the drive-thru.”
Marley scoffed, obviously enjoying
Bailey’s groveling. “Excuses are for losers.” I imagined the three of them were
always clamoring to be Lacey’s number one.
While watching Bailey was pathetic, I
couldn’t help but think she deserved how they were treating her. She knew Lacey
was an evil witch when she became friends with her, so what was she expecting?
I decided to eat my lunch outside against
a wall. Lacey had taken over the picnic area again, and I didn’t feel like
seeing her or Bailey. Fletcher had tried to speak to me in third period, but I
ignored him. He kept talking to me until I told him I was giving him the silent
treatment.
A shadow loomed over me as I bit into my
grilled cheese sandwich. “Go away.”
Fletcher sat beside me. “Are you mad?”
“Yes, I’m mad. Why do you think I don’t
want to talk to you?”
“What did I do?”
“I’m tired of your riddles and you telling
me things that make no sense. You treated me like crap yesterday. I’m over it
and I’m over you. Why do you even want to be my friend if you think I do such
horrible things?”
Fletcher was quiet for a moment. “Because
the bad part of you is just a small part, and you can’t help it. I’ll tell you.
I’ll tell you the truth very soon. The time has to be just right. You have to
be ready.”
“What does that mean?”
Fletcher gazed off into the field, where a
group of boys played Frisbee. “It’s going to make you sad, and once you know,
you can’t unknow it.”
“Okay, now you’re scaring me. What’s going
to make me sad?” I wanted to know then more than ever.
“Please don’t be mad at me. You’ll
understand one day why I had to keep some things from you until a certain
time.”
I looked into his large amber eyes, and I
couldn’t be mad at him anymore. Whatever it was, he really felt like he
couldn’t tell me. If it was going to depress me, maybe I didn’t want to know.
Maybe he was only trying to protect me.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
I took another bite out of my sandwich.
“Yeah? How?”
He bit his bottom lip and stared across
the schoolyard again. “What do you want me to do?”
I thought for a moment. “I want you to
come to my house. Actually come inside. Come to dinner one night. It’s about
time you meet my
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