school the next morning. And realized that God didn’t have my back after all. Unless he was just sizing it up for that knife.
“Hey, Mal.” A girl I’d never seen before sauntered past my car, pointedly looking me over as she slinked past my open door.
“Oh my god, that’s him,” another girl whispered to her friend, not but seconds later. The two of them looked my way and giggled, and then grabbed one another for support.
I eyed them for a moment before turning away. “What the hell?” If Jenna started another rumor, or worse, talked Cole into resurrecting those pictures of me …
I caught up with Kevin and Maddy outside the front of the school.
Maddy scowled and Kevin was flush and neither one of them would look at me when I approached. I slowed, gripping the strap of my bag and looking around. Yup, people were still staring. “What the hell’s going on?”
“Kevin was just talking about you.” Maddy huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes.
“No I wasn’t,” he said quickly. Too quickly.
“Okay,” I said, slower and with more emphasis. “ What’s going on ? ”
“Nothing!” Kevin still wouldn’t meet my eyes. He shoved his hands into his pockets, the flush crawling down from his cheeks to the back of his neck. Everything about his behavior was off. The reason Kevin and I got along was because he was so chill. Literally nothing seemed to bother him.
This awkward, shy, blushing Kevin was someone else.
“Did you do something to him?” I asked, turning to Maddy.
“Did you?” she challenged, but just as quickly she deflated and shrugged. “Everyone’s off this morning. I don’t get it.”
“Excuse me,” another girl said as she barged past Maddy and knocked the purse from her shoulder. The girl stepped in front of the others, getting stalker-close to me. “Hi,” she said, just as forward as could be. “You’re Malcolm, right?”
“Nope,” I shook my head. “Hate that guy. He thinks it’s cool when people are rude.”
She blinked rapidly, at least a dozen times in only a couple of seconds. My words curled right past her, leaving her amber eyes blank and blissful in their ignorance. “Whatever. Anyway, my friend didn’t believe I’d actually come over here and talk to you—”
“—why are you?” I interrupted. Not that it mattered. She didn’t stop talking.
“—because I mean, you’re just a guy, right?”
“Right,” I said faintly. Now I was starting to get more worried.
“And she never believes me that all you have to do is go up and talk to guys like they’re normal people. I mean, I totally made out with the drummer from this band that we both like, and—” She was still talking when Maddy stormed past her, elbowed her out of the way, and then grabbed me and headed for the door.
“Idiots,” Maddy huffed, her tone mocking as she repeated, “Talk to guys like they’re normal people.” Her head bobbed and everything.
Kevin trailed behind the two of us as Maddy led us into the auditorium. This early in the day, it was empty, but the curtains on the stage had been cleared, and chairs had been set up in a semicircle at the stage’s edge.
Maddy glared over my shoulder at Kevin before turning back to me. His head was still ducked down so low his chin was nearly pressed up against his Adam’s apple. “So since this has Jenna’s fingerprints all over it, why don’t you tell me what you did?”
Of course. That thing in the classroom yesterday. Her spell had worked after all. That was why everyone was acting like a freak. “She cursed me,” I muttered. I knew Jenna had a habit of getting in her own way, but really ? Cursing me was something we were doing now?
“Are you sure that she did something?” Kevin asked, voice soft with nervous pause. “Maybe it’s more serious than that.”
“It’s not,” Maddy said firmly. “This is a prank. Jenna’s good at them; she’s always bragging.”
With good reason. Jenna was the mastermind of our
“Hey, Mal.” A girl I’d never seen before sauntered past my car, pointedly looking me over as she slinked past my open door.
“Oh my god, that’s him,” another girl whispered to her friend, not but seconds later. The two of them looked my way and giggled, and then grabbed one another for support.
I eyed them for a moment before turning away. “What the hell?” If Jenna started another rumor, or worse, talked Cole into resurrecting those pictures of me …
I caught up with Kevin and Maddy outside the front of the school.
Maddy scowled and Kevin was flush and neither one of them would look at me when I approached. I slowed, gripping the strap of my bag and looking around. Yup, people were still staring. “What the hell’s going on?”
“Kevin was just talking about you.” Maddy huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes.
“No I wasn’t,” he said quickly. Too quickly.
“Okay,” I said, slower and with more emphasis. “ What’s going on ? ”
“Nothing!” Kevin still wouldn’t meet my eyes. He shoved his hands into his pockets, the flush crawling down from his cheeks to the back of his neck. Everything about his behavior was off. The reason Kevin and I got along was because he was so chill. Literally nothing seemed to bother him.
This awkward, shy, blushing Kevin was someone else.
“Did you do something to him?” I asked, turning to Maddy.
“Did you?” she challenged, but just as quickly she deflated and shrugged. “Everyone’s off this morning. I don’t get it.”
“Excuse me,” another girl said as she barged past Maddy and knocked the purse from her shoulder. The girl stepped in front of the others, getting stalker-close to me. “Hi,” she said, just as forward as could be. “You’re Malcolm, right?”
“Nope,” I shook my head. “Hate that guy. He thinks it’s cool when people are rude.”
She blinked rapidly, at least a dozen times in only a couple of seconds. My words curled right past her, leaving her amber eyes blank and blissful in their ignorance. “Whatever. Anyway, my friend didn’t believe I’d actually come over here and talk to you—”
“—why are you?” I interrupted. Not that it mattered. She didn’t stop talking.
“—because I mean, you’re just a guy, right?”
“Right,” I said faintly. Now I was starting to get more worried.
“And she never believes me that all you have to do is go up and talk to guys like they’re normal people. I mean, I totally made out with the drummer from this band that we both like, and—” She was still talking when Maddy stormed past her, elbowed her out of the way, and then grabbed me and headed for the door.
“Idiots,” Maddy huffed, her tone mocking as she repeated, “Talk to guys like they’re normal people.” Her head bobbed and everything.
Kevin trailed behind the two of us as Maddy led us into the auditorium. This early in the day, it was empty, but the curtains on the stage had been cleared, and chairs had been set up in a semicircle at the stage’s edge.
Maddy glared over my shoulder at Kevin before turning back to me. His head was still ducked down so low his chin was nearly pressed up against his Adam’s apple. “So since this has Jenna’s fingerprints all over it, why don’t you tell me what you did?”
Of course. That thing in the classroom yesterday. Her spell had worked after all. That was why everyone was acting like a freak. “She cursed me,” I muttered. I knew Jenna had a habit of getting in her own way, but really ? Cursing me was something we were doing now?
“Are you sure that she did something?” Kevin asked, voice soft with nervous pause. “Maybe it’s more serious than that.”
“It’s not,” Maddy said firmly. “This is a prank. Jenna’s good at them; she’s always bragging.”
With good reason. Jenna was the mastermind of our
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