Kiss the Stars (Devon Slaughter Book 1) by Alice Bell

“There’s a bar down on the boardwalk. Live music every night.” I
figured they wouldn’t know alternative rock if The Black Keys showed up
on their door step.
    I zipped my
valise. “Probably not your scene,” I said.
    P.E.’s canny
reptilian eyes zoomed in on me. “Why do you wheel that suitcase all around?”
she said.
    “Don’t,” Wong
warned.
    But she was an
alligator with a bloody stump. “It’s ridiculous,” she said. “Is it part of your
costume or something?”
    “Costume? You
are so rude,” Wong said.
    “No really. What’s
with the Kool-Aid dye job? And the suitcase?”
    Miss Piggy
snorted.
    I dragged my
valise off the table. The tantalizing smell of freshly brewed coffee followed
me to the door. I hadn’t even got a cup.
    “Wait,” Wong
cried. “What’s the name of the bar?”
    Now they would
invade my favorite bar. All because I’d wanted to show off. And a worse thought
occurred to me. What if one of them set their sights on Devon? I envisioned
Georgie falling into Devon’s arms and how they would dance in front of me, how
he would dip her low for a kiss.
    I felt so
screwed up. Why did I tell Devon to leave last night? As I walked down the
hallway, a wheel on my valise squeaked, shredding my last nerve. When I rounded
the corner, I stopped. Someone waited outside my classroom door.
    Georgie. In a red polka dot dress, a binder
tucked under her arm. Red flooded my vision. I rushed toward her, the wheels of
my valise whirring. “Can I help you?” I said. “Is there some reason you’re
here?”
    She acted
startled, clutching her binder to her chest. “Stroop wants me to sit in
tonight. Didn’t you get my e-mail? What is wrong with you?” she managed to
sound insulted. “I’m just doing my job. It’s not my fault you’re a troglodyte.”
    Something inside
me gathered force. “Your job? You’re taking over my job. And my parking
space, mylife. You’re a terrible personand I bet you’re a
terrible teacher too,” I bit off each word. “You should…” I jabbed her in the
chest with my finger. “Go fuck yourself.”
    There was a
gasp. Then a terrible silence.
    In slow motion,
like a horror movie, Georgie’s binder fell to the floor. Papers scattered. She
snatched a handful of my hair and yanked. Pain seared my scalp but I wrenched
free. I rose up on tip-toe to gouge at her eyes. She ducked. I got her ear. I
twisted.
    “Aaaaahhhh…” she
pushed me. Hard.
    I slipped on
papers, scrambling to catch my balance. I landed on my butt.
    Georgie’s red
face bobbed above me. She bent down and got so close, a spray of saliva misted
my cheek. “I’m going into that classroom. And I’m watching every move you make, Miss Rain.”
    * * *
    My limbs were
jelly.
    I straightened
my skirt. Georgie gathered papers, bending over. I checked my watch. Seven
minutes. I tried to breathe slowly. I grasped my valise and headed for my
classroom, while her back was turned.
    “Hey,” she said
sharply, but she was too late.
    I shut the door
and locked it.
    “Ruby?” she
knocked and jiggled the handle.
    I slid down the
wall. Black spots swam in my vision. I hugged my knees. My whole body was going
numb.
    “I’ll be back,”
Georgie said. “And this door better be open.”
    I waited. After
I thought she was gone, I stood up.
    Taking quick
ragged breaths, I opened drawers I never used. I found pens and CDs with
cracked cases, ink cartridges, a peppermint candy without a wrapper, crumbs .
The bottom drawer contained computer paper. I tore open a package and folded a
piece of paper to breathe into, like a paper bag.
    I thought of my
mother’s Valium, how she’d break a pill and give me half and how great I felt
afterwards, like nothing bad could ever happen. Why didn’t my shrink give me
Valium?
    I concentrated
on breathing. In. Out. As my heart rate slowed, my eyelids got heavy. I
saw a burst of white light, felt the earth drop out from under me. I was
hurtling through darkness.
    I tried to