He couldn’t believe he’d spent so much time worrying about her, thinking she wanted nothing to do with him, and she’d merely been playing with a wolf as though it was a pet.
“Is he why you’ve run from me every day after school?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Yes, but please don’t be mad,” she said. “I can’t seem to help myself. I’m…drawn to him.”
That, he understood, even as it worried him. Victoria drew him, too.
They reached Aden’s locker and he worked the combination. “I’m sure Tucker will love that you’re crushing on someone else. Especially an animal.”
“Hey!” She slapped his shoulder. “He’s not an animal. Not
Aden stilled for a single heartbeat, books frozen midair, unsure he’d heard correctly. “Really? You’re broken up?”
She nodded, the blush in her cheeks deepening. “No question. He slept with Penny.”
“Ah.” He dropped his books inside and slammed the door shut. “That’s what you were so upset about this morning.”
“Wouldn’t you be? They betrayed me, then acted as if nothing had ever happened.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not surprised they kept it quiet, though. No one likes to broadcast their mistakes.”
“Ugh. You sound just like Wo—” She waved a hand through the air, expression pinched. “Never mind.”
Her wolf? Sounding just like a vicious killer was
“Ass?” she said, and they both laughed.
“Yeah. An ass.”
“I agree.” She released a shuddering breath as she tugged him forward. “Come on.” They walked several steps before she picked up the conversation where it had left off. “If all we’ve got to look forward to is disloyalty and treachery, why do we even make friends?”
He hated that her usual optimism was gone. “Again, human nature. Hoping for the best is what drives us.”
“Now you sound like my dad,” she grumbled.
“Well, then, he’s clearly a genius.”
Mary Ann laughed.
The cafeteria doors came into view. Any minute now, they’d be joined by Shannon and John O’Conner. He pulled Mary Ann aside and peered down at her, a sense of urgency overtaking him. “I need to talk to you.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, sobering.
“Please don’t take off after school without me. Find a way to get rid of the wolf. There’s so much I need to tell you. Not just about the vampire, but about me. There’s something I need your help with.”
She reached up and squeezed his forearm. “Whatever it is, I’ll help you any way I can. I hope you know that.”
So easy, and so swift. He had to fight the urge to hug her, and it had nothing to do with his ability or her ability but everything to do with
With all the people who had cut him loose over the years, part of him had expected her to balk. “All last week I thought you were frightened of me, that you wanted nothing to do with me. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how you’d react today.”
“Oh, Aden. I truly am sorry about that. I should have told you what I was doing, but I was afraid you’d try to protect me and end up hurt.” Those white teeth emerged and she started chewing on her lip again. “And if you’d gotten hurt because of me, well, the guilt would have killed me.”
He smiled slowly, relieved, and she returned the smile with one of her own.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I promised Shannon I’d eat with him,” he said. “Oh, and I told this really talkative new kid that he could join us. I’m supposed to wait by the doors.”
“A new kid?” Her brow puckered. “I hadn’t heard we’d gotten another.”
“Yeah, just today. His name’s John O’Conner and he—”
“Wait. What?” Her nose wrinkled in bewilderment. “Did you say John…O’Conner?”
“Yeah, why?”
Rather than answer, she said, “Describe him to me.”
O-kay. “Blond hair, brown eyes and his skin looks like he slathered himself with glitter. It’s really weird.”
Her frown deepened. “Except for the glitter thing, that sounds like the John I knew. But someone was clearly playing a joke on you, because John died of a drug overdose last year.”
Aden massaged the back of his neck, his muscles knotting in anger. “A joke.”
“I’m sorry.”
He wanted to punch the wall as he imagined the laugh everyone was probably having at his expense. “Shannon’s somewhere inside,” he said stiffly.
Mary Ann regarded him with sympathy before leading him to the cafeteria.
A few minutes later, he found himself parked at a table with Mary Ann and Shannon. Though they were the only three in that particular section, kids occupied the tables around them, just as he’d seen in movies.
He was very aware of Penny, staring wistfully at Mary Ann, and Tucker, glaring from Mary Ann to Aden with loathing. Shannon kept his head bowed, and Mary Ann kept up a strained, meaningless chatter. Aden looked for “John,” but never caught sight of him. No one seemed to be laughing at him, either, so he was able to relax. A little.
Overall, it was an uncomfortable ordeal. He much preferred the isolation of the forest, and that surprised him. How many hours had he spent daydreaming about friends and normalcy? But maybe, in the woods, he would have found Victoria. If only.
Finally the bell rang, signaling it was time to head to their next class. Chairs were scooted back, footsteps began to pound.
“W-wait for me after school,” Shannon said to him. “We can all walk home together.”
Aden met Mary Ann’s gaze. She’d been rendered immobile, half sitting, half standing. Panic flittered through her eyes. After school, she was supposed to lose the wolf so they could talk.
Shannon must have caught the tension-filled undercurrents, because he said, “N-never mind,” and tried to shuffle away.
Sensitive as she obviously was to others’ feelings, Mary Ann pasted a grin on her face and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “Walking home together sounds great. I was just trying to remember if I’d told my dad to pick me up or not.”
“Oh. Okay.” Shannon’s posture relaxed.
“See you then,” Aden said, trying to mask his disappointment, and strode to his next class. Looked like his talk with Mary Ann would have to be postponed. Again. They couldn’t spill secrets with an audience present.
Would they be able to talk in the morning? Or would something stop them then, too? And tomorrow after school was out; Shannon would probably want to walk with them again. At this rate, they’d never have a single moment of privacy. Unless…he could tell her everything without ever having to speak a word.
Determined, he used his next three classes to write. About himself, his past, the things he’d done, the things he’d witnessed and the things he needed from Mary Ann. He didn’t skimp on the details, didn’t try to paint himself in a more favorable light. He wanted her to know the truth.
Aden groaned. Not another one. But it didn’t matter; he wouldn’t let it matter. He was still giving Mary Ann the note. What happened after that would be up to her.
CHAPTER 12
