Read Online By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) by Jennifer Hendren - Free Book Online Page B

trembled.
"I'm trying." I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and murmured a
quick apology to our teacher.
    With a disapproving glance down the tip of
her nose, Mrs. Kahler continued her lesson. My mind was a million
miles away and occasionally I felt the weight of Ty's eyes studying
me. The few times I returned his stare, I saw concern on his face.
How ironic to have him worrying about me.
    Lunch couldn't have come soon enough. With
tray in hand, I scoured the room for a glimpse of Ty's dark head. I
didn't see him and stood casting nervous glances over at my usual
table. Most of my friends were already seated. From the murmured
conversations and over the shoulder glances in my direction, it was
pretty apparent who was the topic of their conversation. If there's
one thing to be said for them—they were of like minds. Cross one,
cross them all.
    Feeling stupid and self-conscious, I dropped
into the nearest empty seat. Too distracted by the animosity aimed
at me, I was surprised to look up and see I'd sat down directly
across from Melanie Hoffs. The wary expression on her face hit me
hard. Could I have really inspired such a reaction in someone?
    Kim's funeral had been that morning. Melanie
had been out earlier, so I knew she must have gone. I, however,
hadn't been able to bring myself to attend—as far as I knew, no one
had.
    "Hi," I said, my face burning with shame.
    I'd never really stopped to think about it,
but Melanie was actually quite pretty. Thick lashes framed her
hazel eyes and her dark hair fell in soft waves around her face.
Usually a wide smile complimented her features, but now her lips
turned downward.
    Several loud snickers came from behind me,
and they only increased when Melanie stood and moved away. I felt
the urge to crawl under the table as people's stares bored into the
back of my head. Through my peripheral vision, I saw several faces
pointed in my direction. I focused on the tray in front of me, my
food left uneaten as I pushed it around with my fork. Tears
drenched the edges of my lashes, and I hastily brushed away a stray
drop when it slipped down my cheek. The laughter only
increased.
    No longer able to withstand the scrutiny, I
stood and rushed out of the room with the voices of my former
friends echoing in my ears. I heard Jenna above the crowd. "Aw,
someone's upset!"
    A strong hand gripped my arm, and I let out a
relieved breath when I turned to see Ty. Collapsing against him, I
buried my face in his shoulder.
    "Are you okay?" Anger simmered in his voice,
and he started toward David's table.
    I put a stilling hand to his chest. "Let's
just get out of here."
    He shook away from me. "No."
    With a deliberate stride, he walked over to
the table where David waited, fists clenched tightly at his sides.
The two stood face-to-face, their postures tense.
    David raised his hands expectantly. "What?
You gonna fight me?" His voice raised in volume, guaranteeing
everyone in the cafeteria heard him. "Take her, man. I've hit that
and trust me, it ain't nothing worth fighting over."
    His table exploded into hysterics. Without so
much as laying a hand on him, Ty's glance had the affect of
silencing the laughter. Watching his back, I could only imagine
what it was they saw.
    When he spoke, Ty's voice was calm. "You so
much as look at her again, and you're going to deal with me." He
paused, letting his words sink in. "And we both know you don't do
well under fire."
    "What the hell do you mean by that?" David
spat the words out.
    Without a backward glance, Ty gathered my
things and returned to where I stood. Over his shoulder, he spoke
loudly. "Do you always piss yourself when you're scared? Must've
been hard to hide that reeking stench."
    With that, he pulled me out of the room. The
last glimpse I got of David, he was red-faced and mad as all get
out.
    "What did you mean?" I struggled to keep up
with Ty's long strides.
    "One of the side effects of...my
condition...is an increased sense of smell."
    I tried to digest