Read Online Charcoal Tears by Jane Washington - Free Book Online Page B

and I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t want them finding out about the club, but I supposed that on some level, I knew it would change things for me. I remembered Noah standing next to me at Tariq’s lunch table, radiating enough possessiveness to frighten Tariq’s friends, and the way Cabe shielded me from the other students staring at us. Maybe they just wanted to be friends with me, maybe there was nothing supernatural going on, and the odd feelings whenever they drew near were more a result of being alone for so long… maybe . But even if that were true, they were rapidly trying to take over my life, and I couldn’t seem to tell them to go away. I didn’t seem to want them to go away. As soon as they found out about my job, I’d probably end up jobless.
    I dressed in denim shorts and a plain blue tank. I drew a short-sleeved blouse over the tank, securing what buttons remained along the front, and pulled my hair into a ponytail. My chameleon shoes were on and laced up. I met Tariq by the door. There was no food again, which meant that Gerald had indeed used the money that I had left him on other things. I sighed and dropped another twenty onto the table. He’d be furious if I didn’t leave him anything.
    We stopped on the way and bought cheap coffee from a service station. I was still wincing at mine by the time we pulled up to school. Cabe and Noah were leaning up against a black jeep, parked a few spaces away. They seemed to be waiting. Tariq sped off as usual, and I started toward them. They hadn’t spotted me yet, so I just folded myself quietly beside Cabe, who had his back turned enough to shield me.
    “Hello,” I said.
    Cabe almost jumped out of his skin, which drew a smirk from me. Noah started to laugh, but Cabe punched him hard in the shoulder. Noah shoved him back and ruffled my hair up. “Morning, little ghost.”
    “Morning, Noah.”
    Cabe was clutching his chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”
    I pushed my bottom lip out slightly, feeling guilty. “Sorry.”
    He rolled his eyes and slapped his hand over the lower half of my face. “Don’t make that face at me.”
    I laughed, and they both blinked. I pushed past them, heading for the front of the building.
    “Did she just giggle?” I heard Cabe ask.
    “Pretty sure,” answered Noah.
    “I’m right here,” I announced. “And I can hear you.”
    “The mouth on her!” Noah exclaimed, his arm landing over my shoulders.
    I almost laughed again but caught it in time. They grinned at each other over my head. Noah dropped us off at homeroom and the blond girl was back on Cabe’s desk. For some reason, it annoyed me this time, but I wasn’t sure why. The feeling was foreign, as though it didn’t actually belong to me, but was somehow inside me anyway. I folded my arms tightly over my chest and averted my eyes. Cabe dropped into his seat.
    “Hey, Cabe.” Her voice was light and flirty, as though the previous day’s rejection hadn’t happened.
    “Kat,” he sighed, apparently not having any of it. “Off my desk.”
    Out of the corner of my eye I saw him jerk his hand to the side. The motion was harsh, and again, I was struck that a person so warm could ever act so cold.
    “I was just wondering about the party this weekend.” Kat pressed on, uncertainly now. “The other girls wanted to know.”
    “What about it?”
    “Is it still happening?”
    “Yes. Now will you get off my desk?”
    “Why, you got a girlfriend?”
    Cabe growled. I didn’t like hearing him so agitated, and before I knew what I was doing, I had shifted and laid a hand against his arm. He turned to me immediately, like I was on one end of a string in motion, and him, the other. He angled toward me, and then grabbed my hips. I squeaked, and found myself plopped into his seat. Kat sat on what was now my desk, and Cabe reclined in my old seat, his arms folded, his mouth smirking.
    Kat’s eyes narrowed and she hopped off… my desk,