Read Online Crushed by Kasi Blake - Free Book Online Page B

wood—every shape and size imaginable—formed a short pyramid on the other side of the gray, stone terrace. He chose a small piece and went back inside.
    While Morgan curled up on the other side of the couch to watch the movie she’d selected, he took out his knife and started whittling the wood. It took a ton of concentration to make an angel out of nothing. His father had taught him how to do it. In a few minutes, he was totally relaxed.
    ###
    Kristen walked quickly down the long hallway with endless lockers on both sides. Since starting school at Titan, she’d always had a locker on the top row. She felt kind of bad for the kids with lockers on the bottom because they either had to bend down or squat to turn the dial. She hadn’t asked for special treatment, but somehow she always seemed to get it. The principal and teachers loved her. Sometimes being a good girl worked in her favor.
    She was on her way to the gymnasium for cheerleading practice, and she was already late. Students stopped to stare. Fingers pointed at her. Because of the mist-covered floor, the students seemed to be floating instead of walking.
    A cold, wet fear seeped into Kristen’s bones.
    “Stop looking at me!” she shouted.
    Her heartbeat quickened.
    She didn’t fully understand what was going on, but she knew she had to get away from them. She began to run. Instead of getting closer, the end of the hallway stretched until it was miles away. Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs. Escape. She had to find a way out before it was too late.
    There was Brittany, surrounded by a bunch of boys, talking and laughing. Kristen ran to her.
    Brittany turned. Her eyes were big, black holes, nothing but empty voids. With her usual attitude, she said, “What’s wrong with you?”
    “Show me the way out!”
    “There is no way out. You’re trapped.”
    “No!” Kristen grabbed her sister’s arm. The appendage fell off in her hands. No blood. No mess. Just a lifeless limb. She screamed.
    “Look what you did!” Brittany tore her dead arm out of Kristen’s trembling grasp. “What am I supposed to do with this now?”
    Kristen couldn’t breathe properly. Hands on her throat, she backed away from her sister before spinning around and running for the elusive exit. There was something she had to do, something important, but she couldn’t remember what. Why wouldn’t the other students tell her?
    Why did they keep staring and pointing?
    Cyndi waited for her at the end of the hallway, a smug smile on her lips. She lifted a finger and wagged it. “Naughty, naughty. You can’t leave school until you finish all of your homework.”
    “What are you talking about?” Kristen tried to rush past her to get to the doors.
    Cyndi stepped to the side, blocking Kristen’s way. The other girl started out looking normal, but then she changed. Her hair turned into green slime. It dripped onto her shoulders. “You brought this on yourself, you know.”
    Kristen backed away as Cyndi reached for her with a slime-covered hand. “Don’t touch me.”
    “ Don’t touch me .” The mocking voice belonged to a boy she’d refused to date last year. He appeared at Cyndi’s side. The skin on his face began to flake away, revealing the bloody tissue beneath, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Don’t touch me. That should be your middle name. Kristen Don’t-Touch-Me Noah. You are such a frigid witch.”
    Witch.
    The last word reverberated through her brain and echoed down the Titan High hallways. A chorus line of heads snapped up at the same time like a well-executed, musical slash-dance number. The word spread in low whispers.
    She cried, “No! Don’t say that.”
    “Don’t say what? Witch?”
    Witch . Some of the students turned in their direction.
    “Please stop! They might hear you.”
    A whispered mantra began in the background, softly at first. “Witch. Witch. Witch.”
    The students formed a circle around her. Books fell from their hands. They lifted