her being overtly ugly either.
“My locker is stuck. Can you come help me?” She was already pulling him by the hand. The look she shot me had territorial written all over it. “We’re all going to Hootenanny’s after the game. Can you come?”
Hootenanny’s was our small town’s answer to TGI Friday’s and the place the sneetches loved most in the world after sporting activities. Donny, Ame, and I avoided Hootenanny’s, preferring the smaller, less frequented places in town.
“Of course I’ll help you,” he answered. “We’ll work on these later?” he asked me as he was being led away.
“Right.”
He walked backwards a few more steps and brought Brittany’s hand to his lips without taking his eyes off me.
My hand tingled where he kissed her.
And the bastard knew it.
CHAPTER FIVE
L ater that afternoon, Donny reluctantly pulled her car in front of the cute bungalow Ame pointed to on the right. “I really think this is lame,” she said, complaining one more time in case either of us was unsure how she felt about this visit to the psychic.
Amelia smoosh-hugged her across the seats. “I know you do. Thanks for coming with me anyway.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Amelia’s barely contained excitement. She clapped her hands, the sound muted by her rainbow-print fingerless gloves that striped their way up her arm. I looked at my bland beige-on-beige outfit and pursed my lips.
I wasn’t exactly all-in on this little adventure, but it was a distraction, and I needed one desperately. Haden had tangled my insides with his pretty compliments followed by total disregard.
And then there were my dreams.
We’d had a substitute in history, so we watched yet another war film. My skin felt heated the entire hour, but I didn’t dare turn to see if Haden was looking at me. After class, he disappeared into the hall before I managed to sling my bag over my shoulder.
I was disappointed and relieved at the same time.
Donny and Amelia were still talking in the front seat. I realized I’d been daydreaming again.
“Don’t expect me to spend money on this scam,” Donny reminded Amelia. “And don’t tell me to have an open mind. I’m open to new experiences—just not ones that include me paying some fraud to tell me things I already know about myself.”
“You’re the most open girl in our whole school,” Ame teased as she threw open her door and bounded out of the car.
“I don’t think she meant that in a good way.” Donny met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “C’mon, English. If I have to go in, so do you.”
I nodded my assent, but was much slower to exit the vehicle than Amelia, who was already halfway up the sidewalk to the door.
She hurried back and grabbed our arms as we rounded the car. “Would you guys hurry up?”
We made it to the front porch, our arms straining at the sockets. Ame punched the doorbell and bounced on the balls of her feet while we waited for Madame Varnie to answer.
Since I had no expectations of what Madame Varnie looked like, I have no idea why I was so very surprised at her appearance. To say that she stunned the three of us into silence when she opened the door would be an understatement.
I suppose the first thing that stood out was her lilac turban that matched the shapeless shift she wore. The shiny fabric formed a large beehive on her head, and in the middle of it was a glass eye the color of peacock feathers and surrounded by fake jeweled beads. It was about twenty-four inches of nonsense, but unfortunately, not the oddest thing about her.
Madame Varnie’s face was overly made up. Too much powder, too much shadow, and too much lipstick were spackled onto a face that was distinctly neither middle-aged nor female, as the costume seemed to suggest. Instead, Madame Varnie was very clearly a younger man in drag.
“Well, hello,” she said, in a breathy, effeminate voice.
Amelia squinted very hard at the person in front of us. “Um. Madame
“My locker is stuck. Can you come help me?” She was already pulling him by the hand. The look she shot me had territorial written all over it. “We’re all going to Hootenanny’s after the game. Can you come?”
Hootenanny’s was our small town’s answer to TGI Friday’s and the place the sneetches loved most in the world after sporting activities. Donny, Ame, and I avoided Hootenanny’s, preferring the smaller, less frequented places in town.
“Of course I’ll help you,” he answered. “We’ll work on these later?” he asked me as he was being led away.
“Right.”
He walked backwards a few more steps and brought Brittany’s hand to his lips without taking his eyes off me.
My hand tingled where he kissed her.
And the bastard knew it.
CHAPTER FIVE
L ater that afternoon, Donny reluctantly pulled her car in front of the cute bungalow Ame pointed to on the right. “I really think this is lame,” she said, complaining one more time in case either of us was unsure how she felt about this visit to the psychic.
Amelia smoosh-hugged her across the seats. “I know you do. Thanks for coming with me anyway.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Amelia’s barely contained excitement. She clapped her hands, the sound muted by her rainbow-print fingerless gloves that striped their way up her arm. I looked at my bland beige-on-beige outfit and pursed my lips.
I wasn’t exactly all-in on this little adventure, but it was a distraction, and I needed one desperately. Haden had tangled my insides with his pretty compliments followed by total disregard.
And then there were my dreams.
We’d had a substitute in history, so we watched yet another war film. My skin felt heated the entire hour, but I didn’t dare turn to see if Haden was looking at me. After class, he disappeared into the hall before I managed to sling my bag over my shoulder.
I was disappointed and relieved at the same time.
Donny and Amelia were still talking in the front seat. I realized I’d been daydreaming again.
“Don’t expect me to spend money on this scam,” Donny reminded Amelia. “And don’t tell me to have an open mind. I’m open to new experiences—just not ones that include me paying some fraud to tell me things I already know about myself.”
“You’re the most open girl in our whole school,” Ame teased as she threw open her door and bounded out of the car.
“I don’t think she meant that in a good way.” Donny met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “C’mon, English. If I have to go in, so do you.”
I nodded my assent, but was much slower to exit the vehicle than Amelia, who was already halfway up the sidewalk to the door.
She hurried back and grabbed our arms as we rounded the car. “Would you guys hurry up?”
We made it to the front porch, our arms straining at the sockets. Ame punched the doorbell and bounced on the balls of her feet while we waited for Madame Varnie to answer.
Since I had no expectations of what Madame Varnie looked like, I have no idea why I was so very surprised at her appearance. To say that she stunned the three of us into silence when she opened the door would be an understatement.
I suppose the first thing that stood out was her lilac turban that matched the shapeless shift she wore. The shiny fabric formed a large beehive on her head, and in the middle of it was a glass eye the color of peacock feathers and surrounded by fake jeweled beads. It was about twenty-four inches of nonsense, but unfortunately, not the oddest thing about her.
Madame Varnie’s face was overly made up. Too much powder, too much shadow, and too much lipstick were spackled onto a face that was distinctly neither middle-aged nor female, as the costume seemed to suggest. Instead, Madame Varnie was very clearly a younger man in drag.
“Well, hello,” she said, in a breathy, effeminate voice.
Amelia squinted very hard at the person in front of us. “Um. Madame
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