Read Online Gifted Touch by Melinda Metz - Free Book Online

You’ve got to graduate. Otherwise you’ll end up here for the rest of your friggin’ life. Or working at the 7-Eleven, selling munchies to Gregg and Mike.
    And I am outta here, Anthony thought as he headed through Fillmore’s main doors. Just a couple dozen steps and he’d be off school property, at least until tomorrow. He started walking faster, then stopped short when he saw Rick Nunan leaning against one of the two oak trees that dominated the front of the school. Rick had already spotted him, so there was no point in Anthony pretending he hadn’t seen the guy.
    “Knew you had to be down to the seeds,” Nunan said as Anthony approached. “Since you’re one of my very special customers and all, I decided to make a delivery.”
    Translation: You needed some fast cash, Anthony thought. Nunan was an okay guy. They’d partied together. But he wasn’t a doing-it-out-of-the-goodness-of-his-heart type. Not by a long shot.
    “Gonna have to pass,” Anthony answered.
    “You broke? I can spot you for a few days.” Nunan ran his fingers over his shaved head. When he was high, just the feel of the skin under his fingers 73
    could make him giggle for hours.
    “Nah. I just . . .” Anthony shrugged. “Not in the mood.” Which was total crap. But he’d ordered himself not to buy any more. He was going to graduate from this place without taking ten freaking years to do it.
    “Not in the mood?” Nunan repeated. “You smoke some, you get in the mood.” He ran his hand over his head again.
    “Just go find one of your other very special customers, okay?” Anthony asked. And right now, he added to himself. His fingers were already twitching, ready to go for his wallet.
    Nunan took a step closer, and Anthony was blasted with the smell of smoke.
    “It’s totally primo stuff. Nunan tested, Nunan approved.”
    Anthony didn’t think. He just reacted—by reaching out and shoving Nunan away with both hands.
    Nunan, the little weenie, ended up on his butt.
    “Is there a problem, Mr. Fascinelli?” a voice called. Anthony glanced over his shoulder. Oh, friggin’ perfect. Mr. Shapiro had to have seen that little encounter. And his lips were clamped together so tight, they’d practically disappeared into his mouth.
    “No problem.” Anthony reached down, grabbed Nunan’s hand, and pulled him up. “No problem, right, Rick?”
    74
    “Nonstudents aren’t allowed on campus,” Shapiro told Nunan. It took a second for Nunan to realize that meant he should leave, but he finally got it and wandered off.
    “I have the feeling you weren’t listening to me this morning, Anthony,” Shapiro said, opening his mouth only enough to let the words squeak through.
    “No, I was. I was,” Anthony answered. He hated the way his voice came out, like a little kid’s. Don’t be mad, Mommy. I’ll never do it again.
    Shapiro nodded. “We’ll see, won’t we.” He turned and walked away without another word.
    Perfect end to a perfect day. But at least it’s over.
    And I survived. Wonder if Rae made it out alive from her little prep school.
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Chapter 4
    “So how was school?” Rae’s father asked before she even had her butt all the way into the car.
    Rae slammed the door. “Day two was pretty much like day one,” she answered. Stares. Extreme nice-ness. Extreme weirdness. Random not-her-own thoughts about how psycho she was. Plus some totally-her-own thoughts about how psycho she was, just for variety. “You know, just basic getting-organized stuff,” she added as her dad pulled out of the driveway.
    /Whoo-hoo, time to party/
    A sour taste filled Rae’s mouth. She popped open the glove compartment—
    /What am I supposed to say to her?/
    77
    —and rooted around for some gum. She didn’t find any, so she slammed the glove compartment closed.
    /Rachel/
    God, that thought, it felt like her dad. It wasn’t in his voice or anything. But it had a Dad . . . flavor .
    She reminded herself what Dr. Warriner had said when she’d