Read Online MILA Origins 2.0 - The Fire by Debra Driza - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Debra Driza
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body heat.”
A huge wave of relief hit me, prompting a louder giggle than I intended.
“Girls, please. It’s time for the announcements,” Mrs. Stegmeyer admonished.
Sure enough, the intercom screeched, followed by the overly peppy voice of our student council president.
I listened absently to news about an upcoming car wash fund-raiser while I whispered to Kaylee. “He just sort of…sat down. Uninvited.”
Though, truth be told, I hadn’t exactly fought him off with a stick.
She waved her hand. “Please. It’s fine.”
Fine, everything was fine.
“Girls…shhh!” Mrs. Stegmeyer tapped her lips and glared.
But as soon as the teacher looked away, Kaylee leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Really, don’t worry. Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition.”
What?
“Kaylee,” I started. Only to be interrupted by the loud whack of the manila attendance file as it slapped the desk.
“Last warning before I separate you,” Mrs. Stegmeyer said, her drawl thickening the way it did when she was upset.
I slouched into my chair and kept my mouth shut the rest of homeroom. But Kaylee’s comment spun through my head, over and over again.
Healthy competition? Over Hunter? I didn’t like the sound of that, not one tiny bit.
SEVEN
K aylee’s decrepit old truck bounced us down the dirt road, away from Clearwater High. Between the tires crunching over uneven terrain and the ancient engine’s stuttering roar, the noise level was pretty high. Inside the cab, though, the silence was deafening. Kaylee clutched the zebra-striped steering wheel cover and refused to acknowledge me, her gaze directed straight ahead.
“Kaylee, I swear—I had nothing to do with Hunter transferring into my English class.” Of course, I’d been pleading my innocence for the past ten minutes, and none of it had yet to make a dent in Kaylee’s stony expression.
So much for her “healthy” competition.
I sighed and looked out the passenger window. From far off on the hillside, I saw flickering black strands slapa gleaming mahogany neck. The gorgeous stallion threw his head again before rearing up and launching his massive body into an explosive gallop.
Horses. Horses were one of two things that had kept me from losing my mind when I first moved here.
The other thing was Kaylee.
I peeked at her face again, but her usual smiling mouth remained tight and silent. I couldn’t remember a single ride in this truck without a soundtrack of relentless Kaylee babble to make me laugh. Not until now.
A perfect image of Hunter’s face, with his careless fall of soft brown waves framing a pair of intense blue eyes, crystallized in my head. Stupid. Picturing him right now only made this harder. But, even if Hunter Lowe was the most interesting thing to happen to Clearwater in, well, ever—at least since I’d lived here—a silly crush couldn’t take precedence over a friendship. That wasn’t the kind of person Mom had raised me to be.
I needed to put a stop to this. I wanted babbling Kaylee back. After all, she was the only thing that had kept me from being a complete outcast at school. Surely I owed her for that.
“Look, this is ridiculous. We shouldn’t be fighting over some guy…just because he’s not into Carhartt and partying down by the river,” I added, to lighten the mood. Though there was much more to Hunter than that. Something aboutthe quiet way he studied me with those blue eyes when I talked, like he really cared about what I was saying, made the rest of the world just melt away.
And I needed that right now, the world melting away. But not at someone else’s expense.
I thought I saw Kaylee’s death grip on the wheel relax, just a teensy bit. Springs creaked as she adjusted her position. But no smile.
“I’m not sure, Mila,” Kaylee said, finally glancing my way. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“Look, I swear—I did not tell him to switch to my English class. You can ask him, if you don’t
A huge wave of relief hit me, prompting a louder giggle than I intended.
“Girls, please. It’s time for the announcements,” Mrs. Stegmeyer admonished.
Sure enough, the intercom screeched, followed by the overly peppy voice of our student council president.
I listened absently to news about an upcoming car wash fund-raiser while I whispered to Kaylee. “He just sort of…sat down. Uninvited.”
Though, truth be told, I hadn’t exactly fought him off with a stick.
She waved her hand. “Please. It’s fine.”
Fine, everything was fine.
“Girls…shhh!” Mrs. Stegmeyer tapped her lips and glared.
But as soon as the teacher looked away, Kaylee leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Really, don’t worry. Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition.”
What?
“Kaylee,” I started. Only to be interrupted by the loud whack of the manila attendance file as it slapped the desk.
“Last warning before I separate you,” Mrs. Stegmeyer said, her drawl thickening the way it did when she was upset.
I slouched into my chair and kept my mouth shut the rest of homeroom. But Kaylee’s comment spun through my head, over and over again.
Healthy competition? Over Hunter? I didn’t like the sound of that, not one tiny bit.
SEVEN
K aylee’s decrepit old truck bounced us down the dirt road, away from Clearwater High. Between the tires crunching over uneven terrain and the ancient engine’s stuttering roar, the noise level was pretty high. Inside the cab, though, the silence was deafening. Kaylee clutched the zebra-striped steering wheel cover and refused to acknowledge me, her gaze directed straight ahead.
“Kaylee, I swear—I had nothing to do with Hunter transferring into my English class.” Of course, I’d been pleading my innocence for the past ten minutes, and none of it had yet to make a dent in Kaylee’s stony expression.
So much for her “healthy” competition.
I sighed and looked out the passenger window. From far off on the hillside, I saw flickering black strands slapa gleaming mahogany neck. The gorgeous stallion threw his head again before rearing up and launching his massive body into an explosive gallop.
Horses. Horses were one of two things that had kept me from losing my mind when I first moved here.
The other thing was Kaylee.
I peeked at her face again, but her usual smiling mouth remained tight and silent. I couldn’t remember a single ride in this truck without a soundtrack of relentless Kaylee babble to make me laugh. Not until now.
A perfect image of Hunter’s face, with his careless fall of soft brown waves framing a pair of intense blue eyes, crystallized in my head. Stupid. Picturing him right now only made this harder. But, even if Hunter Lowe was the most interesting thing to happen to Clearwater in, well, ever—at least since I’d lived here—a silly crush couldn’t take precedence over a friendship. That wasn’t the kind of person Mom had raised me to be.
I needed to put a stop to this. I wanted babbling Kaylee back. After all, she was the only thing that had kept me from being a complete outcast at school. Surely I owed her for that.
“Look, this is ridiculous. We shouldn’t be fighting over some guy…just because he’s not into Carhartt and partying down by the river,” I added, to lighten the mood. Though there was much more to Hunter than that. Something aboutthe quiet way he studied me with those blue eyes when I talked, like he really cared about what I was saying, made the rest of the world just melt away.
And I needed that right now, the world melting away. But not at someone else’s expense.
I thought I saw Kaylee’s death grip on the wheel relax, just a teensy bit. Springs creaked as she adjusted her position. But no smile.
“I’m not sure, Mila,” Kaylee said, finally glancing my way. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“Look, I swear—I did not tell him to switch to my English class. You can ask him, if you don’t
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