Caleb’s shirt slide across his skin as he turned to look at me. Water dripped behind the second toilet, and out in the hall, footsteps hurried and disappeared as another door squeaked open and bumped shut. Classes must have started. I’d be late to competitive art.
And I’d nearly been kissed.
“That explains why I couldn’t see the shadow in you. And why you didn’t shift before yesterday. Somehow, the shadow in you has been suppressed.” Caleb lifted one dark eyebrow sardonically, and my heart did a little flip. “I seem to have brought it out.”
“How could it be suppressed?” The new smells and sounds retreated as this sank in. My eyes were shifting in the mirror, getting greener, smaller, more human. My thoughts remained a crazy jumble: Caleb’s lips moving toward mine, the purring in my chest. My skin was about to jump off my body—or was that normally how shifters felt?
“I don’t know.” His eyes ran up and down me as if they couldn’t help themselves. “You’re full of surprises.”
My whole face flushed. I’d worked so hard at being invisible for so long, I wasn’t used to being looked at that way. “Maybe I’m doing it myself,” I said. “Pushing it back subconsciously.”
“You’re pushing something back.” He seemed to tear his gaze away from me, looking a little lost.
The late bell blared.
Oh, thank God. An excuse to bolt. “I’m late,” I said.
“Late for what?”
“Uh, my next class?”
“Oh, right. Humdrum education. Just meet me after school,” he said, his voice catching.
I moved to the bathroom door, head down. “I’ve got a doctor’s appointment at four thirty,” I said. “But I can still get you the money.”
“Doctor’s appointment?” Alarm took over his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Just a checkup on my progress with the brace. I’ll get a spine X-ray, hear the same old lectures, no big deal.”
“Okay.” He put a hand on the door to the hall, took a breath, and gathered his thoughts. “Look, I don’t care about the money,” he said. “I just need to see you again. Make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” I said, willing it to be true and looking up into his eyes firmly.
He opened the door to the hall for me. “Meet you outside after school?”
I nodded and darted past him, careful not to touch. The halls were empty. “Meet me at the oak tree in the park next door,” I said. “You can’t miss it.”
His smile flickered with relief. Then he bowed at the waist, like a courtier. I shook my head, laughed, and ran to class. I’d never been late before. But a lot had changed since yesterday.
CHAPTER 8
Iris nabbed me at the end of the day to get the dirt on what had happened with Jake and who the guy in the bathroom was. I tried to slip away, but she tracked me down and followed me out into the park, lobbing questions.
As we walked, I fudged the truth and said I’d met Caleb, a boy from another school, by the old oak tree and gone out with him to a party. He had cut school today to see me.
“What is it with you and tall, pretty boys all of a sudden?” Iris had a thing for short, fireplug types who excelled in shop. “Overnight you’re this femme fatale.”
“You’d like Caleb,” I said. “He’s handy with tools, fixes cars, stuff like that.”
“He is cute,” she said, staring ahead at the old oak tree. A lean figure in a long black coat stood looking up into its canopy of crooked branches.
He waited as we approached. I hadn’t meant for them to meet, but Iris could be hard to shake off when she had an agenda.
“He-ey.” Iris gave a little wave.
Caleb lifted his hand slowly to wave back. I said, “This is my friend Iris. Iris, this is Caleb.”
“Nice to meet you, Iris.” Caleb gave her one of his quick bows.
Iris looked him up and down, then blurted out, “So are you dating Dez now or what?”
I felt my eyes get huge. Caleb choked a little. “Well, uh . . .”
“And
And I’d nearly been kissed.
“That explains why I couldn’t see the shadow in you. And why you didn’t shift before yesterday. Somehow, the shadow in you has been suppressed.” Caleb lifted one dark eyebrow sardonically, and my heart did a little flip. “I seem to have brought it out.”
“How could it be suppressed?” The new smells and sounds retreated as this sank in. My eyes were shifting in the mirror, getting greener, smaller, more human. My thoughts remained a crazy jumble: Caleb’s lips moving toward mine, the purring in my chest. My skin was about to jump off my body—or was that normally how shifters felt?
“I don’t know.” His eyes ran up and down me as if they couldn’t help themselves. “You’re full of surprises.”
My whole face flushed. I’d worked so hard at being invisible for so long, I wasn’t used to being looked at that way. “Maybe I’m doing it myself,” I said. “Pushing it back subconsciously.”
“You’re pushing something back.” He seemed to tear his gaze away from me, looking a little lost.
The late bell blared.
Oh, thank God. An excuse to bolt. “I’m late,” I said.
“Late for what?”
“Uh, my next class?”
“Oh, right. Humdrum education. Just meet me after school,” he said, his voice catching.
I moved to the bathroom door, head down. “I’ve got a doctor’s appointment at four thirty,” I said. “But I can still get you the money.”
“Doctor’s appointment?” Alarm took over his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Just a checkup on my progress with the brace. I’ll get a spine X-ray, hear the same old lectures, no big deal.”
“Okay.” He put a hand on the door to the hall, took a breath, and gathered his thoughts. “Look, I don’t care about the money,” he said. “I just need to see you again. Make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” I said, willing it to be true and looking up into his eyes firmly.
He opened the door to the hall for me. “Meet you outside after school?”
I nodded and darted past him, careful not to touch. The halls were empty. “Meet me at the oak tree in the park next door,” I said. “You can’t miss it.”
His smile flickered with relief. Then he bowed at the waist, like a courtier. I shook my head, laughed, and ran to class. I’d never been late before. But a lot had changed since yesterday.
CHAPTER 8
Iris nabbed me at the end of the day to get the dirt on what had happened with Jake and who the guy in the bathroom was. I tried to slip away, but she tracked me down and followed me out into the park, lobbing questions.
As we walked, I fudged the truth and said I’d met Caleb, a boy from another school, by the old oak tree and gone out with him to a party. He had cut school today to see me.
“What is it with you and tall, pretty boys all of a sudden?” Iris had a thing for short, fireplug types who excelled in shop. “Overnight you’re this femme fatale.”
“You’d like Caleb,” I said. “He’s handy with tools, fixes cars, stuff like that.”
“He is cute,” she said, staring ahead at the old oak tree. A lean figure in a long black coat stood looking up into its canopy of crooked branches.
He waited as we approached. I hadn’t meant for them to meet, but Iris could be hard to shake off when she had an agenda.
“He-ey.” Iris gave a little wave.
Caleb lifted his hand slowly to wave back. I said, “This is my friend Iris. Iris, this is Caleb.”
“Nice to meet you, Iris.” Caleb gave her one of his quick bows.
Iris looked him up and down, then blurted out, “So are you dating Dez now or what?”
I felt my eyes get huge. Caleb choked a little. “Well, uh . . .”
“And
Similar Books
