Read Online THE SHADOWED ONYX: A DIAMOND ESTATES NOVEL by Nicole O'Dell - Free Book Online Page A

that cost her team the ball. And the win. What a difference a day could make. But at least they weren’t talking to her. That was a plus.
    “I want to honor a player who is no longer with us. Melanie Phillips would have had a blast at this event…. She deserved to be here.”
    And they probably would have won with Mel at the helm.
    Coach reached down to the space in front of her seat and lifted one of the large plaques. “This was Melanie’s team plaque. I want Joy to have it, to commemorate Melanie’s forever spot on this team.”
    The team broke into applause.
    Joy accepted the engraved piece. It would have a spot on her wall, right beside her own. Joy traced her finger along the engraved letters on the gold metal square. How had life become so difficult? So sad?
    The bus ride home was somber. The complete opposite of the ride to the State Championships. IPod playlists blared through headphones, and conversations stayed to a minimum … just the way Joy liked it.

    “Talk about dropping the ball,” Stephanie Powell muttered as she passed Joy’s locker.
    Joy rolled her eyes. The team statistician had been so snotty since they lost the State game.
Just ignore her
.
    She came back around until she was directly in front of Joy. “You can’t win them all, I guess. Apparently even when your team is counting on you the most.”
    What a jerk. Joy slammed her locker door and spun to walk away.
    Steph chuckled and muttered, “Melanie would never have …”
    Enough. “What was that? Got something you want to say to me?” Joy felt the rage boiling in her chest and extending out through the tips of her fingers. Must be what the Incredible Hulk felt like as his skin turned green and his clothes stretched then ripped.
    Steph inched away from Joy, her face white.
    “Just as I suspected. You’re nothing but a coward.” Joy jabbed a finger in her direction. “Keep your mouth shut around me. Understand?”
    That’s all it took to snap Steph out of her stupor. “Who do you think you are? You going to stop me?”
    “Gladly.” Joy threw her stack of books to the floor with a loud smack. She dove at Stephanie, yanking her by the hair.
    “Ow!” Stephanie yelped, fingers clawing at Joy’s hands. “Get your hands off me.”
    Joy gritted her teeth and threw Stephanie to the floor with a loud crash. The textbooks slid like dominoes from the impact.
    Steph’s eyes grew huge, and she stared at Joy like she was some kind of stranger.
    Maybe she was. Joy didn’t much care. She straddled Steph’s body and sat on her stomach then reared back a fist and prepared to let it fly.
    A strong hand grabbed Joy’s in midair. “What do you think you’re doing, young lady?”
    Joy looked up to a pair of steely blue eyes. Oh great. Mr. Cavanaugh. “She started it!” Joy jerked her head toward Stephanie. The fact that Joy still sat atop Steph like a bull rider probably didn’t help her elicit sympathy from the teacher.
    “Physical violence is never the answer, nor allowed, no matter who provoked it. Come on. I’m taking you to the principal’s office.” Mr. Cavanaugh steered Joy down the hallway, directly into the empty office. “Have a seat. We’ll wait.”
    Joy crossed her arms and stared straight ahead, unblinking. What a joke.
    “What has become of you, Joy? You are so different. You used to be so happy. You were the life of the party, someone everyone could depend on for a kind word or a smile.” Mr. Cavanaugh looked at Joy, his eyes sad. “Now you’re …”—he gestured to her body—“always in black with the dark makeup. I don’t get it. Plus the things I’ve heard coming out of your mouth lately … such morbid things. Where is all this coming from? I get that grief has a powerful effect on people, but this is really extreme.”
    Joy looked down at her clothing. Was it all black? Hmm. Black jeans, black T-shirt, black Converse. She hadn’t made that change on purpose. Hadn’t even noticed it really. She