I’m mad at, she thought angrily, it’s myself. For being so incredibly stupid.
Marty bent his head toward hers. “What? What are you mumbling about?”
Alex shook her head. “Nothing. Never mind.” She felt like such a fool.
He was annoyed with her lack of response. “Why are you pooping out on us? C’mon inside, Alex. It’s too early to call it a night.”
“I don’t want to go in there,” she said. “Like Kyle said, it’s too noisy. I have a headache.”
“You’ve always liked Vinnie’s,” Marty said, a frown furrowing his forehead. “What’s up?”
What was up was that being in Vinnie’s reminded her of the storm and the lightning and the accident. She didn’t want to be reminded of any of those things. And then there was that stupid wooden Wizard, fixing his cold blue eyes on her as if he could see right through her. Reminding her of what a fool she was, not guessing that Kiki was behind the stupid practical joke.
Maybe dieting made Kiki irrational. Because in spite of the enormous amount of food she’d eaten tonight, she really did look thinner.
“I told you, I’m tired,” Alex repeated, becoming as annoyed as he was. “I mean, I don’t have to do everything everyone else does, do I? I want to go home, and that’s what I’m going to do, okay?”
“Okay, okay! Forget I said anything. See you!” And he turned on his heel and walked, head down, back to the restaurant and went inside.
Good. Who needed him? He could never understand how foolish she felt.
Because she had thought, just for that tiny, awful little second, that The Wizard had actually called to warn her not to doubt him.
Chapter 8
W HEN ALEX GOT BACK to the dorm, the sounds of some heavy-duty partying echoed from one of the rooms on her floor as she entered the hall.
The temptation to join the party was strong. Tired or not, she hated the thought of going back to an empty room again. All she had to do was knock on the door, and she’d be with other people. Maybe even having fun, who knew? She could forget about Julie’s face and Gabe’s injured legs and Marty being annoyed with her. She could push everything, including her battle with the tower wind, out of her mind, just for a little while, and have a good time. Wasn’t that what parties were for?
Alex hesitated in the hallway. If Marty found out she’d refused to stop at Vinnie’s with them and then had gone to a party instead, he’d be double-ticked.
Too bad. She hadn’t said she wanted to go home and go to bed. She’d only said she didn’t want to go into Vinnie’s. And that was the truth.
Alex marched straight over to the source of the party sounds and rapped sharply on the door.
It was opened by a short, pretty girl with blonde hair. Alex had seen her at parties. She was a friend of the Omega Phi redhead who’d been dating Bennett. The blonde girl’s name, Alex remembered, was Amber.
She let Alex in and handed her a brimming paper cup. “You’re Alex Edgar,” she said. “Aren’t you a friend of Bennett’s?”
Alex nodded. The room was thick with people, lounging, sitting. There didn’t seem to be a square inch of empty space.
“Poor Bennett,” Amber said. “He was really nuts about Shelley. But she doesn’t date non-athletes. Ever. I guess Bennett was really wrecked over it.”
“Doesn’t seem to be,” Alex said coolly. If Bennett was wrecked, she was positive he wouldn’t want Shelley and all of her friends to know it. “He was having fun tonight with Jenny Pierce.”
“Oh, the twin of that girl whose face was totalled.”
Alex winced at the remark. Turning away, she stepped carefully around reclining bodies sharing a huge bowl of pink popcorn, and went to the window. Squeezing between two people she didn’t know, she made a space for herself and stood looking out. The tower was directly across from her.
“Hey, Alex!” a girl named Jill from Alex’s math class called out, “You’re being antisocial. How’s Julie
Marty bent his head toward hers. “What? What are you mumbling about?”
Alex shook her head. “Nothing. Never mind.” She felt like such a fool.
He was annoyed with her lack of response. “Why are you pooping out on us? C’mon inside, Alex. It’s too early to call it a night.”
“I don’t want to go in there,” she said. “Like Kyle said, it’s too noisy. I have a headache.”
“You’ve always liked Vinnie’s,” Marty said, a frown furrowing his forehead. “What’s up?”
What was up was that being in Vinnie’s reminded her of the storm and the lightning and the accident. She didn’t want to be reminded of any of those things. And then there was that stupid wooden Wizard, fixing his cold blue eyes on her as if he could see right through her. Reminding her of what a fool she was, not guessing that Kiki was behind the stupid practical joke.
Maybe dieting made Kiki irrational. Because in spite of the enormous amount of food she’d eaten tonight, she really did look thinner.
“I told you, I’m tired,” Alex repeated, becoming as annoyed as he was. “I mean, I don’t have to do everything everyone else does, do I? I want to go home, and that’s what I’m going to do, okay?”
“Okay, okay! Forget I said anything. See you!” And he turned on his heel and walked, head down, back to the restaurant and went inside.
Good. Who needed him? He could never understand how foolish she felt.
Because she had thought, just for that tiny, awful little second, that The Wizard had actually called to warn her not to doubt him.
Chapter 8
W HEN ALEX GOT BACK to the dorm, the sounds of some heavy-duty partying echoed from one of the rooms on her floor as she entered the hall.
The temptation to join the party was strong. Tired or not, she hated the thought of going back to an empty room again. All she had to do was knock on the door, and she’d be with other people. Maybe even having fun, who knew? She could forget about Julie’s face and Gabe’s injured legs and Marty being annoyed with her. She could push everything, including her battle with the tower wind, out of her mind, just for a little while, and have a good time. Wasn’t that what parties were for?
Alex hesitated in the hallway. If Marty found out she’d refused to stop at Vinnie’s with them and then had gone to a party instead, he’d be double-ticked.
Too bad. She hadn’t said she wanted to go home and go to bed. She’d only said she didn’t want to go into Vinnie’s. And that was the truth.
Alex marched straight over to the source of the party sounds and rapped sharply on the door.
It was opened by a short, pretty girl with blonde hair. Alex had seen her at parties. She was a friend of the Omega Phi redhead who’d been dating Bennett. The blonde girl’s name, Alex remembered, was Amber.
She let Alex in and handed her a brimming paper cup. “You’re Alex Edgar,” she said. “Aren’t you a friend of Bennett’s?”
Alex nodded. The room was thick with people, lounging, sitting. There didn’t seem to be a square inch of empty space.
“Poor Bennett,” Amber said. “He was really nuts about Shelley. But she doesn’t date non-athletes. Ever. I guess Bennett was really wrecked over it.”
“Doesn’t seem to be,” Alex said coolly. If Bennett was wrecked, she was positive he wouldn’t want Shelley and all of her friends to know it. “He was having fun tonight with Jenny Pierce.”
“Oh, the twin of that girl whose face was totalled.”
Alex winced at the remark. Turning away, she stepped carefully around reclining bodies sharing a huge bowl of pink popcorn, and went to the window. Squeezing between two people she didn’t know, she made a space for herself and stood looking out. The tower was directly across from her.
“Hey, Alex!” a girl named Jill from Alex’s math class called out, “You’re being antisocial. How’s Julie
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