Consume. Melissa Darnell

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      “You’re forgiven.” She said it so simply, as if it were no big deal.

      Did she have any idea how much I loved her?

      Sometimes I do, she thought, ducking her head to hide a knowing smile.

      We walked in silence out of the building, along the cement catwalk with its metal awning roof, then down the cement steps to the sidewalk that wrapped around the cylinder-shaped brick cafeteria. At the doors, she tugged me to a stop.

      “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked.

      I didn’t even have to consider my answer. I nodded. “I want to rub their faces in it so hard they can’t see straight for a week.”

      “But why? We don’t have to prove anything to them or anyone else in there.”

      “Yes, we do.”

      She frowned. “Why? Why does it matter what they think?”

      “It doesn’t.”

      “Then why push it? And why do we have to do this today? We could always come back later in the week.”

      “I told you, I’ve dreamed about this moment for a really long time. And I’m not going to let them or what they think keep us from finally having this.”

      She sighed. “It’s our first day back. It feels like we’re pushing it too hard. Like if we get greedy, something’s going to break. Isn’t it hard enough to be in your classes without facing this many of them all at once?” She hesitated. “And then there’s the small matter of my friends.”

      I searched her face. “Worried I won’t pass judgment as your boyfriend?”

      “No, of course not! I just don’t feel you should have to try to earn their approval and deal with all those humans and the smells and sounds and the Clann’s attitude on your very first day back.”

      I stared at her, everything inside me going still now. “Are you worried I can’t handle it?”

      She groaned. “All I’m saying is, why push so hard all at once when you could space out the challenges a little and make it easier on yourself?”

      “You’re forgetting I used to play football. I like a good challenge, and the bigger the better.”

      She groaned again. “Fine. But the second you look like you’re stressing out, we’re out of here. Okay?”

      I nodded.

      “Promise me.”

      I grinned and held up a pinky. “Pinky swear.”

      The flashback to our childhood got a grin out of her. She hooked her pinky with mine. “Deal.”

      Finally.

      I grabbed the metal handles of both doors, threw them wide-open, and we made our grand entrance into the beehive that was JHS’s cafeteria. Almost every head in the place turned to stare at us. You could practically hear crickets chirp.

      SAVANNAH

      He was all too happy to lead the way to my friends’ table, which he didn’t even have to search for.

      I told you, I’ve spent hours over the years staring at you with your friends and wishing I could be there beside you, he explained silently. I could map out this table’s location in my head at home.

      Mmm, stalker much? I teased, trying to ignore the audience all around us.

      “Sav!” Michelle squealed as soon as she saw us. All of my friends jumped up from our table.

      “Finally!” Anne pushed past Ron so she could be the first to give me a fierce hug. “I knew we should have ignored you and gone over to your house last night anyways.”

      As Carrie elbowed her out of the way so she could give me a hug next, I gave Anne a pointed look over Carrie’s shoulder. “You know we had a lot of...unpacking to do.”

      Actually, I’d been too nervous about having all three of my human friends at my house with Tristan and my dad. The mere idea had seemed a disaster in the making, so I’d begged my friends to wait for lunchtime today for our group reunion.

      Carrie stepped back, and I smiled at Michelle, expecting her to step up for a hug, as well.

      But she seemed rooted to the linoleum floor, her already large eyes even bigger as she stared openmouthed at something over my left shoulder.

      Oh. Of course, Tristan.

      “Hey,” he said by way of a greeting.

      Time to ease Tristan into the group. “Everyone, you know Tristan Coleman, right?” Who didn’t at our school? “He’ll, um, be sitting with us from now on.”

      “I thought you were going to skip this?” Ron leaned over and muttered.

      I shrugged and made a face. “I tried to, but somebody’s a spoiled brat and insisted on it.”

      Tristan waited to see which chair I reached for so he could be sure none of us had switched the routine seating arrangement. Then he gently nudged my hands free of the plastic chair so he could pull it out and hold it for me. I rolled my eyes. He was taking this show way too far.

      Carrie poked Michelle in the ribs, making her jump then remember to return to her seat on the opposite side of the table.

      As everyone sat back down, Tristan took his sweet time helping me hang my Charmers bag’s strap over my chair. Finally he flopped down in the chair beside me, turning sideways away from me to stretch out his long legs. Sighing loudly with satisfaction, he propped his hands behind his head then grinned at my friends.

      Gradually the noise level around our table returned to normal as everyone lost interest. But then the hairs along the back of my neck stood up. I snuck a peek over my shoulder. Yep. We still had a small audience over at the Clann table, and they did not look happy. My hands yearned to rub away the mild prickly sensation caused by their staring, but I resisted the urge, knowing the movement would give them a tiny victory they didn’t deserve.

      Tristan caught that thought and made a big show of throwing an arm around my shoulders across the back of my chair. In the process, he tossed them a quick grin over his shoulder. I shook my head, glad at least he was able to enjoy this ordeal despite the noise of the cafeteria that had to be giving the inside of his head a beating by now.

      Then he settled into his chair and turned to face my friends.

      Our table was quiet. Too quiet, like they didn’t know what to say to him. Not the reaction I’d hoped for. I had figured they would jabber on among themselves like they always did, and Tristan could either sit back in silence while getting used to everyone, or he could choose to jump into the group conversation when he was ready. Instead, everyone sat there staring at us with raised eyebrows as if they expected us to do all the talking. But what could we say about our long absence? Anne and Ron were the only ones at our table who even knew about the existence of vampires and magic.

      As СКАЧАТЬ