13 to Life Read Online Free PDF

into my pocket, I brought his schedule into view. I slapped it down in front of him. “Just hand one of
them
your schedule, okay?”
    “No.” He slid the schedule back without giving it a glance. “You were assigned a job—”
    “A penance, probably,” I muttered.
    “Whatever.” He swept the last bits of food onto his fork and chewed thoughtfully. “I’m
your
problem.”
    “You got
that
right.” I stood, leaving to empty my tray.
    Pietr shadowed me as I slammed my tray into the trash, knocking it around loudly to reinforce that I was angry. Withdrawing my tray, I smacked it down on a nearby stack.
    Pietr followed suit, unfazed.
    “What?” I asked, pausing back at our lunch table. “Afraid I’m gonna ditch you?” I grabbed my backpack, a pencil falling out and skittering over the table.
    “No. I’m not afraid.” He reached past me, brushing against me as he retrieved the pencil. I shivered, a sort of static electricity snapping along the edges of my body.
    As he straightened back up to offer me my pencil, I could swear he
sniffed
my hair.
Totally inappropriate.
“I could find you, regardless.”
    “And how do you think you’d do that? I know this school way better than you.”
    He glanced at my hair long enough that I fidgeted with it. “I’d find you.” He was so self-assured it angered me more.
    “Fine,” I snapped, grabbing my pencil and glancing at the clock on the wall. “Let’s just see how easy that’ll be. I’ll be at your next class,” I added, folding his schedule and slipping it into my back pocket. “Meet me there.”
    He blinked at the challenge and before he could speak, the bell rang, four hundred students leaped up from scattered tables and rushed toward three sets of doors. I allowed myself to be swept away by the mob, drifting and dodging along and keeping my head low as I raced through the corridors and took stairs two at a time.
    I paused on the landing between floors, certain I’d lost him. But he was suddenly at the base of the stairs. I pulled back from the banister and watched. It was odd, observing him. He swunghis head from side to side, like he was searching for some invisible clue to my path.
    I thought about how he’d smelled my hair. I gave it a cursory sniff. Mmm. Super-Stress-Free Mint Shampoo. Yeah. Even
it
wasn’t helping my peace of mind. Maybe I needed the conditioner, too.
    Pietr started up the steps, and I lurched into the jostling crowd and continued trying to evade the guy I should have been guiding.

CHAPTER FOUR
    I zipped into the classroom, nearly sliding into my seat. Mr. Miles gave me a curious look. I chuckled. I had covered a vast and winding route to get to the proper social studies class. I pulled out my notebook and fumbled for a pencil. Hadn’t I organized them in math? Yeah, and dropped one at lunch. I promised myself, as I continued rooting around, next time I’d actually zip up the compartment I put them in. Anyhow, I was victorious! Pietr surely would learn a lesson in humility by getting lost, and now I just needed a pencil. . . .
    People began taking their seats. I could hear the groans and squeaks of the seats even with my head nearly in my bag.
    Someone tapped my desk.
    “What?” I asked, not looking up. Someone sat beside me. I pulled back from my backpack, only to see Pietr holding out a pencil for me.
    Defiant, I thrust my hand into my bag one last time and—aha! I withdrew the pencil and held it high in triumph.
    Mr. Miles boomed, “Whoever pulls the sword from thestone, wait—the
pencil
from the backpack—she shall be . . .” He paused dramatically, cupping his ear with a hand to signal us to reply.
    “Prepared,” Pietr offered, never looking away from my face.
    My sneer melted under the heat of a fierce blush.
    Mr. Miles laughed. “Good enough. Pietr, right?”
    Pietr nodded.
    “Very good. Everyone’s been talking about your family already. Not much else to do at Junction High, I guess.” Mr. Miles clapped