Blood Witch Read Online Free PDF Page B

my mood a little. “Bree does Wicca, too.” I sighed again, finally giving in to Mom’s interrogation. “Actually, we fought over Cal. She wanted to go out with him, but he wanted to go out with me. Now she pretty much hates me.”
    Mom was quiet for a moment. Mary K. stared at the floor.
    “That’s too bad,” Mom said after a moment. “It’s sad when friends fight over a boy.” She laughed gently, reassuringly. “Usually the boys aren’t worth it.”
    I nodded. A lump had formed in my throat. I didn’t want to talk about Bree anymore; it hurt too much. I checked the clock. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this. Anyway, I’m late; I better go.” My voice was strained. “Thanks, Mary K.” I kissed the air beside Mom’s cheek—then I was down the stairs and out the door, pulling on my coat and shivering in the cold.
    In a few moments, though, the sadness over Bree began to melt away. I felt a tingle of anticipation. It was circle night.
     
    Jenna lived not far from me in a small, Victorian-style house. It was charmingly run-down, with an overgrown yard. The paint was peeling, and one shutter was missing a hinge.
    As soon as I walked up the steps to the porch, a cat greeted me. It meowed and rubbed its head against my legs.
    “What are you doing out here?” I whispered as I rang the doorbell.
    Jenna opened the door right away, her cheeks flushed, blond hair pulled back, a big smile on her face.
    “Hi, Morgan!” she said, then looked down at the cat squeezing its way inside. “Hugo, I told you it was freezing out there! I called you! You ignored me. Now your paws are cold.”
    I laughed and glanced around to see who was here. No Cal, not yet. Of course, I knew that already; I hadn’t seen his car outside, hadn’t felt his presence. Robbie was examining Jenna’s stereo system, which had a real turntable. A stack of old vinyl records was piled haphazardly next to the fireplace.
    “Hey,” he said.
    “Hi,” I answered. I was amazed that this was Jenna’s home. Jenna was by far one of the most popular girls in school and thoroughly up-to-date, like Mary K.—but her house looked like a throwback to the 1970s. The furniture was comfortably shabby, with plants hung in front of every window, some needing water. There seemed to be dust and cat hair everywhere. And dog hair, I amended, seeing two basset hounds snoring on a dog bed in a corner of the dining room. No wonder Jenna has asthma, I found myself thinking. She’d have to live in a plastic bubble in this house to breathe clean air.
    “Want some cider?” Jenna asked, handing me a cup. It was warm and smelled deliciously spicy. I took a sip as the doorbell rang again.
    “Hey!” It was Sharon Goodfine. She shrugged off her thick black leather coat and hung it on the stairs’ newel post. “Hugo! Don’t even think about it!” she cried as the cat reached up to pat her coat with his fat white paws. Obviously she had been here before.
    Ethan Sharp came right after Sharon, looking underdressed in a thin fatigue jacket.
    Sharon handed him a cup of cider. “Apparently you lack the gene that allows you to dress for the weather,” she teased.
    He grinned at her, looking vaguely stoned, even though I knew he didn’t smoke pot anymore. She smiled back. I tried not to roll my eyes. When would they realize that they liked each other? Right now they sort of sniped at each other childishly.
    Cal arrived next, and my heart lifted as he walked through the door. I was still upset about what had happened with Hunter at Practical Magick; Cal and I had hardly said two words to each other on the way home. But seeing him now made me feel much better, and when he met my eyes, I could tell he had missed me in the hours we had been apart.
    “Morgan, can I talk to you for a second?” he asked, hesitating near the door. He didn’t have to add “alone.” I could see it in his face.
    I nodded, surprised, and stepped toward him.
    “What’s up?” I