Don't Die Dragonfly Read Online Free PDF Page A

at Josh and caught him studying me. “You okay?” he whispered.
    “Never better,” I lied, ignoring the slurping noises coming from the backseat. “What movie are we going to see?”
    “Evan likes the new Will Smith movie. But if you’d rather see something else—”
    “No, that sounds good.”
    “Great,” he said. “I told Evan we should check with you before picking the show, but he insisted everyone likes this movie, and he knows more about movies than I do. Still, next time you can pick the movie.”
    Next time. I’d never heard more wonderful words. And I resolved to forget about crazy visions, and enjoy my time with Josh.
    When we got to the cinema complex in Lodi, Evan wanted to sit in the far back, so that’s where we headed. He wanted an aisle seat, so Josh and I moved over. I was beginning to notice a pattern in Evan’s attitude—it was his way all the time. Josh was so easygoing, he didn’t seem to mind. And Danielle was crazy for Evan, clinging to him like lint. She seemed much more serious about their relationship than Evan.
    Warn her, Opal’s voice popped into my head.
    “Leave me alone,” I thought.
    You have to stop her before it’s too late.
    “Go away!”
    I realized I’d spoken aloud when Josh set down the soda he’d been sipping and looked at me with surprise. “You want me to go?”
    “No. Not you. I mean—” I hesitated, aware that Evan and Danielle were giving me odd looks, too. The movie hadn’t started yet, so I stood and added, “I—I meant I have to go … to the restroom.”
    Danielle stood up. “Me, too.”
    “Can’t girls go anywhere alone?” Evan joked. “Josh, you notice how they always travel in packs. At school, to the mall, and to the bathroom.”
    “It’s so we can talk about you,” I couldn’t resist saying.
    “Talk all you want,” Evan said. “As long as it’s good.”
    “Only the best.” Danielle bent down to kiss him. “I’ll hurry back.”
    “You’d better or I’ll eat your half of the popcorn.” He grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it into his mouth.
    I turned away quickly. A little bit of Evan went a long way.
    “Have you and Evan been going out long?” I asked Danielle as we entered the restroom.
    “Three weeks, two days, and six hours.” She set her purse on the counter in front of the mirror and pulled out lipstick, mascara, and a brush. “But it feels like forever. I never thought a cool guy like him would notice me. I’ve usually too busy studying and don’t have many friends. But now I just want to be with Evan all the time. Is that how it is with you and Josh?”
    I felt my cheeks heat up. “This is our first date. I hardly know him.”
    “But it’s obvious you really like him.”
    “Well … yeah.”
    “And he really, really likes you. Evan says Josh is superpicky about girls and hasn’t dated since last summer. I have a real good feeling about you two.”
    “Do you trust your feelings?” I asked cautiously.
    She shrugged. “I guess.”
    We stood in front of the mirror, and I searched past her striking beauty for her aura. Faint colors of green and orange swirled in opaque gray. Whatever that meant! Opal was good about telling me what to do, but she was terrible about explaining things.
    My gaze locked on Danielle’s tattoo, and I found myself saying, “Danielle, are you in any trouble?”
    “Trouble?” She set down her brush and gave me a wide-eyed look. “Why do you ask? I’ve got Evan and everything is great.”
    “Yeah, but … see, I—I had this dream. And you were in it.”
    “Really?” She giggled a little nervously. “Was Evan in it, too?”
    “This isn’t about him. It’s about you.” I hesitated, getting that old sinking feeling, the same one I had right before I was kicked out of my last school, when I’d looked at a popular football player and saw his face burning down to a skull and heard sounds of a car crash. When I’d warned him not to drive after the prom, he’d spread