Ghost of a Chance Read Online Free PDF Page B

whole tutoring program thing. I’ll tell him I have other, more personal commitments that have come up. I’m sure it happens all the time.
    When the bell rings, I take my time gathering my books so that I can stay and talk to Mr. Jacobi after everyone else leaves.
    â€œHey.” Madison Baker appears in front of me. She leans down, resting her hand on my desk for support, but you can tell she’s just doing it so she can show off her watch. She wants to make me jealous. And it kind of works. I mean, it’s a really fab watch. And I’m only human.
    â€œOh, hi,” I say nonchalantly. I open my folder and start flipping through the papers, pretending I’m looking for something important.
    â€œSo, looks like we’re going to be working together,” she says, giving me a big smile.
    â€œYeah, looks like it.”
    â€œShould be fun,” she says.
    She’s so fake, I can’t stand it. She knows it’s not going to be fun. How could it be fun? She doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her. And I’m sure neither of us likes tutoring.
    â€œYeah, totally,” I say, mostly because I just want her to go away. I’m not about to tell her we’re not going to be working together because I’m going to be quitting the project. It’s not worth getting into.
    â€œI’m really sorry about you and Brandon breaking up.” She reaches her hand out and squeezes my shoulder.
    â€œHow did you know we broke up?” I ask before I can stop myself. I’m not sure I want to know the answer. What if Brandon called her immediately after we broke up and was all, Oh, hi, Madison. I’m single now. Wanna hang out? I’m so not in a place to handle that kind of information.
    Madison shrugs. “I didn’t see you guys together this morning, so I just figured.” She sounds gleeful, like she’s glad she guessed right. “How are you doing?”
    â€œI’m fine,” I say, struggling to keep my voice even.
    â€œYeah, but you must be at least a little sad,” she says. She’s studying my face, trying to make sure I’m miserable. “I mean, he broke up with you.”
    I keep rearranging the papers in my folder, making sure I don’t make eye contact with her. If I have to see her standing there with her dumb watch and her dumb hair and her dumb perfect makeup, I’m going to either scream or cry. And neither one of those things would be good, especially since Mr. Jacobi is still at his desk. I don’t think he can hear what we’re saying, but he’s looking at us impatiently, like he can’t wait for us to leave so he can do whatever it is teachers do when their students aren’t around.
    I don’t say anything for a beat, hoping maybe Madison will just go away.
    But of course she doesn’t.
    â€œPoor Kendall,” she coos, and gives my hair a quick stroke. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m totally here for you.” She tilts her head and thinks about it. “Not that anyone has ever broken up with me before. But I’m a really good listener when my friends are going through it.”
    This statement is wrong on so many levels. First of all, she’s totally snobby for pointing out that no one has ever broken up with her. It’s probably true, but still. How ridiculous.
    And second, Madison Baker and I are not friends. We never have been, and we never will be. So for her to evensuggest that I would talk to her about what’s going on with me and Brandon is preposterous. Obviously, she just wants to get gossip out of me. The only person I would talk about this with is Ellie, even though I can’t, since she’s pretty much not speaking to me.
    I feel a warm tide of anger moving through me, starting in my toes and filling my body until it builds to a crash. A crash that must turn me into a complete and total lunatic, because before I know it, I’m saying