Locked (The Heaven's Gate Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page A

they? 
    I shoved my books into my
book bag, sullenly acknowledging to myself that I had, indeed, been treated as
normally as any new kid in school would be.  It dawned on me that while I’d
always stood apart at Holy Innocents, my presence had been accepted.  I wasn’t
ignored, nor was I constantly ridiculed and teased.  After ten years, I was as
much a part of the environment as the dusty chalkboards and smelly gym.  At
least until the incident that finally drove me to move in with Mom.  How long
would it take to become invisible in this school?
    I sighed.  Maybe things
would seem better after I’d eaten dinner.  I went to the extra freezer tucked
away inside our pantry, thinking I’d just heat something up.  When I lifted the
door, row after row of Trader Joe’s eggplant parmagianas stared back at me.  I
dug around inside, but no matter how deeply I dug, I found nothing else except
eggplant. I let the freezer door fall closed and turned to the pantry shelves –
similar, repetitive rows of just a few items stood at military attention on the
shelves. 
    Sheesh.  I knew my mom
liked structure in her life, but this was a bit much.
    I left the pantry behind
and walked back through the kitchen.  For a second, I thought about calling my
mom one last time.
    She’s not here to fix
things for you, I
admonished myself as I reached for the delivery menus Mom had left behind.  You’re
going to have to take care of it yourself.  Just like you wanted.
    ****
    The next morning, after
running the gauntlet of the bus ride, instead of going to Shop Class I went
straight to the front office.  I waved Mom’s vaunted red folder in my hand,
demanding to speak with the principal. 
    “I can’t stay in these
classes,” I asserted, causing the nice lady behind the counter to blanch.  “I
took some of these when I was a freshman.  I can’t be stuck in them for a whole
semester.  My entire schedule is wrong.  My mother is going to be very unhappy
when she finds out, especially after all the trouble she went through to
register me properly.”
    “We don’t need to bother
the principal with that, honey,” the lady scurried around the counter and
snatched the folder from my hands.  “Why don’t you take a seat here while I see
what I can do?”
    I parked myself on a
bench inside the office and waited, proud of myself for having taking a stand. 
Behind me was a glass wall, veiled by half opened blinds.  I could hear the
voices inside.  Or voice, I should say.  Only one person was talking, and by
the stern tone, it sounded like a serious conversation.  A quick glance at the
nameplate by the door informed me this was the Principal’s office.  I strained
harder, trying to hear what had gotten someone in trouble.
    The door swung open and a
pimply boy in saggy pants shuffled out, trailing his backpack behind him.
    “This is your last
warning, Ethan,” the voice trailed out after him.  “I don’t want to see you
back in here for the rest of the semester.”
    “I bet Ethan doesn’t want
to be back, either, by the looks of it,” a low voice, smooth as honey, whispered
conspiratorially.
    I jumped in my seat.  I’d
been so intent on eavesdropping that I hadn’t noticed anyone sitting down by
me.  But now that I had, I couldn’t stop staring.
    The boy sprawled out
across the bench, somehow managing to fill the small space with his entire
body.  His outfit was odd – more California surfer boy than Georgia public
school:  baggy khakis, bleached almost white, and a tank topped by a white
linen shirt that was definitely out of season.  When he shifted his position,
his pants stretched across his taut thighs – underneath all that fabric, he was
lean and muscular.  He didn’t have the shaggy haircut I associated with most
boys my age – ‘Bama Bangs, as my father always called them.  His hair was
clipped close, almost military in style.  It was a contradiction to his laid
back attire.  And he was