Opheliac Read Online Free PDF Page B

had so much money, he made for an easy target to rob. All of the kids at Lunar Falls knew he was rich, same with the kids from Morningtide. His family name was fairly well-known amongst the wealthy, in general. All someone had to do was a little research. And she knew for a fact that he preferred to use cash when he paid for anything so he kept a decent amount of it in his wallet at all times. He needed to take better care of himself and keep safe.
    â€œAre you okay?” Orlando asked.
    Tait nodded, forcing a smile. “Yes, sorry. You look healthy. Didn’t realize a walk would hurt so much.”
    â€œMy stamina is low, that’s all. It’s not like I’m crippled for life, so don’t start freaking out on me. I’m fine.” He snorted. “Trust me, I want to get out of the house.”
    â€œSomething going on? You usually like to hole yourself up as much as possible.”
    â€œMy parents are home.” He shrugged as if it were a normal, everyday thing. It wasn’t. From what she knew, his parents were only home once or twice a year, if that, for brief visits at a time. Once upon a time, he’d told her how they liked to give false promises about coming home again to see him, but never followed through on their word. The family dynamics of his household were complicated, to say the least. Having his parents home again must have been stressful for everyone there.
    She nervously reached for his hand, not caring that they had just entered the lunch line and all of their peers could see them. Her heart ached for him. “Do you need a rescue?”
    â€œI can handle it.” He didn’t pull away from her, so that was a plus.
    â€œTell me if you can’t.”
    â€œYeah, fine.” Orlando let go of her to grab a lunch tray. “How fast do you think news of us getting back together will spread through the school?”
    â€œWe’re back together?”
    He shrugged, and didn’t answer. “Gossip.”
    â€œYes, people like to do it.”
    â€œThat’s all.”
    â€œRight.” She couldn’t help but be disappointed, but they did say one step at a time.
    They made their way through the lunch line, neither one saying a word to the other. Outside of sweet-talking the lunch ladies for extra tater tots, Orlando was uncharacteristically quiet. She’d been expecting more commentary, a snide remark, something more than “That’s all.”
    Orlando tended to bring food from home, so she knew he was making a sacrifice just to spend time with her. That had to mean something, right? Funny, I can remember those details, but not what I ate yesterday. Did my brain turn into Swiss cheese? Maybe I should talk to Alona about it. She has good brain exercises for focus, so maybe she’ll have some tips for memory loss. She frowned. Or I need more sleep, or a vacation.
    Tait walked to the back table near the corner where Orlando liked to sit. Fan club or not, he had no qualms with telling people he wanted to be alone as often as possible. He liked to eat up the loner bad-boy reputation he brought over from Morningtide. After all, he was expelled from there for beating up one of the jocks. It was a story she still had to hear more about. All he would tell her was that the guy deserved what he got. Orlando didn’t strike her as the violent type, but of course she’d only known him for a few months.
    A few things about him were obvious, though, and him wanting his space was one of them. Even when they dated, he didn’t sit with anyone but her or her brother. He tried to once, and she could tell how irritated he’d been with the forced social interaction. Her friends were not his kind of people, apparently. Or he doesn’t want to get close to anyone for other reasons.
    It wasn’t like her friends were vapid, shallow, or boring. They were nice, for the most part. A couple of girls who claimed to care about her feelings had