Shadows Read Online Free PDF

excuse from lab. For Klutzitosis,’ Kyle Rakoff, her lab partner, said as he reached for the broom. Eve held onto it, sweeping harder, even though she knew he was just trying to help her. And that he was just trying to help her because he had a little crush on her. But Eve could clean up her own mess, and the sooner she got rid of the evidence, the better. Still, somehow she managed to knock two of the graduated cylinders off the table with the handle of the broom. She’d be wading through glass if this kept up.
    ‘Eve, I’m going to have to start charging you for breakage,’ Ms Whittier warned. The room was filling up with students now, and everybody who came in slowed down and stared.
    Eve kept her eyes down, willing herself not to notice the other people. She slowed down the sweeping, making each movement precise and steady. When she had a neat little pile of glass, she knelt down and swept it into the dustpan. Well, most of it. Some of the pieces were so small that they kept getting caught on the lip of the pan. She used her fingers to brush them in.
    ‘Ow!’ she exclaimed. She stared down at her right ring finger. A few tiny drops of blood had appeared on the tip. Great. Was a little piece of glass in there? Eve rubbed her thumb gently against the fingertip. Yeah, she had a sliver of glass inside.
    ‘Don’t rub it. You’re just going to push it deeper.’ Suddenly Mal was kneeling beside her. He must’ve come in while she was sweeping.
    ‘I know, but I can’t walk around with glass in my finger.’
    Mal pulled a Swiss Army knife out of his pocket.
    ‘Wait. You’re not cutting it out,’ Eve protested.
    Mal didn’t answer. He really wasn’t a talking kind of guy. That mini-convo the two of them had had on Day One was the most she’d heard him say, except when a teacher called on him. Although Eve had managed to get a laugh out of him once – by guessing that his name was Malvin. Plus she’d scored a couple of those slow,one-sided smiles. And looks. She’d caught Mal giving her quite a number of looks.
    But none of that mattered when he wanted to take a knife to her finger. ‘I’m fine. Leave it,’ she said.
    Mal just opened the knife – and pulled a little pair of tweezers from a slot in the side. He held his free hand out, raised his eyes to hers and waited.
    Eve took a deep breath and put her hand in his, palm up. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see when the tweezers were going to touch the glass splinter. She knew she was being a baby, but she couldn’t help it. She pulled in another breath, and the smell of wood-smoke filled her nose. She could even taste its tang on her tongue.
    It was coming from Mal. He was inches away from her, and the scent of him was wonderful.
    ‘You smell good,’ Eve murmured. Then her earlobes went hot again. Had she actually just said that out loud? What was she thinking?
    ‘Well, that’s a relief.’ She could hear the smile in his voice.
    Eve opened her eyes. Yeah, he was smiling. And not his usual half-smile, either. He was almost grinning. ‘I was playing football in gym last period. I didn’t have time to take a shower,’ he said. ‘I was afraid I’d scare people away.’
    She smiled back. ‘You must have good sweat.’
    ‘Who even knew there was such a thing?’ he said. He was still holding her hand, and Eve couldn’t help noticing how gentle his touch was. The heat moved from her ears to her neck, and her breath caught.
    ‘OK, I’m shutting my eyes again,’ she said quickly. ‘Don’t tell me when you’re going to do it. I know, I know, I’m a big baby.’
    ‘Done,’ Mal said immediately.
    Eve’s eyes snapped open. ‘You can’t be!’
    ‘You were too busy smelling me to notice.’ Mal held up the tweezers and Eve could see the tiny chip of glass glinting in their grasp.
    ‘Thanks.’ Eve wished there was an excuse to stay down there with Mal, but she couldn’t think of one. Slowly she stood back up.
    ‘Maybe you need