Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

notebook. Deflated, he followed her cue and didn't talk to her at all during the entire period. A few days later, Brie said something to him—something to the effect of an apology for not recognizing him on the first day— but the damage had already been done, and her real message rang loud and clear. Rykken might as well have been invisible to her.
    They hadn't talked since, aside from the occasional niceties when Pilot was around. But today they were starting the project portion of the class and naturally, partners were assigned based on the seating arrangement.
    The bell rang. Brie continued to scribble in her notebook, and Rykken had to snap his fingers to get her attention.
    Brie jumped, covering her notebook with her arm. "When do you want to meet this week?" he asked her.
    She stuffed the notebook into her purse hastily. "After your usual polo practice works." She tugged at the zipper but the purse was clearly full, and the ornate necklace she wore kept getting stuck in the closure. Finally, she tossed the purse onto her shoulder, clamping her elbow to the side of the purse to keep it shut. He wondered what she didn't want him to see.
    "Do you want to set a particular day? We probably need to map out—"
    "No. Let's play it by ear." Brie ducked her head, her eyes drifting to one of the classroom windows.
    "Um. Okay." Great conversation. Glad we worked out the details. Rykken rubbed his jaw and stood up.
    He couldn't wait to get out of the humid classroom.
    "Rykken, wait." Rykken turned so quickly he almost knocked a girl over with his backpack. Brie took a deep breath, wringing her hands together. "I need your advice about something."
    "What?" He coughed, trying to clear his throat, which had suddenly developed an unattractive scratchy tone. Brie never asked for his advice. She never even talked to him.
    Brie twirled a piece of her long, wavy hair between her skinny fingers. "First, promise you won't tell Pilot."
    Rykken examined Brie carefully. "That serious, huh?" His mind raced with the worst possible scenarios, like Brie had an eating disorder. She did seem skinnier than normal—maybe Pilot was right that she was depressed. Rykken didn't think he could keep an eating disorder secret from Pilot.
    "No, it's not that serious," Brie said. "It's just that Pilot has enough to worry about." Rykken breathed in. This was the first time he had seen Brie so somber and self-aware. Maybe she did see how her actions affected her brother—how much pressure Pilot felt to keep her under control.
    Rykken tilted his head toward her. "I won't disagree with that," he said softly. "But I can't lie to Pilot."
    "You don't have to lie," Brie said in an exasperated tone. "Just don't mention this conversation to him." Brie looked around; she seemed uncomfortable.
    The severity of her body movements cleared Rykken's mind. "I wouldn't. Besides, if your secret is really that interesting, he'll find out on television."
    Brie's face fell. Rykken's gratification lasted only a few seconds before it turned to guilt.
    "Please," she said, her eyes focused on something at the front of the room. "I don't have anyone to talk to." Her gaze shifted to the floor. "Pilot trusts you, and I trust Pilot."
    Rykken nodded, mostly for his own benefit since she couldn't seem to meet his eyes. "Trustworthy by proxy."
    She bit the edge of her lip, her mouth parted slightly in the middle. "I didn't mean it like that."
    Rykken looked away. It annoyed him that the more he hurt her, the worse he felt. "Look. I promise I won't tell Pilot. What's going on?"
    Brie's voice dropped to a whisper. "You've lived here your whole life and grown up with most of the girls at this school, right? You would know their personalities and whether I could trust them or not."
    Rykken tried not to let his surprise show on his face. "Is someone bothering you?"
    "No, no—I just—" Brie inhaled sharply. "Living in the spotlight," she said. "I've had friends that were using me and I need to