Veined (A Guardian of the Angels Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page B

of the stress. I was going to have to pull myself t ogether to get through this day until I found out who my transition buddy was— and got them to tell me I wasn’t going nuts.
    A voice close to my ear startled me. I pushed myself away from my locker, suddenly realizing how loud and full the hall was. Students gossiped in crowds, laughing. Books fell out of over-filled lockers. Umbrellas and coats dripped dirty water, and shoes squealed on the linoleum floors, trying to find grip between the puddles. I focused on the figure next to me. “Hey, Maddy,” I said.
    She frowned, like she saw through my forced smile. “Are you okay?”
    Her concern made it hard to keep up the mask, but I stretched my lips further as if it would make my guise of being all right more real. “I’m fine.” Well, I would be as soon as I got some answers. I hoped. “How was your weekend?”
    “Um, all right. Mom freaked out when she saw the news that two more people were murdered on Saturday. She tried to set a six o’clock curfew on me. But that’s hardly going to stick if they’re never around to enforce it . . .” Maddy hesitated, looking at me like she was sure something wasn’t right, but didn’t know how far she could push me to find out what.
    I didn’t want her to worry about me, or bring up touchy parental issues, so I pointed at her long feathery earrings. “Those look nice. They make your eyes look really green.”
    Her face brightened. “Thanks. I made them myself,” she said, walking toward the entrance. I followed, numbly. “Maybe I could show you how to do it sometime.”
    At the doors, Maddy pointed to a provocative poster of a girl I’d seen in a couple of my classes (but couldn’t remember the name of) lobbying for homecoming queen. “Please slap me if I ever look like that,” she said. I could tell half of her humor was an effort to make me feel better.
    I grinned and nodded. “Hard to vote for someone if they don’t put up their name.”
    A sour laugh came from Maddy’s delicate mouth. “ Ashleigh doesn’t need to put up her name. Everybody knows her. For her to have to tell you her name would be a direct slap in the face. Actually, maybe you do want to ask her. . .” For a moment she shone like a fairy, beautiful and mischievous. I laughed for real this time. “By the way,” Maddy continued, “are you going to Twirp homecoming?”
    I bunched up my hair and tied it into a makeshift bun. Gross. I hadn’t shampooed for two days and I’d left the house this morning without even brushing it. “Twirp?”
    “Yeah, The Woman Is Required to Pay.” Maddy waggled her brows.
    “Have you asked anyone?”
    She nodded, her earrings swaying. “Marcus and I agreed to go together. There’s no one else I’d want to go with. But if you chose to come, I’m sure Jason wouldn’t mind . . .”
    I must have gaped or something because Maddy nudged me in the ribs.
    “So, you think you’ll come?” she said, smirking.
    Thankfully, I was saved from answering. Marcus slid his arm around Maddy’s shoulders. He spread out his hand, waving it at us.
    “See this? And I’d been so good to quit,” he said. Maddy mimed biting her fingernails. “Then Attic rolls up and in a manner of minutes I’ve started again.”
    “Attic?” I must have looked confused because Marcus laughed.
    “You haven’t seen him yet?” Marcus’s eyes lit up. “Let me be there when you do. I love to see a girl swooning and drooling all over the place.”
    Maddy frowned. “Is he really that good looking?”
    “Honey, he’s damn close to an angel. Ashleigh and her crowd were all over him with offers to show him around. You could tell he loved it, too.” Marcus sighed. “I wish I could show him around.”
    “Well,” I said, suddenly feeling so much lighter. With Maddy and Marcus around, pushing my other issues to the side seemed easier. “Maybe he doesn’t swing only one way. As long as you swoon and kiss his feet or whatever it is