“You seem unusually…distant today,” she says.
I shrug. “Do I? Weird. I feel fine. So tell me about this sale. That’s a good idea, by the way. I don’t know why we haven’t thought of it before. What kind of discount were you thinking of offering on the daggers? Thirty percent off, at least, right? I think way more people would buy them if they weren’t so expensive.” I force myself to quit talking. The kitchen is silent in the wake of my rambling.
Aunt Penny sets down her toast and straightens up. Dread pinches my stomach.
“Listen, Indie, I may be ‘old,’?” she says, making air quotes. “But I’m not stupid. You’ve changed.”
I don’t even know what to say. “Aunt Penny, I…”
“You had sex, didn’t you?”
I stare at her, openmouthed.
“Knew it,” she says.
Heat stains my cheeks. “No, Aunt Penny, that’s not true.”
“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Indie. I mean, it’s me. I know this happens when you have a boyfriend, okay? I just want to know you’re being careful.”
“Ugh!” I bury my burning face in my hands. “Aunt Penny, I’m eating, here.”
“It’s important I say this,” she cries. When I peek through my fingers, she at least has the decency to look almost as embarrassed as I do.
“Trust me, this is as weird for me as it is for you,” she says, “But I don’t want you to get pregnant or catch some nasty disease because I was too embarrassed to bring it up. Just tell me you’ll be careful.”
“I’m not having sex!” Which was a feat after living with Bishop for sixteen days, I almost add.
“Just say it.”
I huff. “Fine, I’ll be careful. Happy now?”
She leans back in her chair. “Yes. Thank you.”
I finally let my hands fall from my face.
“So,” she says. “Do you love him?”
My cheeks flame a deeper red.
“You do!” she squeals, clapping her hands.
I can’t help smiling. “I thought all the embarrassing questions were done.”
“Aww, Indie’s in looove,” she coos. I swat at her shoulder, but she just laughs. “Indie and Bishop, up in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
I stand up, taking my bowl to the sink. “That’s really mature, Aunt Penny.”
“First comes love, then comes marriage—”
“You’re twenty-eight!” I call over her singing, though I’m laughing now too.
My plan seemed so sound last night. Even this morning, the idea of practicing every spare minute I get and then going back to Los Demonios on Saturday, when Aunt Penny has plans to go out for drinks with old friends after the shop closes, seemed logical. For once, I was thinking with my mind instead of just my heart.
But now that I’ve spent the past twenty-five minutes on a school bus full of gossipy girls and immature guys blowing spitballs at each other, it feels all wrong. It doesn’t seem right to be at school while Paige is in that place, in danger.
Everything annoys me.
The bespectacled nerds loudly enjoying a game of mah-jongg on the floor. The football players play-tackling each other against the lockers. The Amy/Ashley twins gossiping about Bianca’s Halloween party. The fact that they’re wearing their cheerleading uniforms to school because it’s a game day (even though just a few weeks ago I was doing the same thing). I want them all to shut up. To quit having so much fun and realize what an effed-up place this world is.
I’m probably jealous. None of them have a best friend who’s missing, a dead mom, and a bandage that chafes as well as makes it hard to bend their arm.
Still. Annoying.
I slam my locker closed and turn to head for homeroom when someone knocks into my shoulder so hard I lose my balance.
I fall hard on my ass, my head banging against the locker. A gasp rises through the hallway. Every single person within a thirty-mile radius turns to stare at me.
I hear a snort and look up to see Bianca draped around Devon’s shoulder, trying not to smile. With them dressed in matching blue, silver, and black cheerleader/football player uniforms, I can’t help feeling even more like a loser splayed out awkwardly on the floor. Anger spikes inside me. I glare at Bianca, my breathing slowing. My stomach boils, and heat flares down to my fingertips.
But then Devon breaks away from Bianca, and I lose my focus. He’s helping me up before I can even register what’s happening.
“Devon!” Bianca hisses.
He ignores her, picking up my bag and slipping it over his own shoulder. I can feel the eyes of the school on us.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “That looked like it hurt.”
“Yeah,” I grumble. “It was more embarrassing than anything.”
His eyes fall to my arm. “What happened?”
“Got mugged,” I say.
His eyes go wide.
I hurry to change the topic before he asks for more details.
“Thanks for the help, but I should get to class.”
“You should see the nurse,” he says. “You could have a concussion.”
“What?” I shake my head. “No, that’s silly. It wasn’t that bad.”
“You’re going to pass up a day in the nurse’s office?”
I can’t help giving a wan smile at the mischief in his blue eyes—dude is smarter than he looks. I look over at the spot where Bianca was, but she’s gone. Probably to plot my destruction with the Pretty People Club.
Yay.
The crowd starts to disperse as Devon and I move down the hall. I stare straight ahead as we walk, my eyes focused on the neon-green flyer tacked to a bulletin board way at the end of the hall. It’s still too weird to be this close to him. Cheating can have that effect.
“So,” Devon says. “How are things? I mean, obviously not so good, with your mom and…everything.”
“Good,” I lie.
“Really?”
I glance over, hearing the genuine concern in his voice. His eyebrows pull together, and for a split second I can remember a time when I thought I loved that face, though I can’t summon any of those feelings now. I look away.
“Not really. But, you know…”
The first bell rings, and noise picks up as students start filing through the hallway toward class.