Page 11

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G EMMA’S CARD BURNED A HOLE in my pocket all through lit class. Meanwhile Al kept their head down, their curls hiding their face, and didn’t talk to me after we both handed in our quizzes. For the record, I didn’t initiate conversation either, because I didn’t know what to say or how to broach the distance that had been escalating between us since the first day of school. What had started off as a crack in our friendship had suddenly become a crevasse as of a few minutes ago, when Gemma had revealed there was some kind of secret surrounding my newfound abilities that Al knew and had neglected to let me in on.

And I didn’t know how to handle that at all. There wasn’t a chapter in the best friend handbook that involved the unexpected emergence of clairvoyant talent in one of the parties when the other was already thoroughly rooted in paranormal society.

We parted ways without so much as a “see ya at lunch” or even a wave.

My heart hurt when I slipped into math.

Kaci was not present, and I was secretly glad. I hadn’t texted her back after the viral video conversation. I’m sure she would’ve had something to say to me about the vid, or a ghost, or my apparent spiritedness. And I just didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Yes, I’d had a glimpse come true on camera. Yes, the Sprite Alliance had sent a gift basket to my house. Yes, my best friend had kept a secret from me. Yes, a strange freshman wanted to be my advisor. Yes, a terrifying glimpse was hanging over my head, and I had no clue who the girl killed in it was, nor the person who’d touched me in the hallway to trigger it.

And no. I didn’t want to talk about any of it. Okay. Thanks.

I pulled my hood over my head in the hallways, and when the bell finally rang for lunch, I decided not to head to the cafeteria. I couldn’t stay in the classroom because it was the teacher’s break, so I headed to the vending machines near the gym. Luckily, I had enough cash on my debit card and was able to secure a bottle of soda and a bag of chips.

I didn’t want to go to the library because there would certainly be people there. So I wandered the halls, like one of the ghosts Kaci saw, until I found an empty room. It was the honors science lab, and it was the perfect place for me to disappear for a little while.

I eased open the door a crack and wiggled in. The lights hummed overhead, and someone’s backpack was lying on one of the thick block tables, but they were probably at lunch. I slid onto one of the stools, hooking my feet in the rungs, and dropped my vending machine spoils on the table.

I pushed back my hood and sighed as I took my phone from my pocket, allowing my body to melt onto the cool surface.

“You shouldn’t be in here.”

Oh crap. I raised my head and bit back a sigh. The owner of the backpack was there. He’d just been in the supply closet at the back of the classroom. And it was none other than Mateo.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “I know. I should be at lunch, but I’m a little tired of being gawked at, and I really don’t want another Dennis scenario.”

Mateo raised his eyebrows. He set a thick textbook on the table near his backpack and reached into his bag. “Al’s glare seems to be enough to keep people away,” he said, taking out his own lunch. The corner of his mouth quirked.

In any other universe, I’d be beside myself in the presence of Mateo alone, and over the moon hearing him joke. But I was exhausted and felt like crap.

“Yeah, well, Al and I aren’t exactly on the same page at the moment.” I winced as I said it. I pulled my hand into my sleeve and rubbed the fabric over my face. “Just give me a minute and I’ll leave.”

“You can stay,” Mateo said quietly.

“I can?”

He shrugged. “When Kaci has a bad day and doesn’t come to school, I come in here to study and eat lunch. Ms. Downs doesn’t mind.”

“Ah.” Right. Kaci. His girlfriend. I hadn’t seen them during my lunch block, but I hadn’t really looked for them to be honest. Too much had been going on, and I didn’t think my heart could take seeing them cuddle each other in the cafeteria.

“I’m going to study,” Mateo said.

I mimed zipping my lips, taking the hint.

Mateo stared, then sat on a stool. Two lab tables were between us, but Mateo faced me as he took out his lunch. He flipped open a textbook, settling in, and that was my cue to focus on my bag of chips and my bottle of soda. Except they didn’t seem as appealing as they had a few moments ago. I pushed them away and buried my face in the crook of my arm. The soft fuzzy fabric of my hoodie brushed my cheeks, and the familiar smell of faded detergent and fabric softener was weirdly comforting. I pulled up my hood, blocking out the sight of Mateo and the brightness of the overhead lights. Then I allowed myself to shed the pressures that had plagued me and just relax for a moment.

The swish of Mateo turning the pages of his book became background noise as my eyes slid closed. I wasn’t fully asleep, just drifting, but it was… nice to exist in silence. No need to talk about anything. No expectations to address all the big changes happening in my life. Just the quiet rustle of pages and the occasional scratch of a pencil.

I didn’t remember falling asleep. But Mateo woke me up with his large hand on my shoulder, gently squeezing it.

“Cam?” he said, his voice soft.

“Yeah?” I mumbled.

“The bell’s going to ring.”

The weight of his touch lifted. I pushed up to my elbows, blinking slowly. “It is?”

Mateo stood next to me, his backpack slung over one shoulder. “In two minutes.”

I groaned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “Then why didn’t you let me have two more minutes?” I grumbled.

“I didn’t think you’d want the sound to jar you awake.”

And shit. Mateo was considerate as well as breathtakingly handsome. Kaci was a really lucky psychic. “Oh. Thank you. Sorry, I’m grumpy when I wake up.”

I swept my hair out of my eyes. The blond ends stuck out from the edge of my hood.

“No worries.” His lips twitched into a small grin. “You should hear Danny in the morning. He cusses so much, my mom bought him his own personal swear jar.”

“Danny?” I asked. “Your really composed and mature older brother?”

Mateo snorted. “The same.”

“Huh.”

The bell rang, signaling an end to our conversation.

“Well, this has been fun,” I said, grabbing my things and shoving them into the front pocket of my hoodie. “We should do this again sometime.”

“Which part? Hiding, studying, or napping?”

I blushed. “Who says we can’t do all three?”

Mateo chuckled. It was a low, breathy sound, and it was a punch to my gut. For as much as I had spent the last year staring at Mateo whenever I was in his general vicinity, I’d only heard him laugh a scant few times.

Mateo walked toward the door, leaving me having a crisis on the lab stool.

“Sure,” he tossed over his shoulder nonchalantly as he left the room.

My brain short-circuited. Was that flirting? No. It couldn’t have been. Mateo was just being politely playful. But I sat staring at the classroom door for way longer than appropriate as I replayed the conversation.

I was late to class.