Somewhere Over the Freaking Rainbow - By L.L. Muir Page 0,7

were seconds away from being blown to smithereens.

Okay. He needed to get away from her. This couldn’t end well.

“Fine,” she said. “You keep my secret, and I’ll keep yours.”

He couldn’t have walked away if his shoes were on fire.

Would she slap his hand away if he reached for her glasses? If he could just see her eyes, he’d know just how busted he was. No one was as good an actor as he was. No one.

“And do I have a secret?” Innocent. Think innocent.

“Don’t you?” She lowered the sunglasses and smiled a smile that bore into his soul.

He suddenly saw nothing wrong with confessing every secret he’d ever kept. Thankfully she winked and that stupid urge disappeared. He stuck his tongue between his teeth and clamped down, just in case.

“It looks like you’re all registered for classes and you’re skipping out on your first day.”

“Oh.” He looked at the schedule in his hand. “No. I’m just waiting for my friend, Ray. Said he’d meet me here before classes started.” He should get an Oscar for the morning’s performance. Honestly. “You know Ray Peters?”

Skye smiled and pushed her glasses back up, but not before he saw something flash across her face. Regret? Pity? He sure as hell hoped it wasn’t guilt.

“Sure I know Ray. And I know him well enough to not be surprised he’s late for school.”

“Yeah?” Jamison stiffened. “I know him pretty well myself. We’ve been best friends all our lives, and he’d rather die than let me down.”

She frowned, though he could barely see the pucker in her brow over the glasses. “And he’s letting you down by not showing up to school on time?”

“Yeah, he is.” Jamison looked down at the sidewalk, no longer wanting to explain. She’d think he was so stupid for wanting someone to have his back when he walked through those halls the first day. Then something else came to him; he was more worried about his first day at school than he was about what had happened to his friend. “Loser!”

“What?”

“Sorry. Not you. I’m the loser. I shouldn’t be pissed that he’s not here. I should be worried...worried about why he’s not here.”

She smiled. That was a good sign. Either she didn’t know what they’d done to Ray and Burke, or she wasn’t concerned about it. Then again, she could be a cold brainwashed zombie who didn’t care what had happened to them.

“You’re a good friend to have, I think.” She walked around him and called over her shoulder, “I wouldn’t worry about Ray and Burke if I were you. They’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

He tried not to lean into her as her bulky coat brushed his arm. The fact that he was tempted to do so blew him away. It was like there was a rubber-band stretched between them and he automatically relaxed when they were close. As she entered the main doors, he could feel the tension, the stretching, and he knew he’d be spending the rest of the day thinking of a way to stand near her again.

Then her parting words replayed in his head.

He’d never said anything about Burke!

***

Jamison entered just in time to catch his name on the PA. Morning announcements must have been running late, too.

“And we have the perfect start to Homecoming week. Jamison Shaw, whom many of you will remember from elementary school and Bowman Jr., has moved back to town. Welcome home, Mr. Shaw!”

So much for invisibility.

Jamison ignored the list of homecoming activities planned for the week like so much rain beating on his head. He would have preferred to make a fresh start with second period, but there was nowhere to hide. It might be days before his car arrived with the rest of their stuff from Texas. Until then, he’d have no haven or escape plan at his disposal. But it was all good; he wouldn’t be interrupting since his first teacher couldn’t start until the announcements were over.

He walked into Mr. Evans’ College Prep English just as the PA system dinged, signaling the end of far-too-cheerful class officers wielding what little power they were granted.

Mr. Evans lifted his head and smiled. “Welcome home, Mr. Shaw.” The drawl was a little much. How did Mr. Evans know where he’d moved from?

“Thank you, sir.” Jamison looked for a seat along the perimeter, where he might blend into the wall.

“Right up front here. Unless you’d rather stand.”

No one else was standing. If he chose to lean against the back wall, he might as