Wings of the Wicked - By Courtney Allison Moulton Page 0,60
Will made the brief freedom so much sweeter.
“I can’t wait for fall,” Kate said as she munched on her french fries across the table from me in the food court. “We’ll be roomies and go to class and party … it will be amazing!”
I laughed. “Will you be saving time for Marcus, too?”
She flashed me a sly grin. “I might. If I keep him around long enough.”
“Dumping him already?” I took a sip of my Orange Julius.
“We aren’t official,” she said. “Just … hanging out. He’s a lot of fun, but my options are open.”
“Probably a good idea,” I said vaguely. I hoped she would move on quickly so I wouldn’t have to worry about her getting mixed up in the world of reapers by dating one.
“Kate!” called an unfamiliar voice.
I turned my head and saw two really cute guys approaching. They looked older than us—and I was very sure they weren’t in high school.
“What’s up, ladies?” The first boy flipped his longish, grungy hair out of his eyes and grinned.
Kate flashed him a languorous smile. “Hey, Jay. Back in town for the weekend?”
He slid up to her, rested a hand on the back of her chair, and kissed her on the cheek. “Only to see you, babe.”
“Yeah, right.” She laughed and nudged his chest.
He laughed. “We’re just here for the afternoon. How have you been?”
“Peachy.” She grinned.
The second boy was even cuter and had short, spiky hair. His gaze fell on me, and he gave me a very obvious examination that almost made me blush. “Who’s your friend?” he asked with a smile.
“That’s Ellie,” Kate said with an edge to her voice. “She’s my best, which means she’s very cool.”
“I’m Brian,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”
I turned on the charm. “Likewise.” I took another sip and smiled. He was really cute. Really cute.
“Jay and Brian go to State,” Kate explained. “How’s sophomore year treating you boys?”
Jay shrugged. “It’s good.”
“Four-day weekends aren’t bad,” Brian said. “Four hours of classes a day Monday through Thursday, and then the fun begins. What are you girls doing tonight?”
Kate’s brow flickered. “I’m not doing anything—yet. What’ve you got planned?”
“We’re having a party at our house,” Jay said. “The one we’re renting this year. You two should come along.”
“Ellie?” Kate bumped her knee into mine. “You game?”
It was tempting. I wouldn’t drag Will along or even let him come if he wanted to. I had to get out and get away from him, and I didn’t need him to protect me. If I could take a centuries-old reaper, then I could take a bunch of drunk college boys.
“I’m in,” I said.
Kate let out a squeal of approval. “That’s my girl. I’ll give you a call, okay, Jay?”
“You’d better.” He winked at her.
Brian grinned at me. “See you again?”
“Yeah.” I smiled right back at him.
I knocked on my mom’s office door and entered. She was hard at work on a new design for a website, peering down her nose at the monitor through her computer glasses.
“Hey, baby.” She greeted me with a warm glance as I sat down in the chair across from her desk. “How was the mall?”
“Good,” I replied. “I forgot to give you something earlier.” There were family photos organized neatly around her computer, but today I noticed the photos including my dad were gone. One more step to freedom from him, I supposed. I brushed the thought away and set a stack of stapled papers on the desk in front of my mom.
“What’s this?” she asked, examining the stack. Her eyes went wide.
“An eighty-seven percent,” I said, “on this week’s lit paper.”
She smiled. “I’ll have to stick this one next to the ninety-two on the fridge.”
“You really don’t have to put my good grades on the fridge anymore,” I assured her. “Honestly, I’d be happy with just a gold star and a dollar for every A.”
She laughed. “Is that all it takes for you to get good grades?”
“Plus a lot of studying and no-nonsense brain power.”
Mom sat back in her chair, her smile growing. “I’m proud of the difference in you the last two weeks. Your grades have improved already, and you seem more focused. Should I just keep you grounded all the time?”
I huffed. “No, that’s okay, really. I did want to ask you, though … can I take a break from my grounding?”
Her smile became suspicious. “Didn’t you get a break today while you and Kate were at the mall?”