Blood Like Poison Read Free Page B

and it was my status—and my status alone— that prompted her to care what my plans were.  Besides, she knew that my plans would likely include Drew, which in turn would likely include Devon. 

One more year, one more year, one more year, I reminded myself, sick to death of all the high school games and drama.

“I don’t know,” I answered, turning to Drew.  “Drew?”

“What?”  He hadn’t been paying us the least bit of attention.

“Caster’s party.  Wanna go?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged.

I turned back to Trinity.  “Maybe.”

Her expression showed frustration and I knew she was reaching her patience threshold. 

“How am I supposed to make plans if you two won’t make up your mind?”

“Go if you want to go.  We’re not stopping you,” I reminded her casually.

It was like poking a bear and I knew it.  I suppose it was my passive-aggressive way of lashing out.  Whatever.  It felt good.

Trinity growled in response.  She didn’t need to say it, but we were both thinking to ourselves that that would never happen.  She turned to pass what she’d learned down the lunch table and I could almost see the indecision spreading across faces like wildfire.  No one’s plans would be concrete until Trinity gave the go-ahead that we were all going to Caster’s party. 

I sighed and thought again how I couldn’t wait for high school to be over.

I didn’t let my exasperation show, however.  I’d long since discovered how to live inside the shark tank without getting eaten or becoming a shark:  never let ‘em see you sweat.  Don’t show any emotion, no matter how many you’re feeling.  It just reveals your weaknesses and, to them, weaknesses are like blood in the water.

I try never to let them see me get angry, upset, defensive, flustered, uncertain, anything.  I’m sure that, to them, I seem somewhat robotic, but it keeps me out of trouble and keeps them at arm’s length.  And that’s how I survive.

Spearing a cucumber with my fork, I nibbled its crisp edges while I listened with half an ear to what was being said all around me.

Drew and Devon were talking to Josh about how to get more horsepower under the hood of the Mustang they were working on.  Trinity was whispering to April and Aisha so quietly I couldn’t hear her, which invariably meant she was talking about me (Trinity was rarely ever so quiet).  Summer was regaling Carly and Shana with her personal success stories of pairing ankle-high boots with a skirt.  Chace and Minty were arguing over which freshman at the table next to ours had the nicer rack.

All their talk jumbled in my head as my mind strayed once more to a pair of the most intense eyes I’ve ever seen.  I was both intrigued by my unusual reaction to him and aggravated by it.  I mean, it’s not like he’s Damon Salvatore hot or Keith Stone smooth.  But regardless, he’d certainly managed to work his way into my head with absolutely no effort on his part whatsoever. 

What’s worse is that I have a boyfriend.  I shouldn’t even be giving him a second glance, much less thinking about him so much, and yet I just couldn’t seem to escape those eyes.

Shaking off thoughts of him—again—I looked out across the campus.  As if they were drawn by some invisible magnetic force of nature, my eyes collided with the very ones I was trying to forget. 

There he was, sitting beneath a tree all the way on the other side of the green expanse of grass behind the school, and just like before, he was simply staring at me.

I shouldn’t say “simply.”  There was nothing simple about the shower of chills that rained down my back and arms.  There was nothing simple about the flutter in my chest that made me feel short of breath. 

Instantly, I forgot all the reasons I was avoiding him, all the reasons I was trying not to think about him.  At that moment, I just wanted to hold his gaze as long as it would hold me back. 

Penetrating, unwavering and