Changing Fate Read Free Page B

something to Kyler that I don’t understand because everything around me is a haze of embarrassment. Kyler walks toward me and a sliver of panic spreads through my body. Most likely, he’s going to tell me to stop staring and to take a picture of him because it would last longer. Or maybe he’ll tell me to leave him alone, which would be perfectly fine since that’s my goal anyway. Right? It’s my goal. No friends. I repeat it in my head until he stops beside me.
    “Hey, Kate. Good to see you.”
    I nod with, I’m sure, a ridiculous, dumbfounded look. “You too.” I close my eyes and try to get a grip on reality. Maybe he’ll just walk on by. Even though his voice fills me with a strange hope, he has that freckle on his lip that I refuse to look at. My eyes pop open and I find it. Right there. And he’s speaking to me again.
    “There’s an assembly in a few minutes. I’ve gotta go because I’m in it, but I’ll catch ya later?”
    Is that a question? Like he’s asking my permission to speak to me again? Maybe my star struck look didn’t scare him…yet. I clear my throat. “Yeah, sure. Good luck with whatever you’re doing in the assembly.”
    Kyler’s smile almost has the same effect as his voice. He leaves the room and turns down the hall. A few minutes later, we file toward the auditorium. Before I find a seat, Giana appears and pulls me by the arm. We head toward the stage, moving closer to a group of people calling her name.
    Lots of people, together, like a bundle of friends that are connected in a way I can only imagine. I yank my arm back and Giana stops. “Don’t you want to sit with us?”
    I gnaw my lip and consider the consequences. Friends, connections, death, loneliness. My hands are suddenly clammy and my legs tremble. I shake my head. “Sorry, but I’d rather sit alone.”
    “You sure?”
    I’m just glad she’s not pushing it. “Yeah. Thanks though.”
    The back of the auditorium is empty and inviting. I find a seat next to the aisle. Students shuffle by, talking to each other and racing to sit next to their friends. A group of guys walk past and when they’re gone, Giana’s standing right beside me. It’s like she keeps appearing out of nowhere. I guess that’s a bonus for being short in a crowded school.
    She waves. “Can I sit next to you?”
    I stand up and plop in the next seat. “What about your friends?”
    She shrugs. “They’ll live. Besides, I don’t like being so close to the stage. The loud noise drives me crazy.”
    “Really?” Does she mean it or is she just trying to make an excuse to ditch her friends and sit next to me?
    “Yeah, I’m part deaf in one ear and even though it makes things quieter, it also makes everything kind of echo through my brain. I get a headache when it’s loud.”
    “From the noise?” I ask.
    “I’m not sure. It could be that my ear strains to pick up specific sounds. Who knows?”
    I shift in my seat. It’s weird listening to someone else’s problems instead of focusing on my own. “Were you born with it?”
    Giana shakes her head. “No, I got in a car accident when I was little. The doctors say I’m lucky to be alive. From what they can tell, after all the surgeries and recovery, the only permanent damage was a loss of hearing and maybe a little stunted growth.”
    “A little?”
    She laughs. “When you see my parents, you’ll know what I mean.”
    When I see them? Like, she’s already planning on us meeting sometime. I swallow and can’t think of anything else to say. I don’t want her to think I’d like to meet her parents, so I close my mouth and look forward.
    A few minutes later, the red curtain on the stage parts and a girl steps through with a microphone in one hand. Music plays through the speakers and she lifts the microphone to sing a soft melody. The volume grows and grows until another voice joins her. This one I recognize. It melts my heart and covers my skin with goose bumps. Kyler is here, but not