Shattered Girls (Broken Dolls Book 2) Read Free

yourself!” a man with an orange bowtie says.
    “Oh, my name is Ella, actually.” I offer my hand for a shake. Tentatively, he gives me his finger.
    “Ella,” he says. “What are you?”
    “A robot.” It’s safe to stick with my original story.
    “And who made you?”
    I shrug when Gabby shifts uncomfortably. “I don’t know.”
    “Happy now?” Gabby growls, pushing through the crowd. “You’ve got everything you needed! Now, leave us
alone
!”
    “We want an exclusive with the Devil Doll!”
    “Yeah, yeah! A one-on-one!”
    I clap my hands. “I’d love that!”
    Gabby grabs me and shoves me into her backpack. “No, she wouldn’t!”
    I can’t see what happens next, but their voices fade into the distance and the slamming of lockers takes their place. The next thing I hear is a creaky door, running taps, and flushing. Gabby pulls me from the bag and props me on the bathroom sink once the other girls leave.
    “You are
never
to speak to those reporters again!” She’s never sounded so serious.
    “They still hassling you?” Maddox, Gabby’s tubby friend—and the only other person who knows I’m real—struts out of the cubicle and turns on the faucet, then wipes his hands on his striped shirt. It wasn’t until Gabby and Maddox both tried out for the debating team that they really hit it off. I guess they bonded over the whole ‘dolls are sometimes human’ thing. That, and arguing over politics. “Want me to take them out?”
    “Mad-Dog! What the hell are you doing in the girl’s bathroom?”
    He twists his face and leans on the sink. “Ah, have you
seen
the boy’s bathroom?”
    “No.”
    “Then I won’t taint your image of perfection. Trust me: not all bathrooms are created equal.” He tickles my chin. “Hey, Ells. You being naughty again?”
    I grin, lifting my chin so he can scratch my throat. I can’t feel it, but he seems to enjoy it. “Never.”
    “You’re not going to bust us, are you?” Gabby snaps, snatching me away from Maddox. “You can’t go to the reporters!”
    He raises his hands defensively. “Chill, girl! I haven’t told a soul what happened that day in the hospital, and I never intend to. Scout’s honor!”
    Conceding defeat, Gabby sighs and hugs Maddox, who pats her back soothingly. “I’m sorry, Mad-Dog. Forgive me?”
    “Always. You’re still coming paintballing with us next weekend, right?”
    “Isn’t the legal age, like, sixteen?”
    “Lenny’s dad pulled a few strings. My advice? Wear extra padding.” He shoots his index finger and thumb, turning it into a gun-shape. “Catch you girls around.”
    When he leaves, Gabby places me back on the sink. “Ella, I mean it. We can pretend you’re a robot, and you can sit on my desk during lessons, but if you’re spoken to, you reply generically. Got it?”
    I slump over and groan. “Got it.”

    I don’t got it. I’m not stubborn, I’m just curious. Besides, Gabby’s Modern History class is dull, and so is the teacher. Telling Gabby I’d rather sleep in her bag was easy. Escaping into the corridor proved difficult.
    I keep to the shadows and the walls, excited to walk the halls on my own. I hate using Gabby as transport and now with the robot excuse, it won’t be a big deal if I get caught. All I want is freedom.
    “Hello, Ella.” A man in a gray cardigan and glasses appears from nowhere.
    “Hello,” I squeak. I’ve never felt so small. “You’re not a teacher here.”
    He crouches and readjusts his glasses. “I’m not. I’m Devin’s uncle, Chris.”
    I glance at him sideways. “You’re not a reporter, are you?”
    His chuckle is contagious. “Far from it. I work for an important company.”
    “How important?” I pick at my plastic nails.
    “Important enough. And you… You’ve been getting a lot of attention lately. How does that make you feel?”
    “You sound like a psychologist!” I giggle, but he doesn’t respond, so I continue. “Umm, it’s nice to be noticed, I