Sword Play Read Free

admire that. Most kids think only of themselves and blow off their parents. But you listen and do what they want.”
    “It’s not what I want.”
    “Me, either.” He took my hand, his gentle touch making me feel warm inside. “But I can’t blame your parents for wanting you back.”
    He looked so hot, and standing in the hall by my locker reminded me of the day we met. I’d been lusting after him secretly for weeks without the courage to even say “hi.” But after a psychic warning of danger, I was able to save him from a freak auto-shop accident. Gratitude blossomed into something more, and a week later we were officially a couple. Lucky me! Being Josh’s girl was sweet and safe. He didn’t believe in anything unusual, which was a good balance for my own weirdness.
    “It’ll be okay, Sabine.” Josh leaned close and brushed a kiss on my forehead. “Leaving isn’t a tragedy.”
    “But I’ll be over a hundred miles away.”
    “That’s not very far at all, just two hours of driving.”
    “I don’t have a car.”
    “I do, and I’ll come down every weekend.”
    “Don’t you have a magician’s meeting this Saturday?”
    “Yeah, but that’s not till evening. I’ll drive down in the morning.”
    “And miss sleeping in?” I teased. Josh was not a morning person.
    “Hey, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for you. So stop looking so worried. Distance is not going to change anything.”
    I was relieved Josh wasn’t upset … yet disappointed, too. Why did he have to be so calm and understanding? Couldn’t he complain just a little?
    By lunchtime, word of my leaving had spread all over school (most likely via Penny-Love) and while I was sitting at my usual table with the cheerleaders, kids I knew and some I didn’t know came over. Most acted upbeat and said things like, “You’ll have more fun in a big city,” “Moving will be an exciting change,” or “You’ll make new friends.”
    Instead of being reassured, fear mounted. I didn’t want new friends, and I didn’t want to even think about my old friends. The ones I left behind when I fled six months ago. How could I go back to that life? And where would I go to school? Arcadia High was out of the question. My mother couldn’t expect me to return there—not after I’d been kicked out. More likely, Mom would enroll me in a private school. Somewhere with boring rules and tacky uniforms.
    Just kill me now, please!
    Walls closed in and I felt like I could hardly breathe. Making a lame excuse about getting something in my locker, I jumped up from the table and fled to the computer lab where Manny DeVries could always be found working on the latest issue of the school newspaper, Sheridan Shout-Out.
    Instead of his usual grin, Manny scowled at me and demanded, “Is it true?”
    “So you’ve heard already.” Wearily, I sank into a chair beside his computer console. “Bad news travels fast.”
    “I won’t act like I’m okay with this, because I’m not. How can someone as smart as you do something so dumb?”
    With a heavy sigh, I explained about my mother’s verdict.
    When I finished, Manny narrowed his dark eyes, resembling a punk pirate with dreads snagged in a ponytail and a gold eyebrow ring. “Drastic measures are required. Don’t make me kidnap you.”
    “One kidnapping is all you’re allowed. And you used your quota up last week when you and Thorn put me under house arrest.”
    “Classic moment,” he said proudly. “Speaking of Thorn, have you told her yet?”
    I bit my lip and shook my head. Thorn and I had a prickly enough friendship. She was a chain-wearing, black-garbed Goth with an anti-social attitude, while I hung out with cheerleaders. When Manny introduced us, it was dislike at first sight. But when I found out Thorn had a psychic ability, too—psychometry—I was intrigued. We got to know each other better on a road trip, learning mutual respect. Still, Thorn was quick-tempered with unpredictable moods and I