That Witch! Read Free Page B

Brynn’s back.
    Keeping her head down like always, Brynn made her way through the ambling students and hallway loiterers, down to the last door on the left. Her sixth-period teacher—a tiny, frail woman with gnarled fingers, a bright white granny hairdo, and wire-rimmed bifocals on the tip of her nose—stood at the end of the hallway, yelling at boisterous students about getting to class. No one listened to her. They didn’t show her an ounce of respect. She was sweet, and they were horrible for treating her the way they did. No one would ever do anything about it and the woman wouldn’t take up for herself, and unfortunately, she probably should’ve retired years ago.
    “Hi, Mrs. Miller,” Brynn said in passing as she entered her last class of the day.
    “Hello, Miss Michaels.”
    Brynn gave her a soft smile, then headed over to the desk she’d chosen at the beginning of the school year. It was right up front so she could hear Mrs. Miller read from classic American novels over the low chatter of students who just didn’t seem to care. Choosing that spot had garnered her all sorts of petty nicknames—from brownnoser to teacher’s pet. Not that Brynn cared enough to pay attention. Some stuff simply didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
    She sat down, Laura taking her normal spot right beside her, and leaned over into her bag to pull out her textbook, when she caught the scent of flowers wafting by her. It was Cassidy’s perfume. Brynn would never forget that scent as long as she lived. It smelled of roses and jasmine, with a hint of vanilla to soften the overall ambrosia. The smell of it brought a dreamy-eyed smile to Brynn’s face.
    “What are you grinning about?” Laura whispered, leaning in close so no one else would hear her.
    “I uh… um….”
    “Tell me you weren’t smiling at Cassidy. She’s toxic.”
    Intoxicating, maybe. “God, no! Why would I smile at her? She’s totally vapid.”
    “True, but….” Laura glanced over her shoulder at Cassidy, then back to Brynn, as if that wasn’t obvious. Might as well hang a “we’re talking about you” sign around both their necks. “You’ve been watching her a lot lately. Is there something I need to know about?”
    “No!” Brynn blurted.
    No, there wasn’t anything anyone needed to know. As far as anyone else was concerned, Brynn and Cassidy were and always would be mortal enemies.
    “Don’t bite my head off, sheesh!”
    “I’m not. I just….” Brynn shook her head.
    She closed her trap and righted herself in her seat the moment she heard the classroom door slam and their dainty English teacher begin to speak. Mrs. Miller called the room to attention and took attendance. That ate away about three minutes of class.
    Brynn stayed in her own happy, little bubble, counting away the minutes until Mrs. Miller graced them with a quick read. She daydreamed of lying on her bed, reading or listening to music—maybe some Anne Rice and a little Secondhand Serenade. God, that sounded so incredible right now. Her Zen.
    “I have a project for you,” Mrs. Miller said, and immediately Brynn snapped to attention. “We’re going to do a literary scavenger hunt. Five books, one for every month, then a report at the end of the school year. It will be half of your final grade.”
    Well, Brynn had no problem with that. American literature was her strongest subject. She knew authors and poets and loved it all. This assignment would give her a perfect grade and kick her GPA up into Ivy League level.
    “This is going to be a group project,” Mrs. Miller continued. It still wasn’t a problem. Brynn could work with Laura and everything would be great because they worked so well together. Then the dainty old English teacher said, “I’m assigning partners.”
    Brynn bit down on her bottom lip to keep from cursing.
    “Laura, I want you paired up with Sarah.”
    Wait. No. What? Laura is my partner!
    She gave her best friend a