Autumn Storm (The Witchling #2)(72)

I slammed the car door and dropped my book bag at my feet; reaching up to pull the hood of my sweatshirt up, I made sure my hair was smooth around my face. Cole turned to look at me. He looked miserable.

“Jenna, Cole? Really?” I sniffed.

“It wasn’t what it looked like.” He walked over and stood in front of me.

“So you weren’t kissing her?”

“No – I mean yes!” he yelled, frustrated.

I flinched.

“Sorry.” he sighed, bending to pick up my bag to hand it to me.

“It’s all right.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Really, I’m fine.” I was busy pulling at my hood.

Cole noticed me pulling the hood even farther forward and said, “Quit hiding all the time.”

“You gonna to tell me about Jenna?” I avoided his words because I always felt like hiding.

He sighed and ran a hand through his rumpled, dark hair. It stood out all over his head, and his normally bright blue eyes were bloodshot. Even looking as wrung out as he did, he was still good looking. He stood almost six feet tall with the broad shoulders of the football player he was. He was a popular guy, one of the most popular in the class, but he was still a nice guy. Even though he did a lot of things to make Kimber mad, he never did anything like cheat. We began walking toward the school entrance.

“I could explain if she would just talk to me.”

“How do you explain what she saw?”

“It didn’t mean anything. It was a dumb bet. She shouldn’t even have seen it.”

“That’s your story? It was a bet, and you did it because you thought you wouldn’t get caught?”

He made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. “I’m not into Jenna.”

That I actually believed. He was too good for her. “You went too far this time, Cole.”

“Funny thing is – I did it for her.”

I stopped in my tracks. “You kissed another girl for Kimber?”

“It was a bet. I made a lot of money. Kimber’s birthday is next week.”

“You have a job.” I pointed out. He worked at the local grocery store bagging groceries.

“I don’t make enough to get her what I wanted to get her.”

“Looks like you won’t have to get her anything now.”

We went up the front steps; he walked ahead and held open the door for me. I paused before going in. Just another day, just like yesterday. I went in, and Cole followed.

“She’s not going to forgive me, is she?” He sounded miserable.

“I don’t know.” I shuffled from foot to foot. Did that mean I couldn’t forgive him either? He was like a brother to me. He was one of the very few who still treated me like I was normal, even though I wasn’t. I sighed. “I’ll see if I can get her to talk to you.”

“You’re the best, Hev.”

“Give her a few days okay?”

“You got it.” He grinned. “I’ll call you later.”

I nodded, and he went down the hall calling out greetings as he went. I tried to remain invisible as I walked to my locker. There were only a few stares this morning, which was good. One of the girls I used to cheer with called out a timid greeting. I gave her a little wave and a small smile before returning my gaze back to the floor. Just because people weren’t staring didn’t mean they weren’t looking. They tried not to stare, but they couldn’t keep their eyes away. I was a freak now. I made people uncomfortable – and not necessarily because of my scars – but because what my scars represented. Danger, fear, and the unknown. Something bad had happened to me, something not even I could remember. They all probably thought that I was crazy, that I somehow did this to myself. I couldn’t blame them. How could I? They might be right.