Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(74)

Della didn’t move. “I was going to offer to help you study.”

“I don’t want your help.” Miranda clutched a handful of sheet.

“Don’t be silly!” Della struck a pose against the door frame. She always looked badass. Smart and strong. Couldn’t Miranda be just one of

those?

Miranda tossed her extra pillow at her. “Go. Away. Go bump uglies with Chase.” Miranda held up her pinky, the only badass move she had.

Della didn’t go. “I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because Burnett thinks if Perry contacts you, you’ll try to sneak off without telling him again.”

Burnett didn’t trust her. That hurt. Then again, she was keeping the armadillo from him. “Then just leave my room!”

“Why don’t you let me help you study? I’m good at it.”

“And I’m not! Is that what you’re saying?” Feeling small, inadequate, she did the only thing she could … she got mad. “Have you ever had

a rude, hurtful thought in that blood-sucking brain of yours that you kept to yourself in lieu of offending someone?”

Della stood there staring, her mouth dropped open. “Yeah. Right now.” She swung around and shot off.

Tears filled Miranda’s eyes. She was gonna lose her two best friends. Was that why she seemed to be purposely pushing them away? So it wouldn

’t hurt so much later?

Before Miranda could blink away the tears, Della shot back in. “I wasn’t trying to offend you! Believe it or not, I care.”

She shot out again.

Miranda took in another shaky breath. The vampire shot back in.

“That’s why I offered to help you study and that’s why I told you about Shawn! And I know it hurts, but if you found out that I knew this

and hadn’t told you, you’d be pissed at me. Hiding things like a cheating boyfriend goes against the girlfriend code of ethics. So can we

just … hug and make up?”

The lump of pain in Miranda’s chest liquefied, and she wanted to cry. Della hated hugging. The fact that she’d do it for Miranda said how

much the vampire cared.

Miranda brushed a tear from her cheek. “I’m sorry. I’m … I’m not mad at you for telling me about Shawn. And yeah, you’re right, I do

care. And that’s crazy, because … because you were right last night, too.”

A smile filled Della’s eyes. “I’m always right, but … what was I right about last night?”

“Your cookie analogy. I’m stuck on Perry and I’m going to break up with Shawn—somehow—but knowing he’s buying someone else flowers still

hurts. I’m terrible, aren’t I?”

Della dropped on the bed. “Not terrible. Just a little sadistic.” She chuckled.

When Miranda didn’t laugh, Della continued. “Look, it hurt when I thought Steve was seeing someone, too. And I was stuck on Chase, so it’s

not just you. Just because we don’t love them, doesn’t mean we don’t want them to love us. It’s not right, but … look at us, how could

anyone not love us?”

This time Miranda laughed.

Della picked up one of Miranda’s books. “Let me help you.”

“I don’t think anyone can help. Nothing’s sticking!” She palm-butted her head.

“We could sing,” Della said.

“Sing?”

“Yeah, you know, make up songs about whatever you’re learning. My mom did that to help me. Like that poem song…” She started singing. “In

fourteen ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” She hesitated then started again. “Derivatives, derivatives.” She snapped her fingers

and wiggled her butt with absolutely no rhythm. “It’s so fun, it’s one prime two plus two prime one.”

Miranda fell back on her pillow, laughing harder. “You can’t sing worth a flip. I finally found something that Della Tsang sucks at.”

Della put her hand over her heart. “What, are you saying my dream of a musical career isn’t going to work out?”

When the laugher ended, she looked at Della. “Did Burnett really tell you to shadow me?”

Della nodded. “But don’t be mad. It’s his peculiar way of saying he loves you. He’s worried for your safety.”

“Why does everyone treat me like I’m helpless? I helped save Tabitha in Paris, didn’t I?”

Della stood from the bed as if arguing required standing. “Yeah, but that was almost like an accident.”

“An accident?” That stung like fire ants. “So anytime I do something right, it’s an accident?”

Della hesitated before speaking, something the vampire seldom did. “I didn’t mean … What I meant was that … sometimes you goof.”

“So now I’m a goofer. For your information, I’m goofing less and less.” Miranda recalled what she’d done in the hospital room to her

father and mom, and Tabitha’s mom. And right then she realized how true her statement was. With a little work, she might even be badass. She

might never understand calculus, or get a high score on the damn SAT, but maybe she’d overcome her dyslexia where her powers were concerned.