“Your brother has been here for less than five minutes, and the girls are already flocking to him like flies to a pile of shit.”
I nearly walk into a group of boys, nowhere near as familiar with these hallways as she is. “He’s always been popular. Let me guess, you think he’s hot, too?”
She pulls a face. “God, no. I’m into girls.”
I love her a little bit at this moment.
The only girls who ever spoke to me back home were those who used me to get close to Dominic, but then, as soon as they realized he hated me, they dropped me faster than you could blink.
“I hope you’re okay with that?”
Taken aback, I purse my mouth. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She flings her arm over my shoulder, prickling my nose with her cherry scent. “I knew I liked you. You’re not like the other stuck-up girls from around here.”
My throat closes, and my chest swells. I’ve never had a girl, or anyone, say they like me before.
By the time we finally enter the library, I’ve found out she has a little brother, Kai, who likes comic books but isn’t a fan of fried eggs, her mother is a vet and insists on Gwen volunteering on weekends, and her father once won a cornhusking competition.
Gwen leads me toward the back to a table near the window, where a group of students have gathered.
They look up when she releases me and slams her hands on the surface with an almost manic smile. “Hey, fuckers,” she says. “I want you to meet the new girl.” She straightens up and shoves me forward with a hand on my back. “New girl, meet my friends Benny, Aron, Brittany, and Lily.”
Four sets of eyes take me in, sweeping over my raven hair, makeup-free face, gray tank top, denim shorts, pale legs, and red Chucks.
Benny, a lanky guy with curly brown hair and full lips, waves first with an open-palm sweep of his hand and a kind smile.
Beside him, Brittany winks in greeting, which I find strange but sweet, then runs a hand through her pink tresses.
Lily speaks first. “You’re the one who’s moved into the haunted house behind Wilfred’s farm.”
It’s impossible to miss how the energy shifts.
Aron kicks out a chair beside him in an invitation, and I drop my bag to the floor before lowering myself, feeling nervous and out of my element.
I have no experience with friends.
Gwen joins us, too, plopping down in the only other free seat beside mine.
She looks at me, with her elbows on the armrest. “It’s said a demon haunts the grounds.”
“What a way to drop her in it,” chuckles Benny. “You’ll scare her off.”
“She needs to know?—”
“A demon?” I ask, as my heart beats a little faster.
Aron leans forward, his black hair falling over his brow. “From the underworld.”
“You’re scaring her,” Lily says, then smacks his arm, which causes him to laugh.
“It’s the truth,” he argues, still chuckling.
“What do you mean by a demon?” I ask, looking between them all.
Brittany considers me, arms crossed, then sits forward and places her elbows on the table. “It’s said that a family used to live in that house a long time ago. They kept to themselves. Never really spoke to anyone. The father was into all that dark stuff. Apparently, he bargained with the souls of his family members for money and eternal life. They all went missing one day and were never found again, except for the dad, who’d committed suicide.” She shrugs. “At least that’s how the rumor goes.”
“And ever since,” Gwen says, looking at me sideways, “the house has stood empty, and anyone who ventures near it dies.”
