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“I figured.” Hunter fell into step beside her. He was quiet for a moment, a weighted pause like last night. “Rough class?”
She shrugged. The class hadn’t been rough at all. Chris had left her alone, once she’d told him to. He’d stuck to his side of the desk, huddled over his notebook, and he hadn’t looked her way once.
Really, this was one of the most peaceful History classes she’d had in a long time.
It took her all the way to the cafeteria to figure out what had changed.
For the first time since school started, Tommy Dunleavy hadn’t dared to throw a note on her desk.
CHAPTER 23
After school, Becca was starting the engine when Quinn said she wanted to spend the night again.
Quinn had stayed over after dress shopping, of course. And last night, Becca had found her friend in the kitchen, cramming for a Trig test and eating sugar cookies. That had been okay—Becca had giggled over Hunter and made popcorn, glad to have something to keep her attention off the “graffiti” on the front door.
But now she kind of wanted to throw on sweats and hole up in her room, to have a few minutes of peace where no one could find her, where the only problems she had to worry about were which iTunes playlist would best suit her mood or whether to paint her toenails purple or fuchsia.
Becca didn’t respond to Quinn’s announcement, just put the car in gear.
Quinn was digging through her purse. “You know, if you don’t want me to stay—”
“I always want you to stay,” Becca snapped. “Don’t be stupid.”
The second that tone escaped her mouth, she regretted it.
Quinn started gathering her bags into her lap. “Wow, Bex, with an engraved invitation like that, it’ll be hard to give up my dream of sleeping on the park bench—”
“Ugh. Stop.” Becca scrunched her eyes shut and threw the car back into park. “I’m sorry. It’s been a crappy few days.”
“Yeah?” Quinn fumbled for the door handle and shoved the door open. “Funny how you haven’t mentioned anything crappy happening. I mean, maybe almost making out with New Kid was kind of—”
“Quinn! Shut up a second.” Becca stared at the steering wheel. The big silver H was the only shiny thing left on the vehicle. “I’m just under a lot of stress, okay?”
“Got it.” Quinn swung her legs out of the car. “Wouldn’t want to add any more with my problems.”
Damn it. “Quinn, wait—”
Her friend slammed the door.
Becca glared after her, debating whether to climb out of the car and chase her across the school parking lot. Hunter sure had nailed it: Quinn seems to like attention.
And who was Quinn to get all huffy? She was practically living with Becca lately. Becca’s mom was making an extra plate of dinner every night and routinely washed Quinn’s clothes. Becca figured she should count her lucky stars that she and Quinn didn’t wear the same size or her closet might be empty.
But half a mile down the road, she felt like a total bitch. She rolled to a stop at the turn to Old Mill Road. Should she go back for Quinn? Would her friend have time to catch the bus?
Becca fished her cell phone out of her purse. She kept her foot on the brake and started a new text.
A gust of wind hit the car hard enough to make it rock.
Becca grabbed the steering wheel. The intersection looked clear and still, but trees set back from the road were swaying in the sudden wind. Clouds seemed to be rolling in from the south.
She thought of the mysterious Guides. She’d never bothered to ask Chris how they’d come after her. Would it be some kind of Elemental attack?
Then she told herself to knock it off. It was September. Maryland got the remnants of every hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. It rained every other day all month. They always had a tornado drill the first week of school.
But maybe she should forget about texting Quinn and just get home. She shoved her phone into her pocket.
Wind buffeted her car as she pulled into the intersection. A few raindrops smacked her windshield. Then a lot more.
