Chameleon by Kenya Wright

and kept them at his sides.
    “What Cameo meant to say was Fin and I stayed here last night in the living room.” Rich edged back. “I was worried about the B.D. tracking Cameo, so I thought it was best to stay around you both until you woke up.”
    Wiz froze in his spot. The room went quiet. Rich’s focus shifted to the floor. The pillow shook in his hands.
    “And why are we saying that person’s name in front of Cameo?” Wiz clenched and unclenched his hands.
    “Ask Cameo.” Rich ducked out of my bedroom and closed the door.
    “Coward!” I yelled at him.
    “Yep,” Rich said on the other side.
    I stood. My Santeria Santeros football jersey dropped to the mid level of my thigh. The carpet scratched the soft pads of my feet as I walked over to the bathroom.
    “Why did you make that groaning noise a minute ago?” I asked.
    “Are you going to tell me about the Bearded Dragon?” Wiz trailed behind me. The boxer briefs he was wearing clung to his muscular thighs and pressed against his. . . Oh goddess. I averted my eyes. He was erect. I had to get out of there before I tried to check him out some more and he caught me doing it.
    “Cameo?”
    “What?”
    “ Why do you know that name?”
    “Because I met Mr. Bearded Dragon after you passed out.” I placed my hands on my hips. “Now why don’t you tell me about the shadow that B.D. wants?”
    Rage spread over his face. He stalked forward with closed fists. The conscious part of my brain screamed run.
    “This isn’t something to play around with.” He stopped in front of me. “Wh at happened when he saw you? What do you know?”
    “No. You need to start answering my questions first.” I backed up. “What are the snake things?”
    “They’re not snakes ,” he said through clenched teeth.
    “ Then what are they?”
    He said nothing else.
    “Things have to change.” I edged away some more. “You can’t use your magic.”
    “ I’m starting to get really mad, Cameo. What happened when he saw you?”
    “You answer me—”
    “No!” His voice exploded and rocked the room.
    The hairs on the back of my neck rose. I inched away until my back hit the wall. My fingers shook. My lip quivered. “I was so scared you wouldn’t wake up and I don’t even understand why you passed out or what’s happening inside of your body. And now you wake up yelling at me like a bully?”
    Sighing, he closed the distance between us and embraced me. “I’m sorry you were worried, but I did wake up so don’t stress what’s already happened.”
    “No more secrets, Wiz.” I didn’t hug him back. Battling with my inner emotions, I forced myself to stand my ground, which meant not letting him confuse my mind with his hugging and positive words. He always weaseled out of explaining the worm things to me. I couldn’t let that happen anymore. “What are the things inside your body?”
    “I can’t tell you about this stuff so forget about it.”
    “ That’s easy to say when you’re not the person scared out of their mind.” I shoved him away and stepped around him. “Besides, that scaly weirdo threatened you and me. He said he wants his shadow.”
    “He said that to you? What else did he say? How close was he to you?”
    He has the nerve to ask me all of these questions and doesn’t answer any of mine.
    “Do you have his shadow ?” I asked.
    He paused and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes.”
    “Are you going to give it to him?”
    “I hadn’t planned on it.”
    “Where is it?”
    “Don’t worry about any of this. I’ll handle it.”
    “No. We’re partners, Wiz.”
    “Not when it comes to anything dealing with B.D.”
    “So you’re not going to tell me anything?”
    “Nothing at all.”
    I entered the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and wrenched off my shirt. “This B.D. guy frightens me. If you really have the stone then just give it to him.”
    He gave no reply through the door so I finished undressing and went into the shower.
    Wiz has