studying her. Since it was a cold November day, everyone was crowded inside the lunchroom. She would be welcome to sit at his table — his arty, slightly nerdy crowd really liked her — but she kept to her spot in the stairwell of the unused staircase at the back of the room. She was going through the motions of eating the peanut butter sandwich her grandfather had made for her the night before. He had added an apple. It was the exact lunch he made for her every day, and she found it very touching. All she was missing was a juice box and she’d have the lunch she used to pack for herself in elementary school. But the truth was, she had no appetite. Her phone call with Dom was swirling in her mind. Could she really leave? Just go? And then what? What kind of life would she have? She’d be a runaway. A statistic in the growing population of Wolf Springs citizens who had met bad ends.
And if she went missing, her grandfather would go crazy. Could she do that to him?
The questions were drowning her, so she made a pretense of texting so she could keep to herself and try to figure out her next step.
Even with staggered lunch periods, students were packed in tightly and the place was steamy, making the wolf mural that filled one wall look like it was sweating. Beau was also looking at her from across the room, and she kept up the show of texting so she would have a good excuse for avoiding him, too.
Then Kimi actually texted her.
Yo!
Hi, Katelyn texted back. How’s it? Jane?
Left me 4 a boy! came the reply.
Abandoning texting, Katelyn called her. “What?” she said once the connection was made. “Some friend she turned out to be.”
“You know how some girls are,” Kimi said. “Girlfriends are what you have until you hook up with a guy. And, hi.”
“Ridiculous!” It felt like old times. She wondered if that was why Kimi had started texting her again. But it didn’t really matter, did it? They were talking.
“It’s no guy you know,” Kimi said. “Doesn’t go to our school. He’s a total stoner, though, so boring.”
Katelyn was nearly giddy with the normalcy of their conversation. She almost burst into tears, which made no sense, but she held onto the phone with both hands and tapped her toes happily on the stair.
“So, big news,” Kimi said. “My mom told me to tell you that she met a family court judge at Pilates who said she’d sign off on your emancipation papers if the case came before her. Which, hell, yeah.”
Katelyn was stunned. Before she had flown out to Wolf Springs, Kimi had been lobbying for her to file for emancipation so Katelyn could stay there and live with Kimi’s family. Kimi’s mom was an attorney and she’d been willing to present the case and assure the judge she would provide Katelyn a home. Until that moment, though, Katelyn hadn’t been convinced it could actually work.
“Making deals outside of court like that, isn’t that illegal or something?” Katelyn asked, as butterflies danced in her stomach. Another chance to leave Wolf Springs dropped into her lap?
She ticked a glance in Trick’s direction to find that he was still looking at her, and she turned her head slightly and cupped her mouth.
“If you could offer some proof about why Wolf Springs is a bad living environment, that would seal the deal,” Kimi continued.
“Well, there was a murder recently.”
“Right on! I mean, oh, how awful and sad. Anyone you know? Or knew?”
“I guess she was in some of my classes, but no, I didn’t. And my history teacher is missing.”
“Jeez. Is there a guy running around with a chainsaw, too?” Kimi asked, and Katelyn snorted.
If only I could tell you what’s really going on , she thought. You wouldn’t believe any of it .
Then she inhaled the mingled scents of soap and leather. Not Justin. Trick. Up close, she could see the stubble on his cheeks and chin, and the flecks of blue in his green eyes. Without warning, her vision telescoped and she felt as
And if she went missing, her grandfather would go crazy. Could she do that to him?
The questions were drowning her, so she made a pretense of texting so she could keep to herself and try to figure out her next step.
Even with staggered lunch periods, students were packed in tightly and the place was steamy, making the wolf mural that filled one wall look like it was sweating. Beau was also looking at her from across the room, and she kept up the show of texting so she would have a good excuse for avoiding him, too.
Then Kimi actually texted her.
Yo!
Hi, Katelyn texted back. How’s it? Jane?
Left me 4 a boy! came the reply.
Abandoning texting, Katelyn called her. “What?” she said once the connection was made. “Some friend she turned out to be.”
“You know how some girls are,” Kimi said. “Girlfriends are what you have until you hook up with a guy. And, hi.”
“Ridiculous!” It felt like old times. She wondered if that was why Kimi had started texting her again. But it didn’t really matter, did it? They were talking.
“It’s no guy you know,” Kimi said. “Doesn’t go to our school. He’s a total stoner, though, so boring.”
Katelyn was nearly giddy with the normalcy of their conversation. She almost burst into tears, which made no sense, but she held onto the phone with both hands and tapped her toes happily on the stair.
“So, big news,” Kimi said. “My mom told me to tell you that she met a family court judge at Pilates who said she’d sign off on your emancipation papers if the case came before her. Which, hell, yeah.”
Katelyn was stunned. Before she had flown out to Wolf Springs, Kimi had been lobbying for her to file for emancipation so Katelyn could stay there and live with Kimi’s family. Kimi’s mom was an attorney and she’d been willing to present the case and assure the judge she would provide Katelyn a home. Until that moment, though, Katelyn hadn’t been convinced it could actually work.
“Making deals outside of court like that, isn’t that illegal or something?” Katelyn asked, as butterflies danced in her stomach. Another chance to leave Wolf Springs dropped into her lap?
She ticked a glance in Trick’s direction to find that he was still looking at her, and she turned her head slightly and cupped her mouth.
“If you could offer some proof about why Wolf Springs is a bad living environment, that would seal the deal,” Kimi continued.
“Well, there was a murder recently.”
“Right on! I mean, oh, how awful and sad. Anyone you know? Or knew?”
“I guess she was in some of my classes, but no, I didn’t. And my history teacher is missing.”
“Jeez. Is there a guy running around with a chainsaw, too?” Kimi asked, and Katelyn snorted.
If only I could tell you what’s really going on , she thought. You wouldn’t believe any of it .
Then she inhaled the mingled scents of soap and leather. Not Justin. Trick. Up close, she could see the stubble on his cheeks and chin, and the flecks of blue in his green eyes. Without warning, her vision telescoped and she felt as
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