Strange Magic by Suzana Thompson Page B

more curious about her.  Why had she broken up with Duncan?  Maybe, like Mandy, she had thought that she was too young to be tied down to one guy.  Had she now changed her mind and decided that she had made a mistake in letting him go?
     
              These things were no longer any of my business.  Duncan had made it clear that he wanted to distance himself from me.  He had told Anna that I was a stalker, which had hurt my feelings terribly after the close friendship that we had shared.  Despite everything, my eyes were immediately drawn to him as I entered English class.  I was shocked by his appearance.  He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept at all the night before.
     
              “Are you okay?”  I couldn’t help my concern.
     
              “Fine,” he muttered as he quickly looked away from me.
     
              I managed to mind my own business for awhile.  Then curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to try to sneak a quick peek at his thoughts.
     
              “No!”  Duncan’s voice was loud enough to interrupt the teacher and make everybody in class turn to stare at him as he shot up out of his chair.  “May I go to the restroom?”  He didn’t actually wait to hear the answer as he hurried out of the classroom.
     
              “When you gotta go, you gotta go,” somebody said.  Everyone except me laughed.
     
              I sat there blinking away my tears.  In case I had missed it the day before, Duncan had once again driven home the point that he didn’t want anything to do with me.  Even my concern was unwanted.  I had no intention of becoming the stalker that he had described me as being.  It was for this reason that I ignored the nagging feeling that something was very, very wrong.
     
              If he wanted distance, then I would give it to him.  When he came back to class, I resolutely ignored him.  The minute class was over, I stood up to beat Duncan out the door, but he stood in my way.
     
              “Don’t ever do that again,” he hissed.
     
              “Get out of my way,” I snapped.
     
              He remained where he was, his eyes locked on mine.  “Please, Susannah.  You have to understand how important this is.  Anna must never know about our connection.”
     
              “So much for being different,” I said bitterly.  “I’m not the one you have to worry about.  Last time I saw Anna, she seemed to be getting friendly with Brad.  You should hurry before he beats you to her bed.”
     
              The hurt look on Duncan’s face didn’t give me much satisfaction.  Wordlessly, he stepped back to let me pass.  My anger drained out of me as quickly as it had sprung up.  I felt sad that my friendship with him had to end this way, but it wasn’t my choice.
     
              At least I still had Caitlin, who was a true friend.  It was a relief to see her at lunch and know that she understood how I felt.  We sat down at our usual table, but we weren’t alone for long.
     
              “Hi, Susannah.  Do you mind if I sit with you?”  Anna was holding her lunch tray and looking at me expectantly.
     
              “Uh, sure.”  I felt like my face was going to crack from my forced smile.
     
              “Thanks.”  Anna took a seat next to me.  “Being new here, I don’t know many people yet.”
     
              “This is my friend, Caitlin,” I said.  “Caitlin, this is Anna.”
     
              “It’s so nice to meet you.”  Anna half-rose out of her seat and leaned toward Caitlin with her hand extended.
     
              A bewildered Caitlin shook her hand.  “Nice to meet you, too.”
     
              “Everyone’s been nice except Duncan.  I tried to sit by him, but he was cranky.”  Her green eyes looked to me for sympathy.