The Violet Hour (The Violet Hour Series) by Andrea L Wells Page B

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    “Nothing for you to worry about, I’ll tell you about it some other time,” Luke said, leading the way.
    “Just like you’re going to tell me about last night?” I muttered under my breath. 
    He must have heard every word because Luke stopped dead in his tracks and turned back with a glare. 
    “Hello,” a chipper voice said, “You must be our new student.  Logan?”
    I turned to see a teacher walking out of my next classroom with Romeo and Juliet in hand.  Finally, saved by Romeo.
    “Yes, I am,” I replied.
    She smiled and welcomed me into her classroom.  Luke shuffled in behind us and I could practically see the fumes rolling off him.  She informed me there’d be a pop quiz and to take a seat wherever I wanted.  We were the only two students since everyone else was still at lunch.  I headed toward the back of the room, assuming Luke would follow, wanting to finish what I started in the hallway. 
    Luke sauntered over and placed his book on my desk.  “Is this seat taken?” he joked.
    “Oh, have you decided to randomly be nice to me again?” I asked, jarred yet again by his mood changes.
    Luke pretended to grab his book and walk away but finally sat down next to me when he realized I wasn’t playing.  He looked over at me and mouthed ‘sorry.’  How was it this guy could take my breath away with a simple gesture and yet be so fierce with his words at the drop of a hat?  If that had been Brody and I in the hallway, we would have started wailing at each other, teacher or not, and then sat at opposites ends of the classroom.  Or, Brody would have laughed when Rachel called me Charlie Brown to the point I would’ve went home and burnt the outfit I was wearing.  Every day spent with Luke made it that much easier to get over that jerk, but whatever Luke was keeping from me was going to tear us apart if we didn’t address it.  Soon. 
    I still hadn’t returned any of Lindsey’s or Brody’s calls.  Whatever was going on between them almost didn’t matter.  More and more, I realized they just weren’t good people for me.  I planned to tell them that once I got a little more over the whole ordeal.  First, I needed to make new friends to help me forget about the old ones.  Then, my slate would be clean in time to go back to Cali without the drama.
    Rachel entered the classroom and scanned the desks.  She saw Luke sitting beside me in the back corner and opted for a seat at the front.  The rest of the classroom began to fill as the warning bell rang.  Mrs. Thomas invited me to the front of the room, just as the rest of the teachers had done.  Begrudged, I gave a short speech about who I was and where I was from.  The same speech I’d already given to more than half the class throughout the day. 
    “Does anyone have any questions for Logan?” Mrs. Thomas asked. 
    No one had asked me questions in any of my other classrooms.  Rachel’s hand shot up out of the corner of my eye, smile smeared across her face.  My stomach dropped.  I froze; eyes on Luke, knowing this wasn’t going to end well.
    “Yes, Rachel?” Mrs. Thomas offered.
    “What happened to your mother?” Rachel asked in a sweet songbird voice.  A few students in the classroom gasped while Luke sat up in his chair.  He looked almost in pain.  I knew I was.
    I held my breath, swallowed and turned to look Rachel in the eyes while my own filled with tears.  She stared coldly back, waiting for me to either answer her question or fall apart.  I turned and walked steadily out of the classroom.  I could hear Mrs. Thomas calling order to the class as both my hands hit the bathroom door across the hall.  I went into a stall, locked it, and slid down the door.  I hit the floor and my head fell into my hands.  My stomach burned, my heart ached and my mind raced.  Why did this girl hate me?  I didn’t even know her. 
    I heard someone say my name outside the stall.  I wiped the tears from my cheeks and stood