Wicked Sense by Fabio Bueno Page B

club.
    Those two friends of his are walking in his direction. The bulky one glances at me. His eyes bulge. He halts and puts a hand on the Sean’s chest, stopping him too. They mumble something to each other and walk away. I turn to Drake. He’s still paralyzed, oblivious to his friends’ double-take.
    I ’d better make a m ove. When I start toward Drake, he come s out of his haze. After a few tentative steps , he meet s me in the middle , at the lot curbside.
    “Hey,” I say, using our old greeting.
    He doesn’t answer with our trademark “Hey, you.” Instead, he says, “Are you back?”
    I nod.
    “Why?” He winces . “I mean, how’s your mother? Is she with you?”
    So many things to ask, and he is concerned with Mum? Is he sweet or what?
    “She’s much better. It was just a scare.”
    His expression shows doubt.
    “Her sister is with her,” I add , reassuring him. It’s just a half-lie.
    “Good. And why are you here?”
    Oh, Goddess. Maybe h e thinks I came back for him! His face is inscrutable. I can’t let him down, but I can’t tell him the truth. He’s right. To most people, my return won’t make a sliver of sense , unless you know I’m a Sister on a mission. I need a way out.
    T he muffler sound hits me even before I sense her magical energy. One does not need True Si ght to realize Jane is arriving.
    I t urn to the parking lot entrance and see her red machine slashing through the traffic, safety be damned. Drake follows my gaze.
    After Jane parks, her head jerks up, and she stares straight at us. She doesn’t look pleased. Like, at all.
    And Drake is visibly upset.
    It gives me an idea for a way out. It’s not pretty, but it’s the best I can do right now. Please don’t hate me, Drake.
    “Why do you care?” I say, borrowing some acting talent from Mum. “And why are you so worried, Drake?”
    His voice is unsure. “Nothing. Just some crap I have to deal with.”
    I nod in Jane’s direction. “Is she the crap you have to deal with?”
    He looks at me startled. His expression is a mash - up of surprise and regret. I so wish I could read his aura. Why can’t I?
    I’m sorry, Drake. I’m sorry.
    “ Prisci l la,” he mumbles.
    “Yeah,” I say, my faked bitch y- ness reaching record heights. Maybe I am mad he made out with Jane. “ Prisci l la is a good friend.”
    “Yeah, she’s your good friend,” he says. His tone is so… dark. Oh, what have I done?
    He walks past me, not saying another word.
    It’s like a punch to the gut. I want to say I’m sorry again . I want to scream it’s just an act. But I don’t. I just let him go.
    I look at him and see his fake-proud march toward the school. I broke his heart. Twice.
    While I think on how mean I ’ve become , I don’t realize someone ’s approaching. The high school Hulk. Appropriately, his aura is green. What’s his name again? Oh, yeah. Boulder.
    He stands by, staring at me.
    I try to preempt an awkward moment. “Dude, it’s not a good time to ask me out.” I’m still in diva -mode. And I shouldn’t use the word ‘dude’ anymore.
    “I’m not here to ask you out.” He pauses, then admits, “Don’t get me wrong, I would, but my bro beat me to it.” He shouldn’t use the word ‘bro’ anymore. “Here’s the deal. Don’t hurt him. You let him down nicely, or there’s going to be some Boulder reckoning.”
    Way to charm a girl. “You don’t think much of him, do you? Are you his babysitter?”
    He cocks his head, maybe thinking whether he should snap my neck .
    “More of a big brother. Hence the ‘bro . ’ I’m looking out for him. And don’t mention it to him, or — ”
    “A reckoning. Got it.” I try to sound blasé, but I’m impressed Drake can command that kind of loyalty. “You’re something else, Boulder, you know?”
    “Of course I do.” He turns and struts to school.
    Oh, Drake. Maybe I made a bigger mistake than I thought.

Chapter 23: Drake
    Today I want to follow Mona’s lead and