My Soul to Take
Page 13
Tiny lines formed around her mouth when she frowned, and I crossed the room to pull my uniform shirt from a hanger, leaving it swinging on the closet rod. Out. I have to go to work. So I can pay for my car insurance. Sophie wouldnt be eligible for her license for another five months, and it drove her nuts that I could drive and she couldnt.
My car was the best thing my father had ever given me, even if it was used. And even if hed never actually seen it.
Speaking of cars, your mystery dates looked familiar. Little silver Saab, with leather upholstery, right? Sophie stood, ambling toward the door slowly, narrow hips swaying, cocking her head as if in thought. The backseats pretty comfortable, even with that little rip on the passenger side.
Pain shot through my jaw, and I realized I was grinding my teeth.
Say hi to Nash for me, she purred, one hand wrapped around my door. Then her expression morphed from vicious vixen to Good Samaritan, in the space of a single second. Im not trying to hurt your feelings here, Kaylee, but I think you should know the truth. Her pale green eyes went wide in faux innocence. Hes using you to get to me.
My temper flared and I slammed the door. Sophie yelped and jerked her hand out of the way just in time to avoid four broken fingers. My fist clenched my uniform shirt, and I tossed it over the dancers-butt dent shed left in my comforter.
Shes wrong. But I studied my reflection anyway, trying to see myself as everyone else did. As Nash did. No, I didnt have Sophies lean dancers build, or Emmas abundant curves, but I wasnt hideous. Still, Nash could do much better than not-hideous.
Was that why he hadnt kissed me? Was I a convenience between girlfriends? Or a pity date? Some kind of social out-reach program for kindhearted jocks?
No. He wouldnt spend so much time talking to someone he had no real interest in, even if he was looking for a casual hookup. There were easier scores elsewhere.
But I could use a qualified second opinion. Phone in hand, I plopped down on the bed and held my breath while I typed, hoping Emmas mom had given her back her phone.
No such luck. Two very long minutes after I sent the text messageCan u talk?the reply came.
She is still grounded. Talk to Emma at work.
She should never have taught her mother to text. I told her no good could come of that.
Em and I were scheduled for the same shift, so that afternoon I filled her in on my date with Nash as we sold tickets to the latest computer-animated cartoon and the inevitable romantic comedy. On our dinner break, we sat in one corner of the snack bar, sharing a soft pretzel and cheese fries while I told her about Heidi Andersonwhat she hadnt heard from her sisterwhere no one could overhear.
Emma was fascinated by the accuracy of my prediction, and she agreed with Nash that Ishould tell my aunt and uncle, though her motive had more to do with shooting them a big I-told-you-so than with helping me figure out what to do with my morbid talent.
But again, I declined the advice. I had no interest in any future meetings with Dr. Nelsonhe of the medical restraints and the zombie pills. In fact, I was clinging to the hope that the next predictionif there was anotherwould be months, or even years down the road. After all, there had been nearly nine months between the past two.
The last part of my shift dragged on at half the normal speed because less than fifteen minutes in, the manager moved Emma to the snack bar, leaving me alone in the ticket booth with an A&M computer science major whose undershirtwhich he lifted his uniform to show meread: My other shirt is a storm trooper uniform.
When the day was finally over, I clocked out and waited for Emma in the employee snack room. As I was zipping my jacket, Emma pushed through the door and stood with her body holding it open, a dark frown shadowing her entire face.
Whats wrong? My hand hovered over the hook where her jacket still hung.
Come on. You have to hear this. She pushed the door open wider and stood to the side, so I could pass through. But I hesitated. Her news obviously wasnt good, and I was all full up on creepy and depressing for the moment. Seriously. This is weird.
I sighed, then shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and followed her over eight feet of sticky linoleum tile and across the theater lobby toward the snack counter.
Jimmy Barnes was busy with a customer, but once he saw Emma waiting to talk to him, he rushed through the order so quickly he almost forgot to squirt butter on the popcorn. He had a bit of a crush on Emma.
He wasnt the only one.
Back already? Jimmy nodded at me, then leaned with both plump arms on the glass countertop, staring at Em as if the meaning of life lay buried in her eyes. His fingers were stained yellow with butter-flavored oil and he smelled like popcorn and the root beer hed dribbled down the front of his black apron.
Can you tell Kaylee what Mike said?
Jimmys goofy, puppy-love smile faded, and he stood, angling his body to face us both. Creepiest thing I ever heard. He reached below the counter to grab a plastic-wrapped stack of sixteen-ounce paper cups, and began refilling the dispenser as he spoke.
You know Mike Powell, right? he asked.
Yeah. I glanced at Emma with both brows raised in question, but she only nodded toward Jimmy, silently telling me to pay attention.
Jimmy pressed on an inverted stack of cups, which sank into a hole in the countertop to make room for more. Mike took a shift at the snack bar at the Arlington branch today, filling in for some guy who got fired for spittin in someones Coke.
My car was the best thing my father had ever given me, even if it was used. And even if hed never actually seen it.
Speaking of cars, your mystery dates looked familiar. Little silver Saab, with leather upholstery, right? Sophie stood, ambling toward the door slowly, narrow hips swaying, cocking her head as if in thought. The backseats pretty comfortable, even with that little rip on the passenger side.
Pain shot through my jaw, and I realized I was grinding my teeth.
Say hi to Nash for me, she purred, one hand wrapped around my door. Then her expression morphed from vicious vixen to Good Samaritan, in the space of a single second. Im not trying to hurt your feelings here, Kaylee, but I think you should know the truth. Her pale green eyes went wide in faux innocence. Hes using you to get to me.
My temper flared and I slammed the door. Sophie yelped and jerked her hand out of the way just in time to avoid four broken fingers. My fist clenched my uniform shirt, and I tossed it over the dancers-butt dent shed left in my comforter.
Shes wrong. But I studied my reflection anyway, trying to see myself as everyone else did. As Nash did. No, I didnt have Sophies lean dancers build, or Emmas abundant curves, but I wasnt hideous. Still, Nash could do much better than not-hideous.
Was that why he hadnt kissed me? Was I a convenience between girlfriends? Or a pity date? Some kind of social out-reach program for kindhearted jocks?
No. He wouldnt spend so much time talking to someone he had no real interest in, even if he was looking for a casual hookup. There were easier scores elsewhere.
But I could use a qualified second opinion. Phone in hand, I plopped down on the bed and held my breath while I typed, hoping Emmas mom had given her back her phone.
No such luck. Two very long minutes after I sent the text messageCan u talk?the reply came.
She is still grounded. Talk to Emma at work.
She should never have taught her mother to text. I told her no good could come of that.
Em and I were scheduled for the same shift, so that afternoon I filled her in on my date with Nash as we sold tickets to the latest computer-animated cartoon and the inevitable romantic comedy. On our dinner break, we sat in one corner of the snack bar, sharing a soft pretzel and cheese fries while I told her about Heidi Andersonwhat she hadnt heard from her sisterwhere no one could overhear.
Emma was fascinated by the accuracy of my prediction, and she agreed with Nash that Ishould tell my aunt and uncle, though her motive had more to do with shooting them a big I-told-you-so than with helping me figure out what to do with my morbid talent.
But again, I declined the advice. I had no interest in any future meetings with Dr. Nelsonhe of the medical restraints and the zombie pills. In fact, I was clinging to the hope that the next predictionif there was anotherwould be months, or even years down the road. After all, there had been nearly nine months between the past two.
The last part of my shift dragged on at half the normal speed because less than fifteen minutes in, the manager moved Emma to the snack bar, leaving me alone in the ticket booth with an A&M computer science major whose undershirtwhich he lifted his uniform to show meread: My other shirt is a storm trooper uniform.
When the day was finally over, I clocked out and waited for Emma in the employee snack room. As I was zipping my jacket, Emma pushed through the door and stood with her body holding it open, a dark frown shadowing her entire face.
Whats wrong? My hand hovered over the hook where her jacket still hung.
Come on. You have to hear this. She pushed the door open wider and stood to the side, so I could pass through. But I hesitated. Her news obviously wasnt good, and I was all full up on creepy and depressing for the moment. Seriously. This is weird.
I sighed, then shoved my hands into my jacket pockets and followed her over eight feet of sticky linoleum tile and across the theater lobby toward the snack counter.
Jimmy Barnes was busy with a customer, but once he saw Emma waiting to talk to him, he rushed through the order so quickly he almost forgot to squirt butter on the popcorn. He had a bit of a crush on Emma.
He wasnt the only one.
Back already? Jimmy nodded at me, then leaned with both plump arms on the glass countertop, staring at Em as if the meaning of life lay buried in her eyes. His fingers were stained yellow with butter-flavored oil and he smelled like popcorn and the root beer hed dribbled down the front of his black apron.
Can you tell Kaylee what Mike said?
Jimmys goofy, puppy-love smile faded, and he stood, angling his body to face us both. Creepiest thing I ever heard. He reached below the counter to grab a plastic-wrapped stack of sixteen-ounce paper cups, and began refilling the dispenser as he spoke.
You know Mike Powell, right? he asked.
Yeah. I glanced at Emma with both brows raised in question, but she only nodded toward Jimmy, silently telling me to pay attention.
Jimmy pressed on an inverted stack of cups, which sank into a hole in the countertop to make room for more. Mike took a shift at the snack bar at the Arlington branch today, filling in for some guy who got fired for spittin in someones Coke.
