Masquerade (Heven and Hell #1)(3)
Author: Cambria Hebert

He made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. “I’m not into Jenna.”

That I actually believed. He was too good for her. “You went too far this time, Cole.”

“Funny thing is – I did it for her.”

I stopped in my tracks. “You kissed another girl for Kimber?”

“It was a bet. I made a lot of money. Kimber’s birthday is next week.”

“You have a job.” I pointed out. He worked at the local grocery store bagging groceries.

“I don’t make enough to get her what I wanted to get her.”

“Looks like you won’t have to get her anything now.”

We went up the front steps; he walked ahead and held open the door for me. I paused before going in. Just another day, just like yesterday. I went in, and Cole followed.

“She’s not going to forgive me, is she?” He sounded miserable.

“I don’t know.” I shuffled from foot to foot. Did that mean I couldn’t forgive him either? He was like a brother to me. He was one of the very few who still treated me like I was normal, even though I wasn’t. I sighed. “I’ll see if I can get her to talk to you.”

“You’re the best, Hev.”

“Give her a few days okay?”

“You got it.” He grinned. “I’ll call you later.”

I nodded, and he went down the hall calling out greetings as he went. I tried to remain invisible as I walked to my locker. There were only a few stares this morning, which was good. One of the girls I used to cheer with called out a timid greeting. I gave her a little wave and a small smile before returning my gaze back to the floor. Just because people weren’t staring didn’t mean they weren’t looking. They tried not to stare, but they couldn’t keep their eyes away. I was a freak now. I made people uncomfortable – and not necessarily because of my scars – but because what my scars represented. Danger, fear, and the unknown. Something bad had happened to me, something not even I could remember. They all probably thought that I was crazy, that I somehow did this to myself. I couldn’t blame them. How could I? They might be right.

Chapter Two

Heven

“What did he say?” Kimber asked before I’d even sat down. I pulled out a chair, facing her and the wall away from everyone else. Kimber’s fashionable lunch bag was open before her, along with a bottle of Smart water.

“Where’s your lunch?” she asked, frowning.

“I’ll get something from the cafeteria.”

She grimaced. She didn’t eat food from the cafeteria. She said that if she couldn’t tell what it was, she wasn’t going to put it in her body. I used to feel the same way. She reached into her bag and pulled out a turkey sandwich on wheat with avocado slices. “Here.”

“I’m not going to eat your lunch, Kimber.”

She pulled an identical sandwich from her bag and raised her eyebrow. “Eat.”

She stared at me until I was chewing. Only then did she start eating. “So you talked to him this morning?”

I nodded. “Maybe you should talk to him.”

She shook her head adamantly.

“He said it wasn’t what it looked like.”

“Do you believe that?”

“Maybe.” I put the sandwich down. It was hard to swallow.

“You’re on his side?” She looked absolutely wounded.

“No!” I cried. “I’m on your side. I just hate to see you so upset.”

“Cole cheated on me, Heven.”

“With a skank,” I added, hoping to make her smile again.

“The skank is headed this way,” she whispered under her breath.

I resisted the urge to turn and look. A scent of freesia wafted toward us announcing her arrival. Before I looked up I pulled my hair to the side and over my left shoulder.

“What do you want, Jenna?” Kimber asked, her voice full of annoyance.

“Just wanted to remind you that we’re having an extra practice Saturday morning. The competition is next month, and you need all practice you can get so you don’t embarrass the squad.”

In my lap my hand balled into a fist.

“Well, if I need extra practice it’s because you taught the team the cheer we’re doing. It’s hard to get the moves down when your form is so sloppy.”

I giggled.

The breath hissed between Jenna’s teeth. “Speaking of sloppy,” she purred. “I’m going to have to teach Cole how to kiss…clearly he’s learned nothing from you.”

“Bitch,” Kimber growled, standing.

Jenna laughed and flicked a glance at me. “Freak,” she taunted under her breath then walked away.

“She’s evil,” Kimber said, sitting back down.

“She’s just jealous you’re a better cheerleader than she is.”

“We still on for some shopping after school?”

“Sure. I’ll meet you at the car after the final bell.”

Kimber packed up her uneaten lunch, looking more shaken than normal. On the way from the lunchroom she put her hand on my arm. “Hev.”

“Yeah?”

“You know you’re not a freak, right?”

“I know,” I assured her with more bravado than I felt.

“Good. Because if anyone is a freak around here, it’s her.”

“You missed Bible study.”

Mom’s voice startled me, and I jumped. I looked around guiltily, relieved when I saw she was talking from the kitchen. How had I not heard her come in? I grimaced at the book and notebook in front of me, my attention certainly hadn’t been on homework. Ever since the sky began darkening, it became harder and harder to not stare at the window worrying about what might be out there. At one point I drifted to sleep, bored to tears by my chemistry homework, and woke to a light scraping sound over the glass of the nearby window. My heart hammered in my chest when I saw a single sharp claw slowly slide down the glass then pull away only to slam back into the pane, causing it to vibrate. I jumped up, sending my chair clattering to the floor, ready to run, when I realized it was only the branch of a tree. I was an idiot. But knowing that didn’t make me any less afraid.

I heard the fridge door close, and something hit the counter. I stifled a groan; please not chicken again tonight. Somehow my mother had gotten the idea that she should cook chicken in every way she could think of. So far, none of her creations tasted good.

“Sorry,” I said, walking into the kitchen. “I have a ton of homework, and I’m not feeling well.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Shopping with Kimber was overwhelming and left me with a headache, and the smoothie she’d insisted I drink was sitting in my stomach like a rock. When Kimber finally dropped me off, I let myself into the house and was so grateful to be alone I could have wept. I tried to distract myself with homework, but it was impossible to focus.