Read Online Midnight Runes (The Bestowed Ones) by Celeste Buie - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Celeste Buie
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there. That way, I’ll have no idea if you embarrass me. Please promise you’ll stay off me as a topic.”
“I won’t specifically bring you up, but I’m not going to stay quiet if he does. I can’t be rude.”
“Nice try, but he has no reason to bring me up. Just don’t talk about boyfriend-type stuff, okay? I’m not looking for one. I don’t want you hinting any more than you already did this morning. I don’t need him thinking I think we should be together.”
I could tell from her expression she wanted to push this issue but smartly decided against it.
CHAPTER 11
A ll morning the next day, Elyse chatted about her interview with Landon. By lunch, she was ticked he hadn’t shown up, and by the end of the day she was just short of annoyed. He’d better have a good reason for not coming to his second day of school.
On his third day, it shocked me to see him standing by my locker, especially since I was running late.
“Forget your way around already?” The words were harsh, but the tone…well, it was too. I meant to be mocking rather than mean. I was worried that today would be a repeat of his first day.
“I wondered when you were going to show up,” he said. “Do you always cut it so close?”
I ignored his comment and question. “What are you doing here?”
“I go to school here.”
When I didn’t smile or laugh, he said, “I thought I’d return the favor and walk with you to class this morning.”
“I’m the one who knows the way around.”
I swapped the books I didn’t need for the ones I did, shut the locker, and headed to class.
He followed.
I rolled my eyes. “You know, you’re a lot like Elyse.” I was irritated that he insisted on spending time with me.
“How so?” he asked.
“Unrelenting. And you’re in big trouble with her for not coming to school yesterday. All she talked about was your interview. And why are you so insistent on setting girls against me?” That last thought slipped out before I could stop it. It had been on my mind since watching Kayla, Brittany, and Paige’s reaction to Landon saying I volunteered to show him around, like who was I to walk around with him. I’d never had any issues with any girls in our grade, much less over a guy, but Emilee’s reaction topped the cake.
“I have done no such thing.” His eyes sparkled. “Would you like me to?”
“They’re going to think we know each other.”
“I know you better than anyone else here.”
“They’re going to think we’re
together
,” I hissed. “Or something.” Something such as
liking
each other.
“I have to set a precedent the first few days at a new school.”
That sunk in: I was being used. “Nice to know your motivations, but it’s sad that you can’t handle a bunch of girls by yourself.”
He laughed. “You walked into this situation. It could have been anyone else.”
“There are plenty of others who would gladly step into my spot.”
“I like the way this is playing out,” he said with a smile in his voice.
• • •
We resumed our conversation after class. That day was a repeat of his first day, much to my dismay and the dismay of hopeful girls shooting me subtle, what’s-so-special-about-her looks.
I didn’t understand the fascination he seemed to have with irritating me.
“Are you hounding me to see if or when I tell Elyse we’ve seen each other? Do you want to be there when it happens? We can just get it all out in the open and be done with it.”
“I thought we talked about this. You could tell her. It is true.”
“Yeah, but then she’d wonder why I didn’t mention it at the time and waited more than a second to tell her. So it’s actually going to cause me trouble.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
“It seemed like it was, I don’t know, some sort of secretive thing I witnessed. And what would you tell her, anyway? You won’t tell
me
what you’re doing here. Now it’d just cause more problems that it’s worth—especially
“I won’t specifically bring you up, but I’m not going to stay quiet if he does. I can’t be rude.”
“Nice try, but he has no reason to bring me up. Just don’t talk about boyfriend-type stuff, okay? I’m not looking for one. I don’t want you hinting any more than you already did this morning. I don’t need him thinking I think we should be together.”
I could tell from her expression she wanted to push this issue but smartly decided against it.
CHAPTER 11
A ll morning the next day, Elyse chatted about her interview with Landon. By lunch, she was ticked he hadn’t shown up, and by the end of the day she was just short of annoyed. He’d better have a good reason for not coming to his second day of school.
On his third day, it shocked me to see him standing by my locker, especially since I was running late.
“Forget your way around already?” The words were harsh, but the tone…well, it was too. I meant to be mocking rather than mean. I was worried that today would be a repeat of his first day.
“I wondered when you were going to show up,” he said. “Do you always cut it so close?”
I ignored his comment and question. “What are you doing here?”
“I go to school here.”
When I didn’t smile or laugh, he said, “I thought I’d return the favor and walk with you to class this morning.”
“I’m the one who knows the way around.”
I swapped the books I didn’t need for the ones I did, shut the locker, and headed to class.
He followed.
I rolled my eyes. “You know, you’re a lot like Elyse.” I was irritated that he insisted on spending time with me.
“How so?” he asked.
“Unrelenting. And you’re in big trouble with her for not coming to school yesterday. All she talked about was your interview. And why are you so insistent on setting girls against me?” That last thought slipped out before I could stop it. It had been on my mind since watching Kayla, Brittany, and Paige’s reaction to Landon saying I volunteered to show him around, like who was I to walk around with him. I’d never had any issues with any girls in our grade, much less over a guy, but Emilee’s reaction topped the cake.
“I have done no such thing.” His eyes sparkled. “Would you like me to?”
“They’re going to think we know each other.”
“I know you better than anyone else here.”
“They’re going to think we’re
together
,” I hissed. “Or something.” Something such as
liking
each other.
“I have to set a precedent the first few days at a new school.”
That sunk in: I was being used. “Nice to know your motivations, but it’s sad that you can’t handle a bunch of girls by yourself.”
He laughed. “You walked into this situation. It could have been anyone else.”
“There are plenty of others who would gladly step into my spot.”
“I like the way this is playing out,” he said with a smile in his voice.
• • •
We resumed our conversation after class. That day was a repeat of his first day, much to my dismay and the dismay of hopeful girls shooting me subtle, what’s-so-special-about-her looks.
I didn’t understand the fascination he seemed to have with irritating me.
“Are you hounding me to see if or when I tell Elyse we’ve seen each other? Do you want to be there when it happens? We can just get it all out in the open and be done with it.”
“I thought we talked about this. You could tell her. It is true.”
“Yeah, but then she’d wonder why I didn’t mention it at the time and waited more than a second to tell her. So it’s actually going to cause me trouble.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
“It seemed like it was, I don’t know, some sort of secretive thing I witnessed. And what would you tell her, anyway? You won’t tell
me
what you’re doing here. Now it’d just cause more problems that it’s worth—especially
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