All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen Read Free Book Online Page B

smiled.
    Could it really be that easy? A compliment and I’m in, just like that?
    Everyone in the group was looking at her now. Out of habit, she pulled her hair forward.
    “I noticed you wear a lot of graphic tees,” Sabrina said. “Is that what everyone wore at your old school?”
    Liv put a protective hand on her chest, over her other hidden scar. “I guess so.”
    Lips pursed, Sabrina looked her up and down. “I mean, it’s cute and all. You just might want to change it up once in a while.”
    “Thanks,” Liv said, then immediately wondered why she was thanking Sabrina for basically saying her fashion sense sucked. She wanted to back away but didn’t want it to look like she was offended or hurt, even though she was both.
    I warned you they were like this. All they care about is looks and tearing other people down.
    Oh, sure. Now the other voice chimed in. Where were you a few minutes ago?
    She wasn’t sure if she was more angry or relieved there was no answer.
    Out of nowhere, Keira showed up. She stepped in front of Liv, facing Sabrina. “So, what was Grant’s deal the other night? He was acting like a total idiot.”
    Sabrina added her opinion, a few more chimed in, and thanks to Keira’s diversion, the spotlight was off Liv.
    “Missed you at the party,” a voice said near her ear. “It’s too bad you couldn’t come.” Turning toward the sound, she saw Clay. “By the way,” he said, “I think you look nice no matter what you wear.”
    Her cheeks burned from the compliment, combined with the fact that he’d witnessed her humiliation. “Thanks.”
    “See you at lunch?”
    “Yeah, sure.” Liv watched him walk away.
    Keira nudged her. “I told you he likes you.”
    “He was just being nice.”
    “Because he likes you.”
    “Why would he like me?”
    “Um, hello, because you’re super pretty, and you’ve got this whole mysterious vibe, kind of like Angelina Jolie, like you might have a vial of blood around your neck or something.”
    A shudder ran through her at the mention of blood, though she tried to forget about it and focus on the rest of what Keira had said. “Angelina Jolie?” The name sounded so familiar. “Who is she again?”
    “Hello! The movie star?” Keira stared, eyebrows scrunched together. “I can never tell if you’re joking.” She linked her arm in Liv’s and they started toward their lockers. Keira glanced over her shoulder, then leaned in and whispered, “Sabrina’s just jealous of all the attention you’re getting, since you’re the new pretty girl in town. She’ll thaw out in time. She just needs to get to know you.”
    “I’m sure that’s it,” Liv said, even though she was thinking she wanted to keep her distance from Sabrina. Even the fringe of the group wasn’t as safe as she’d hoped it would be.
    …
    Powering through her lack of sleep hadn’t been too hard that morning, but the longer the day went on, the more she felt it. Even though she’d sworn to focus on the future, her mind wouldn’t shut down as she’d lain in bed last night, trying to fall asleep. It kept trying to find information—namely, information about Elizabeth—that just wasn’t there.
    Then she’d had the weird…memory?…of collapsing in the kitchen, and the dream about the girl doing her math homework.
    Since Liv didn’t have to work hard to keep up in algebra, she folded her arms across her desk and put her head down. If she wasn’t going to learn anything, she might as well take a short nap.
    “Liv?” Mr. Walker’s voice echoed through the room. “Care to answer?”
    When she’d laid her head on her desk, she didn’t realize it would attract attention. The math she knew, but now everyone was staring, and that made speaking difficult.
    “Well, first off, I wouldn’t use that method.” She cleared her throat and tried to sound confident. “Polynomial division takes way too long. But if you’re looking for the answer, it’s two Y squared, plus three Y,