Autumn Falls by Bella Thorne Read Free Book Online Page A

mío,”
Amalita mutters. “What’s the problem, Autumn? She’s giving you the
mal de ojo
? Let me talk to her.” She gets to her feet and shouts “Hey!” before I yank her back down.
    “Stop! You’ll make it worse. It’s not a huge deal,” I say. “It’s just that she’s
always
doing that, looking at me like she wants to kill me. Ever since that day in the mall.”
    “When she realized her man wants you,” Amalita says.
    “But Sean’s not her man,” I say. “You told me he’s not into her.”
    “And we have no way of knowing he wants Autumn,” J.J. points out. “He didn’t ask you out or anything, did he?”
    Jack snorts.
    “No,” I say. “He’s nice to me. He talks to me when I see him in homeroom. We’ll walk together a little on our way to our next class sometimes. That’s it.”
    “Which is nothing,” J.J. says.
    “Unless he talks about you in front of Reenzie,” Amalita says.
    “Whatever,” J.J. says. “I think you should let it go. She wants to glare, let her glare. You’re stressed-out enough with work and life and stuff that actually matters. Don’t let Reenzie Tresca add to it. She’s not worth it.”
    “You’re right,” I say. “Except … I feel like she’s plotting something.”
    And then lunch ends and I think about it in chemistry class and I’m freaked out all over again. I excuse myself to the bathroom and bring my bag, then duck into an empty science lab. I yank out the journal and scribble as quickly as I can:
    Dear Dad,
    Something’s been bugging me and I think I’ll feel better about it if I just tell you.
    I let him know how anxious I am, and for the first time since that beginning entry I end with something on the wish list.
    I wish that if Reenzie were going to do something to me she’d just go ahead and do it so I wouldn’t have to wait.
    I close the book and take a deep breath.
    I feel better.
    The rest of the day flies by. After school it’s homework, then dinner, then a little TV before I go up to my room to slog through more of my endless reading assignments.
    The text from Amalita comes in at eleven.
    If you’re up, it says, DO NOT log on to the student portal.
    So of course I do.
    Oh. My. God.

The Aventura High student portal is like most student portals. You log on with your name and password, click on your class year, and get to a page where teachers post long-term assignments, reference guides, study materials, announcements … administrative stuff.
    At least, that’s usually what you find. This time when I log on and click on the sophomore class page, I’m greeted by a full-screen image of
me
.
    It’s a close-up of my face, and it must have been taken my first day of school, because the giant cleft lump swells mountainously out of my forehead. I obviously have no idea the picture is being taken. My lips are oddly puckered and my eyelids are half closed. I’m sure I was in the middle of saying something, but the shot makes it look like I’m in the throes of ecstasy. The focus is soft, like the picture was snapped from far away and blown up, but there’s no doubt at all it’s me.
    I click everywhere and press every button on the keyboard, but it doesn’t go away.
    I’m shaking. I want to call Amalita, but it’s far too late, so I text her back.
    AUTUMN : I’m gonna kill her.
    AMALITA : I told you not to look.
    AUTUMN : Maybe they’ll pull it down before people see it?
    AMALITA : I heard from Carrie Amernick. Mass email. Too late.
    I have no clue what to do with myself. I’m so furious I’m still shaking. I should close the screen, but I don’t. My hideous face keeps staring at me.
    What the heck do I do? I could wake up Mom.
That
wouldn’t be mortifying at all.
    I have to move. I feel as if my nerves are on fire and I can’t sit still. I pace around my room in circles, climbing over the bed each lap as though it’s a giant hurdle. I actually laugh out loud when I think how badly I
wanted
Reenzie to just go ahead and do