Burning Emerald by Jaime Reed Read Free Book Online

have to wait yet again. My theory became fact when a shadow darkened my notes.
    â€œHey?” called a voice behind us, snatching all humor from the building.
    Mia turned around, removed her shades, and stared her past in the face.
    Dougie was a sight for sore eyes, and what a sight he was. He’d put on some extra weight since he joined the wrestling team, with muscles popping out the yin-yang. His sudden interest in school activities didn’t harm his position as the most thugged-out white boy I’d ever met.
    My recent purchase of a demonic man-magnet kept my visits with Dougie brief, but the allure had diminished over time, thanks to the recognition exercises Angie had taught me. As practiced, I corralled all the memories of Dougie and pushed them to the forefront before Lilith had a chance to pounce. Since my draw didn’t work on virgins, Jason Lao wouldn’t be a threat until he was thirty.
    Dougie tipped his chin in greeting. “Yo, SNM, what’s good?”
    â€œSame old,” I replied.
    His smile faded as he locked eyes on Mia again. “What are you doing here? I thought you had second lunch.”
    â€œI’m just talking to Sam.” Mia wrapped her arm around me possessively.
    He nodded. “So, how you been? You a’ight?”
    After undressing him with her eyes, Mia stammered, “Good. I mean, I-I’m good.”
    Dougie did some visible disrobing himself, his hazel eyes twinkled with longing. My head panned to our growing audience. Everyone at the table stopped eating to watch the action like it was the Thursday night lineup. This table had seen more action within the past five minutes than it had in all four years of school.
    Suffering a long and thoroughly awkward silence, Dougie spoke up. “Listen, what are ya’ll doing for Halloween? We should try to do something. It’s our last year and I miss hanging out.” He stared at Mia with a look that almost broke my heart. “We used to have fun.”
    I turned to Mia, my invisible pom-poms waving in the air, encouraging her to make a move. She worried her bottom lip as she searched the cafeteria for a reply. “Well, I just—”
    â€œThere you are. I was looking all over for you.” A short girl clung to Dougie’s arm, and slaughtered any trace of hope. At first glance, I could tell she was one of those high-maintenance girls who usually had small dogs hiding somewhere in their purses. She used her X-ray vision to size up Mia, then rose to her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Dougie’s cheek. “Dougie, I wanna go eat now.”
    Say what? I was ten seconds away from snatching those extensions off that chick’s head. Nobody, and I mean nobody called Douglas Emerson III “Dougie” but us. It was official law, and no one dared transgress and expect to survive.
    Mia had the same reaction, but she hid it well under a guise of cool. I knew that look of deadly calm, a look that usually preceded bloodshed and a police report. Mia may not have known karate or kung fu, but she had mastered the ancient art of kut-a-bitch at an early age.
    Dougie squirmed away from his arm candy. “I told you not to call me that.”
    The girl pouted. “Why? It’s so cute.”
    â€œ ’Cause only special people call him that,” I answered through gritted teeth.
    Little Buffy narrowed her eyes at me. “Well, I’m special. Aren’t I, Dougie?”
    The bell chimed on Mia’s side of the ring. Rising to her feet, she rounded on her target. “Obviously not if he told you to stop, and obviously not if you continue to ignore him. You don’t know him like that to use the title.”
    Resting her head on his shoulder, the girl caressed Dougie’s chest. “Oh, I know him real well. Don’t I, Dougie? ”
    The suggestion did not go overlooked by Mia or anyone else in the cafeteria. Heads whipped in our direction, mouths dropped, and