Clocked by Elle Strauss Read Free Book Online Page A

already.
    Which was exactly what I wanted to do.
    “ Sorry, I’m not feeling well,” I said. “I’m checking out.”
    “ But, how am I getting home?” Jessica whined.
    “ I’m sure your sophomore will take you.”
     
    ***
     
    I spent the weekend in bed.
    And dreamed about Casey Donovan. I couldn’t deny what had happened. I’d traveled to the past! Had this amazing adventure I couldn’t tell anyone about.
    Fell for a beautiful girl.
    Someone I could never touch again.
    As exciting as traveling to the past was, it wasn’t something I wanted to repeat. Now that I was back to the present, I felt like someone who’d survived a plane crash. Casey had promised to bring me back and she did, but what if next time something happened and she couldn’t deliver. As much as I liked her, I didn’t want to get stuck in the past.
    It was too risky.
    When I kissed her cheek at the dance, I already knew this. It was a kiss goodbye. I just wished now I’d kissed her properly, Jessica be damned.
    But that opportunity had passed. Now I had to face Monday morning, face going back to school. Face seeing Casey again.
    It happened as soon as I drove up in my old BMW. She was standing by the front door. I couldn’t miss her. She was taller than the girls that stood around her and the wind was blowing her curly hair across her face. She tucked it back behind her ear and looked my way. Our eyes met and my heart leaped.
    It was weird to see her in normal clothes, jeans and a jacket. She looked really good. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I approached, just a little, an acknowledgement that we shared something secret and special.
    Then I spotted Tyson and Josh. I didn’t want them to make a scene, say anything that would embarrass Casey about the dance. I brushed by her, pushed along with the crowd of kids going inside and said nothing.
    Like a jerk, I know. She might hate me for it, but in the end it was the best thing for both of us.
     
    I made it through the whole day without seeing her, though I confess I was kind of looking. Maybe she had come to the same conclusion and was avoiding me, too. It was for the best . Just sever all ties. Forget what’d happened. Remember it only like a dream or a movie I’d seen long ago.
    That was how I chose to handle it. The only serious challenge I had to staying the course was during the English class we shared. I sat in front of her in the same row. As long as I didn’t turn around, I was fine.
    I didn’t turn around.
    By Friday I was sure I’d reached escape velocity. I would forget about Casey, the Watsons and all that insaneness, and live my own life like a normal person.
    Then I went to the computer lab to work on a late assignment, and stopped short. Casey was there. She saw me standing in the doorway and it would be too rude for me to turn and leave. I didn’t want to purposefully hurt her feelings.
    I chose a computer in the front of the room so I could keep my eyes off her. I was astonished at how much it hurt to be so close to her again.
    I heard her chair push out. This was stupid. I had to at least say “hello.” I turned and opened my mouth but nothing came out. That was because I saw the dark rings under her eyes. She’d just traveled! Right then while I was busy doing my chemistry homework. Did she see them? Sara and Willie? Did that slob Robert go after her again?
    She left the room before I found my tongue. I was such an idiot.
    It took me all weekend to recover from that encounter. Knowing Casey had traveled without me shook me in a way I couldn’t understand. I tried to tell myself it wasn’t any of my business. I found distraction from my anxious thoughts by surfing sports channels, attending a party at Dylan’s, and letting Jessica talk my ear off with her unrelenting banal chatter.
    By Monday I thought I was fortified enough to take on school and any chance encounters with Casey that might arise.
    She’d been avoiding the cafeteria at lunch times, so I