Decay by J. F. Jenkins Read Free Book Online Page A

exchange for the new computers her father bought for the library. The computers were not the only monetary donation her family had made either. She was just another of the rich elite that made up about a quarter of the Morningtide class – the popular quarter.
    The girl leaned into JD and nudged his shoulders with a hand. Cadence seethed as he laughed and put a hand on the small of the girl's back to catch his balance. He said something in Marcella's ear, and Cadence slammed her locker door shut.
    â€œWhoa, what did the locker do to you?” Angela, JD's little sister, asked from behind Cadence.
    With a sigh, she stood up and put her back pack over her shoulder while tilting her head in JD's direction.
    Angela's eyes narrowed as she watched her brother continue to flirt with Marcella before scoffing quietly. “What's the phrase? Been there, done that, got the t-shirt? He doesn't care about her, and he's definitely not interested anymore. Something about how she was more work than it's worth?”
    So he's already been with her too. How many girls in this school has he slept with? Cadence tried to not let it bother her. She'd known for a long time he had a bit of a reputation. JD fell hard and fast, and when that wasn't working out for him he tried doing the uncommitted hook-up thing. None of it seemed to satisfy him, and Cadence had to watch him go on an emotional roller-coaster. Watching her best friend suffer was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do.
    She shook her head. He chose me. He stopped being a player almost a year ago because he loves me. I have to hold onto that. Marcella batted her eyelashes at him and lifted up a foot like a total ditz. Images of JD holding Marcella closely and kissing her warmly, began to flood into Cadence's mind. But it still sucks. Obviously Marcella still wanted him.
    â€œSeriously, don't let it bug you,” Angela said. She patted Cadence's shoulder. “Especially since he showed me your Valentine's Day present. You guys are MFEO. You're all he talks about.”
    â€œMeant for each other? You think so? And a Valentine gift already? That's a month away,” Cadence responded, translating Angela's latest teen texting speech. She didn't quite understand why anyone talked like that. Ever since Alan gave her the ability of knowledge, Cadence's entire world view changed. I never used to be this insecure.
    Cadence forced a smile. “Ugh, you're right. We are. We definitely are. It's not easy, that's all. JD's my first boyfriend, so it's not like I have an ex to be buddies with. She and I are nothing alike.” Cadence pointed to Marcella. He finally left the girl's side and stopped to talk to a couple of his guy friends instead, but Cadence didn't watch him. Her eyes remained focused on Marcella, and she saw a lot of the person she used to be in the other girl.
    I was that ditzy girl before I got my powers. Maybe not so needy and desperate, but I hung on his every word. What if he still misses the old me? They weren't fighting about it anymore. For a long time the issue of her getting more intelligence caused a lot of problems in their friendship. JD had a hard time with change. She had to respect that. He claimed it had nothing to do with her being smarter than him now, and she trusted him. She had to.
    â€œOh, he's aware that you've never had a boyfriend before. He talks about that all the time, too. I never realized he was so chatty. How do you deal with it? I kind of miss when we hated each other’s guts,” Angela said. It was hard to tell if she was teasing or not. Cadence personally liked that the two siblings were getting along for a change instead of trying to kill each other all the time, another gift from Alan. Ever since Angela joined their seemingly random group of teenage super heroes, she and JD were forced to be civil with one another.
    Angela waved her hand in front of her, and the two walked through the hall towards their last