Project Pallid by Christopher Hoskins Read Free Book Online Page B

words whenever we ran across each
other, but she was always distracted with one or another groups of kids, and I
didn’t really feel comfortable jumping in. It was only through bus
windows—where Justin’s threats were empty ones—that I even dared
look at her long enough to appreciate her the way I wanted and needed to.
    There
was a magnetism about her that had captured the attention of more than just me,
and it wasn’t exclusive to the guys at school either; even girls with
reputations for cattiness were drawn to her. And by the looks of it, Catee had
quickly secured herself a spot as one of the IT girls of Madison: all in under
a week. I’d been there the same amount of time, and I hadn’t even secured a
spot for my books, yet.
    The
hunt to spot her was always an easy one, even from the bus. Mature by freshman
terms, Catee’s hair was the first giveaway when I looked for her on the ride
home. It helped that she was taller than other girls—and even some of the
boys, too—but not in a freakish sort of way, either. She’d just come into
her own faster than everyone else. While they still looked and dressed exactly the
same—like they’d just popped out of some crappy, Sears
catalogue—her look was thoughtlessly her own. It was as uniquely perfect
as it was natural.
    And
even though I caught Catee looking back at me, it always seemed to be in
geometry class, where her glances went unreciprocated. Of course, I worried
about the dismissive signals I was sending, but I didn’t have much choice in
it. I had to allow Justin his domain; after all, he’d already marked her as his
territory.
    And
because she hadn’t approach me again about the locker-share during that first
week, I naturally wondered whether the offer was still on the table when I
finally caved and convinced myself that it didn’t matter what Justin thought: I
was making my move anyway—for the sake of my broken back, if nothing
else.
    “Hey
Catee.” I tried my best to sound confident in the face of what could have been
a near-death experience. I’d been waiting for her to exit geometry, and I
pounced almost immediately as she walked out the door. Justin looked totally
shocked by my brazen forwardness in the face of his threats.
    She
excused herself from his side and left him to wait and linger, just out of
earshot and shooting looks that left me stumbling for words with her.
    “Hey,
Damian. What’s up?”
    “How’ve
you been, Catee?” I asked.
    “Eh.
Predictably unsurprised. It’s not a whole lot different here than it was at my
old school: same cliques, same bunch of meatheads.”
    “But
aren’t you going with one of the biggest ones?” I asked, using my eyes
to point Justin’s way.
    “Him!?
Gross! No!” I looked for his reaction and hoped he hadn’t heard her. There was
none. Only the same, blank stare ripping through my head.
    “Well,
I just figured and all. I mean, you guys have been sitting next to each other
all week, and I’ve seen you after school together, on my ride home to Crapsville.”
    “Platsville?”
    “That’s
what I said, Crapsville.”
    At
this, we both laughed, and I worried Justin might think it was at his expense.
I worried about the even bigger beating I might take because of it.
    “No,
I’m not going with him at all. Usually, I’m trying to go wherever
he isn’t, but he’s been a tough one to shake.”
    “Seems
it,” I replied.
    “So,
what’s up?”
    “Well,
remember what you said about your locker being available?”
    “Your
locker-share across town not work out?” she asked.
    “Not
really, no,” I said, and began to unravel another twisted tale for her. “They
wanted first, last, and a security deposit; I just couldn’t see spending
that much on such a small place, especially since it’s only got a shared
bathroom.”
    “Understandable,”
she agreed. “So, when are you looking to move in?”
    “As
soon as possible, I guess.” My own forwardness intimidated me, and I looked to
the