Secrets by Melinda Metz - Fingerprints - 4 Read Free Book Online Page A

asking her to eat lunch with him again, then it would be a pretty easy yes. But the party was a whole different deal.
    I’ve got to say something, she thought. But she had no idea what it should be. Marcus seemed totally sincere. Still, just because he’d decided he wanted her back didn’t mean that she wanted to be his girlfriend again. Even though she was pretty sure that’s how he thought it worked.
    “You know what, Marcus?” she asked. “I am feeling all right, but by the end of the day, I’m wiped. I can’t see myself lasting through a party tomorrow night.”
    Okay, that should buy her a little time. She needed at least a little time to figure out what she wanted to do with Marcus.
    “Oh.” Marcus leaned back. “Well, you want to hang out for a while tonight? Watch some TV?” He stopped short.
    Rae knew he was remembering exactly the same thing she was. “Watch some TV” had been their code for making out when they were a couple because Rae’s dad wouldn’t allow a TV in the house.
    “I actually meant TV TV,” Marcus said. “I forgot-you want to play Monopoly or something?”
    This is the equivalent of lunch, Rae thought. Not public. Not something that will make Marcus think things have
    changed between us.
    But it was just too weird. The sofa was probably still warm from Anthony’s butt. It would be kind of like he was still in the room with her and Marcus.
    Marcus and Anthony. Anthony and Marcus. Her head started to hurt just thinking about the two of them.
    “I’m pretty tired,” Rae answered.
    “Oh,” Marcus said. “Oh.” He stood up. “I should have called first.”
    Rae’s throat tightened up. There was a time when Marcus showing up unexpectedly would have totally made her night. But things had changed. “Yeah, callingprobably would have been better,” she told him. She started to stand up.
    “It’s okay. Sit. You’re tired,” Marcus told her. “I know my way to the door.”
    The hurt in his voice almost made Rae want to call him back. Almost.
    Anthony stood next to the directory in the main level of the Atlanta Underground mall. He had no friggin’ idea what store he should go to. His mother had been so excited about Anthony going to his first Sanderson Prep party that she’d stuffed a wad of money in his hand and insisted he go buy himself “something nice to wear.”
    Which was cool of her. Showing up at the party looking normal-Sanderson Prep normal-would be good. Not that he cared that much. But what was normal? School normal? He couldn’t even quite achieve that with the clothes he owned.
    Anthony took a final look at the directory. Most of the store names meant nothing to him, so he jammed his hands in his pockets and started walking the mall, peering at window displays without getting too close. How could people actually shop for fun? When he reached the Gap, he decided to stop being a total wuss and go inside. It was the Gap. He could handle it. He stepped inside, pullingin a deep breath of that… clean, new smell all the stores in the mall had.
    Okay. Now what? He headed toward a table with a pile of shirts on it. Girls’ shirts. He veered away and started deeper into the store. A hand grabbed his elbow, gave it a light squeeze. Anthony jerked around and saw Jackie Kane smiling up at him. Up at him. That was nice. Rae was always eyeball to eyeball-unless she was wearing freakin’ high heels. “Closet shopaholic?” Jackie asked.
    “Yeah, right,” Anthony muttered.
    “Aw, it’s okay. I’ll be your mama. What are we shopping for?” Jackie answered, her blond hair gleaming under the store’s lights.
    Anthony swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly painfully dry. The way she said she’d be his mama-holy crap. It was like something out of one of his mental porn sessions. And Anthony was pretty sure that’s what she’d been going for. Suddenly he realized he hadn’t answered Jackie’s question. “Clothes,” he muttered.
    “Goody. My fave,” Jackie