Silverlighters by Ellem May Read Free Book Online

said.
    “Yeah – take you all of five minutes,” Melissa smirked. “Welcome to Boringville.”
    “It’s not that bad.” Chris nudged her arm playfully, his snub nose dimpling. “A few of us are thinking about going to the movies on Saturday. Maybe grab a pizza after. You still coming, Mel?”
    “Wouldn’t miss it,” she said through her fries.
    “I’m in, too,” Beck said. “How about you, Ellie?”
    “Sounds good,” I nodded. “I’ll have to check with my father first.”
    Beck turned to the others, her mouth opening to say something, when she suddenly turned back to me, her voice low. “I don’t believe it.” Her large brown eyes sparkled with excitement.
    “What?” Melissa leaned over the table, gathering her long, strawberry curls over one shoulder to stop it falling in her food.
    “Jonathon – he’s staring at you,” Beck said to me.
    “He is?” Melissa said before I could react.
    She snapped her head around to look behind her.
    “Way to be obvious,” Chris hissed, glancing curiously at me.
    I had no idea what the deal was, or why it should be so strange. And there was no way I was going to look, no matter how much I wanted to.
    Melissa flipped her head back to face us again. Her strawberry tresses sent fries skittering across the table. “I don’t believe it,” she said, her brow wrinkling as she studied me.
    “So – I’m not imagining things?” Beck said to Melissa.
    Melissa shook her head. “But why her?”
    “Why not?” Chris said.
    “I don’t get it,” I mumbled, my face flushing.
    It was like they’d forgotten I was at the table, even though they were staring at me seconds before.
    “You will,” Melissa said knowingly. “Just give it a few more days.”
    Chris rolled his eyes at Melissa. “It’s like we’re invisible to them,” he told me. “The only time any of them pay as any attention is when Madison is in full-bitch mode.”
    “Oh,” I said. I had no idea what else to say.
    “It’s like they came out of the Twilight Zone or something.” Melissa shuddered. “They give me the creeps.”
    “They transferred in at the start of the year.” Beck kept her voice low, as though she thought they could hear her. “Rumor is they got into some sort of trouble and got sent here as punishment. They stay at a boarding house with the out-of-towners.”
    A heavy silence fell, and I stared down at the table.
    I could feel Beck and Melissa watching me.
    “Is he still looking?” I asked, trying to shift their attention away from me.
    I heard a chair scrape on the floor.
    “No,” Beck said.
    “Good.” I raised my head, firmly telling myself I wasn’t going to look over Melissa’s shoulder. To keep my eyes low.
    I hadn’t counted on Melissa moving her chair closer to Chris.
    I could see her watching me out of the corner of my eye.
    Jonathon was directly in front of me, about five tables away.
    He chose that moment to look up.
    Beck elbowed me in the side, and my face flushed, but Melissa just grinned and turned to wave at him.
    Jonathon’s smile was impulsive, a slow curving of his lips, until Madison hissed something in his ear that made his jaw tighten.
    I didn’t think my face could get any hotter.
    I was wrong.
    I turned to Beck. “What – is Madison his girlfriend or something?”
    “Hah!” Melissa shrilled, too loudly. “So you’re team Jonathon.”
    “What are you talking about?” I hoped my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.
    Beck leaned in. “Most everyone has a raging crush on at least one of them. Personally, I prefer Morgan. There’s something so dreamy about him,” she sighed.
    “Which one’s Morgan?” I asked, glad the conversation had moved away from me.
    “The one with the delicious skin. Makes me think of chocolate. And I loooove chocolate. I swear, I could totally gobble him right up – but he’s just so – so serious. Watching them all the time. It’s like he thinks he has to keep them under control or