Unveil by Amber Garza Read Free Book Online Page A

anyway. I shouldn’t be angry with her. This was my doing. She was only capitalizing on it.
    “You okay?” Haley asked.
    I nodded, even though I was anything but. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone watching me. I turned. A boy I didn’t recognize sat near Derek, watching me. He didn’t look at all like someone who belonged at the jock’s table. His eyes and hair were black and he wore gothic clothing. His penetrating stare was full of hatred. Shivering, I broke his gaze. That’s when I noticed several other students that looked a lot like him at the same table, scattered in with the students wearing letterman jackets and jerseys. It seemed so odd since I knew firsthand how exclusive that table was.
    “Are the jock’s branching out?” I asked.
    “What do you mean?” Haley looked over at them.
    “There are, like, twice as many people and a lot of them are goth or something.”
    Haley chuckled. “It looks like the same group it’s always been, minus a couple.”
    I thought about how Ian and Caleb had been expelled after Haley almost died of alcohol poisoning at a party with them. They would have let her die if Tanner and I hadn’t shown up when we did.
    “Sorry Hales, I didn’t mean to remind you of Ian and Caleb.”
    “It’s okay.” She smiled after taking a gulp from her water bottle.
    “It’s just so weird. I mean, I never thought jocks would invite gothic kids to eat with them.”
    Haley, Janna and Rick all narrowed their eyes and scrunched up their faces in a look of confusion. Before they could say anything, the ringing of the bell pierced through the air. As I loaded up my uneaten lunch I watched Tanner and Scarlet leave together. One of the gothic girls trailed behind Scarlet.
    “Hey, who’s that girl with Scarlet?” I pointed her out to Haley.
    “There’s no girl with her. Just Tanner.”
    “Yeah, she’s walking right behind them.”
    Haley bit her lip. “There’s no girl behind them.”
    “Yeah, she’s right-” The girl had vanished. Huh. Where had she gone?
    “You sure you’re okay?” Haley placed a hand on my arm.
    “Yeah.” I forced a smile. Only I wasn’t sure at all. A funny feeling descended in the pit of my stomach. Something weird was going on.
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Dialing Grandma’s number, I stretched my legs out on the couch. They were warm inside my sweatpants and my feet were encased in fuzzy slipper socks. Rain splattered the window and the wind whistled through the trees. I was glad to be inside where it was warm. It was Sunday night and Mom was out with Carol, hoping to meet a new guy. I just hoped she met a human one this time.
    Grandma was out of breath when she answered.
    “What are you doing?” I asked. “You sound like you just ran a mile.”
    “Oh, I just walked inside the house.”
    “Where were you?” A branch scratched against the side of the house, startling me.
    “At the Giovanni’s having dinner.”
    My stomach dropped. “Oh.” I picked at a hangnail.
    “Kenzie? Are you alright?”
    “Uh-huh. I’m just so confused right now. Tanner is hanging out with his ex-girlfriend and it’s making me totally jealous. But then you mention Isaac and I miss him so much it hurts. How can I feel this way about two different guys? It doesn’t make sense.”
    “We can’t always control our feelings.”
    “Isn’t that the truth.”
    “Have you prayed about it?”
    Prayer. Huh. I hadn’t even thought about that. Shame washed over me. “No.”
    “Well, I think if I were you I’d start there.”
    I glanced over at my Bible, which sat untouched on the end table. When was the last time I’d picked it up? I couldn’t remember. I’d been so hung up on my own stuff I hadn’t even cracked it open. Just another way I had messed up lately.
    After hanging up with Grandma, I reached for the Bible. Before my fingers touched it, an eerie sound perked my ears. Cold descended on me. Shadows danced in the corner of my vision. Shivering, the hairs