Page 73 of Rockwell Academy: The Twist

“What’s sleep?” She groans as she reaches for the coffee jug.

“Thank God for coffee. That’s all I can say.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She nods. “It may help.”

She refills my mug and joins me at the counter, and lowers her voice.

“The Claiming challenge.”

“What about it?”

“Jesse told me to put my name down.”

“Because?”

She blushes. “Because he wants to claim me.”

“And you don’t like that idea.”

“No–” She sighs. “I hardly know him, Summer. Aside from a few conversations, we haven’t spoken much and yes, I’m attracted to him, but signing up to be his girl for the entire semester is a lot.”

“So, don’t do it.”

“Then I would be a bitch.”

I laugh out loud. “You, a bitch? I wonder what that makes me?”

She laughs softly. “You’re not a bitch, Summer. Far from it.”

“Then ask him for more time. The Claiming lasts half the semester—he should be around more if he expects you to commit.”

“But I don’t want to. Not really.”

“Then what’s the issue? Just let him down gently.”

“It’s complicated.”

She’s holding something back. I weigh my words carefully before speaking.

“Is it something else, another reason perhaps that you want to help him?”

She glances around and whispers, “He told me something in confidence, and it’s a lot.”

“But how can claiming you in the challenge help with his problem?”

“It removes him from the game.”

“By entering another one?”

I huff with frustration. “Listen, Imogen, you are talking in riddles and I can reassure you that you can trust me with the secret. I’m not one of those girls who goes and tells everyone with the prefix, ‘don’t tell anyone I said this but–’ and before you know it, it’s a secret that everybody knows about.”

Imogen laughs and I detect a little relief in her voice as she whispers, “Okay, but if it gets out, I’m holding you responsible.”

“It won’t.”

I smile my reassurance because I can be trusted to hold secrets to the grave if I must, and Imogen obviously needs someone to confide in.

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