Page 51 of The Executioners Three
“My ten o’clock or your ten o’clock?” Freddie flung her gaze around… Until sure enough, there he was with his gray head, gray beard, and keen brown eyes.
He was looking right at Freddie, his lips parting as if to call her over.
Nope, nope, nope! Nowaywas she giving up her newfound freedom to that stuffy counselor from out of town.
“Run,”she hissed, and Divya needed no more urging. As one, they sprinted for the back of the school. Once around the corner, they dove behind a dumpster.
A mostly empty dumpster—thank god. Freddie couldn’t handle much more rot in one day. “How long should we hide?” Freddie whispered, pulling out Sabrina.
“I don’t think we need to whisper,” Divya replied.
“Of course we do,” Freddie said, still whispering. “This is likeGoldenEye.”
“Yeah.” Divya made a face. “Which you also don’t have to whisper for. It’s a freaking N64 game—”
“Hello,” Kyle said, suddenly appearing beside them.
Freddie flinched; Divya yelped.
He smiled, dropping to a graceful squat. “What are you two doing back here?”
“Uh,” Divya answered while Freddie offered a meek shrug.
“You know,” Freddie began in a whisper. Then, because she realized itdidsound foolish, she coughed and said normally, “We’re just, uh, hanging out. Behind a dumpster. As people do.”
“Right.” Kyle nodded as if people did do that, and Freddie found herself wondering how he could be so pretty yet so empty inside.
Then again, she supposed it was really just evolutionary fairness. If he’d gotten all the good looksandthe smarts, the Matrix would probably glitch forever, leading to the end of all life as they knew it.
“We’re going to the Quick-Bis,” Kyle said, still smiling that winning smile. “Do you wanna come?”
Part of Freddie did want to go. Of course she did. She liked the Prank Squad. And she liked Kyle Friedman. (She did, she did!)
“I… can’t,” she said eventually. “I have Very Important Things I need to do.”
“Oh.” A flicker of disappointment. But then he rallied. “Well, do you want company? I could join you.”
Freddie gulped. Kylehadknown about the Executioners Three poem, even if he hadn’t remembered specifics. Maybe he could help Freddie in other ways…
She should say yes. Particularly since Lance Bass wasn’t around anymore, so it wasn’t the keychain’s magic making Kyle interested.
Yet for some reason, when Freddie looked at Kyle’s face, she found herself thinking of Theo instead. Of how he’d looked in her dream, with his hands outstretched and an iron heart resting upon his palms. Kyle was beautiful and a troublemaker.
But Theo was beautiful and tortured. And for some reason, that was a lot more appealing.
Except no, no,no.Freddie had promised Divya she wouldn’t think about Theo ever again. He was a Montague, and the risk was simply too great.
Freddie had a crush on Kyle; shelikedhim, and now she was going to tell him yes.
“I’m fine by myself,” she said. “I think I’ll get done faster on my own.” Inwardly, she karate-chopped herself.
“Oh.” There was that disappointment on Kyle’s flawless face again, and Freddie hated herself for it. She was probably breaking some kind of law right now—the fifth law of thermodynamics or the eleventh commandment or something.Thou shalt not hurt the King of Berm High School’s feelings.
“You should go to the Quick-Bis, Div.” Freddie turned to her best friend (who was watching this entire scene with a very disapproving stare).
“Yes,” Kyle agreed, now flashing his winning smile onto Divya. “Laina was going to call you, but I could just give you a ride instead.”
“Um,” Divya hesitated.
