Page 32 of The 13th Daughter
"WHAT?" I exclaimed. "How can you say that, Makayla Joyce? Did you not hear the same thing I did? It was all about getting me to a stupid Coven meeting! He lied to me and he tricked me and..."
"Okay," she held up a hand to stop my tirade. "I agree, what he did was beyond sleazy, but still, CJ, you're all he ever talks about. That first meeting he came to, he didn't even ask a single question about the Coven. All he wanted to know about you."
"Only because he wanted to find out how to get me to go to a meeting and who knows me better than you?"
"Maybe," Kay agreed grudgingly, "but that doesn't explain the way he looks at you."
I groaned. She had to remind me of that didn't she? Ethan looked at me like I was the center of his world. His eyes saw only my face and then they would darken to molten steel that blazed with a heat and intensity that set my entire body flaming scarlet. He could make my toes curl with just a glance.
"Look, I'm not saying forgive him or anything, at least not right now," she sighed. "Just hear him out when you're ready to talk, okay?"
Talk? I wanted to hit him until he hurt as much as I did right now. It felt like my insides had been put through a meat grinder. My skin felt raw and bloody, like I'd been dragged over asphalt. Talking was out of the question for a good long while.
"Sure," I nodded. "Let's just watch the movie, alright?"
"So how long are we going to be mad at them for?" she asked me through a mouthful of ice cream.
"Them?" I asked, confused.
"What, you think I'm going to talk to Billy as long as you're not talking to Ethan?" She looked affronted I'd even need to ask such a question. "No way. The assholes can suffer together."
I smiled. Bless the Fates, but I loved her. She would stay mad at Billy for as long as I wanted her to.
"Oh, look there goes Little Miss Stupid Ass to see what's in the laundry room," Kay muttered. "Really, why would you go out there? We'd never do anything so stupid."
"No, but we've watched way too many horror movies," I remarked dryly as we settled down to watch the John Carpenter Halloween marathon and gain about six pounds on ice cream and chocolate. Kay's rambling shouts at the stupidity of thepeople in the movie faded as I thought back to another Saturday night.
I stormed up the stairs and threw myself on Emily's bed. I wanted to die. Steven Jones had just asked me if I could get him a date with Kay. He'd been flirting with me for over two weeks and it had all been to get me to talk to Kay for him. I liked him. A lot. Why did this always happen to me? Why couldn't the hot boy ever like me? Why did it always have to be about Makayla?
"Hey, little sis, what's wrong?" Emily asked me when she came in a bit later. "Mom said you came home crying."
"I hate her!" I raged into the tear sodden pillow.
"Who?" She stroked my hair with gentle hands.
"Makayla."
"Why do you hate your best friend?"
"Because every boy we know likes her and none of them like me."
"That's not true, CJ," she denied. "Plenty of boys like you. What about Steven? He's been flirting with you for weeks."
"So he could get me to talk to Kay for him!" I burst into tears again.
"Oh," she murmured. "Well, that just sucks."
"Ya think?"
"But it's not Kay's fault, CJ. She can't help it."
"I know, Em, but it's just not fair! Why can't the cute boy ever like me?"
"What about Allen Pike or Jeff Parker?" she asked. "They are both extremely cute and seem to worship the ground you walk on."
"Allen's boring and Jeff is...Jeff." I sat up and dried my eyes.
"Oh, so Neighbor Boy's not good enough?" she teased.
