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Stephan There was that nasession in the library

"That’s not what you’re doing," she snapped "You’re crossing a line Alex A very, very, thin, dangerous line"

"I think you’re forgetting that I don’t take my orders from you" Alex’s lowered his voice, and I had to lean forward on my tiptoes in order to make out what he said "I’ll do what I need to do in order to get her to--"

I lost raceful queen that I was, stu my elbow into the wall, hard "Ah!" I cried out, and then threw my hand over my mouth Crap

A few moments of silence ticked by Had they heard me? Of course they’d heard me They weren’t deaf

"Gemma," Sophia called out

Crap Nohat?

Rubbing my elbow, I slowlylike two fliht

Sophia aiting for old "What in the world are you doing?" she asked

I pressed ether and looked over at Alex He was casually leaning against the front door, his ar not the slightest bit concerned But hat I’d just heard the about, it seemed like he should be

I turned ot really, really mad, this faint bluish-purple vein would pop out on her forehead Right now, I could see it bulging underneath her pale skin

"I ca to eat like you toldat the vein It reross, bluish-purple wor at!" Sophia barked

I flinched and shookon here between you two?" I asked her "And ere you guys talking aboutlook "Like what, Gemma?"

"Like, you know" I wavedto come up with a word to sum up what I’d just heard Problem was I wasn’t sure what I’d just hear

Alex shifted his weight away froly atto do here? Make ood job of it

"Look, I don’t knohat you think you heard," Sophia said, her tone tolerant "But eren’t talking about you I know Alex’s father, and I was just telling hier simmered She was such a liar "That’s such bull You were talking about er atlady I mean it" I opened my mouth to say a few choice words that I think, under the circumstances, would have been totally appropriate, but she cut et the first one out "Now, I don’t knohy on earth you think you have the right to listen in on other people’s conversation, but you need to stop Do you understand me?"

I eyed her over suspiciously Was there a hiddento her words? Did she knohat happened at the library? But if she did, who told her?

I think I had a guess

Without another word, I pushed by her, heading for the kitchen Before I disappeared through the doorway, I glanced back at Alex

Now he looked worried

Chapter 10

The next , I woke up with red, swollen eyes

I hadn’t wanted to cry last night, but I’d ended up doing it anyway

I’d cried myself to sleep

Now I could barely open lanced at the clock and saw a blurry 12:10 12:10 in the afternoon? What the heck? Why hadn’t one off?

I sat up and stretched out my arms Well, so much for school

But why had Sophia let ht had been super intense Still, letting me skip out on school…She never let me miss school

I cli sleeve shirt and a pair of worn-out jeans, and pulled my hair into a messy ponytail Then I went downstairs It was quiet Too quiet for anyone to be home

So, I was alone