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"It’s all going to work out, sweet girl I just know it Call et Z to safety"
"I will," I promised, calmed by her certainty "Just a few more days I love you"
"I love you, too I’velot
It was past eleven in the iant vehicle into the California heat The gaines whirred on the trails, ju up clouds of dust The audience was spread wide throughout the sprawling motocross duplex, with so on top of vans and buses Clustered groups were scattered across a nearby hillside on blankets The guardian angels were alht, like thin apparitions
Heat prickled retted not thinking about buying sunblock on the way I scanned the racing bikers, usingair over a juroup of girls sitting on the hill did a chant for hian to shift during the competition transition People headed for coolers and restroo, so Ia patch of shade near the cheerleaders A pang of longing slicedhard ciders They sat in the direct sun, soaking rays into their already golden skin One girl stood to tell a story and the girls never took their eyes from her The leader of the pack She was the ehts, wafer thin with curves in all the right places, tan, and fashionable More than a few girls’ auras darkened with slivers of forest green as she grew ani
Her own aura interested me I noticed the deep violet of pride surface as she captured everyone’s attention Her friends were giggling like ument she’d had with so up behind her, his bright yelloweveryone’s attention What was he doing? He put a finger to his lips at the crowd of girls, then grabbed her around the waist
She squealed as he tickled her, and the others clapped Blake hadn’t noticedin shock as he turned the girl for a kiss Her arms went around him, as if this was a common occurrence, and petals of pink blooirls as well as surrounding guys who’d turned to see the co around and catching sight of me
"Anna?"
He stared at me, unsure, his arms still around the blonde I sirl close behind hiirl stopped, crossing her ar here? Where’s Kai?"
"I need to talk to you about that, but not here" I shot a glance at the croatching us
"Is everything okay?" he asked I nodded and stepped back froirl I leaned and waved at her from around Blake
"Hi, I’ a ju to the side "Yeah, hey, Michelle, this is one of irlfriend"
Girlfriend? He wouldn’t look atI was a nonthreat She uncrossed her ar me a small smile and a "hey" Then she stepped in front of Blake for his full attention They were the saht
"Good job out there, baby" She kissed hio, then I’ll be done," he said "Let Anna sit with you, cool?"
Her aura zipped with gray agitation, but her face didn’t waver "Sure," she told hi to the ga pats on the back the whole way
Michelle turned away and went straight to her friends They couldn’t read her aura, but they could probably tell fro to babysit Blake’s little friend
"Anyone else ready for another drink?" Michelle asked The girls crowded around the cooler and I watched the dirt arena I wished I could crawl back over to the shade of the tree to conteirlfriend Itwent, for hiirl But his affection for her had been genuine And she loved hi have you known Blake?" Michelle sat next to olden and shiny next to ht She twisted the cap off the hard cider and threw it in the grass
"A while now," I said, purposely vague "How long have you guys been together?"
"A year," she stated We stared at theready for the trick competition "A whole year, and you didn’t know about it That’s interesting, you being a good friend and all"
I tensed at the passive-aggressive co the dirt trails Through her big sunglasses I could see unnaturally long eyelashes fraht eyes Her face was a perfect oval and her lips were plump and pouty