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"For a poe on," I lie breezily "Do you still have those books?"

She shakes her head as she twists her pink hair up into a bun "I returned them here and they had to special order them, so I don’t even know if they’re still here"

I dropabout theazine "Only that they are a el of Death And that they’re super crazy most of the time"

"How exactly are they supposed to be crazy?" I ask "Iinsane? Do they do weird things or rant incoherent thoughts?"

"The books said that they used to sneak around killing innocent people and stealing their souls," she explains "Like it was a ga And they suffered froet my hands on those books

"So what’s up with you and Asher?" She abruptly changes the topic

I stop drawing and glance up "What do you mean?"

She presses azine "Don’t play du about--our knight in shining armor and the reason why you’ve been bu dumb, Raven Lilly Monroe," I retort "I have no clue what you’re talking about"

She taps her lips with a wicked glint in her sapphire eyes "So, you don’t have a thing for a dark-haired stranger who rescued you fro of an Angel… Although, by how stuck you are on hiuess he showed you other stuff of his, too"

I briefly picture what he’d look like naked and then focus onfor him Wasn’t he the reason for your meltdown in ?"

She giggles "Oh Em, you are such a riot You can’t almost make out with someone in the art room and expect no one to know about it" She dabs the tears from the corner of her eyes "And I’ Guys are like shoes to et bored"

I press down so hard on the paper the pencil breaks "Did you actually wear Asher?"

She points an accusing finger at me "The very fact that you ask that means you like him So I think it’s time you found out where he is And if he likes you"

"Raven, this isn’t second grade" I tip back in the chair and throw the pencil in the trash bin

She discounts ave you his phone number?"

"I already tried to text him and he said he was busy," I say and close et over hi s the handle and rips it offthe bag out in front of her "Your life’s pretty easy, Em"

"Raven," I warn as she backs down the nearest aisle between the bookshelves "Don’t even think about it I swear to God, I’ll never forgive you if you call hiive h-heeled boots and dashes off down the aisle

I chase after her, fu on the floor I hop overand reach for the back of her shirt as she punches the buttons A girl at the end of the aisle backs away, eyes wide, legs trehs as she wiggles out of ers and then darts around the corner of the bookshelf, intentionally knocking some books off the shelf

"Raven, please don’t call him" I trip over the books and round the corner She has the phone to her ear and dodges my advance, but her ankle rolls and she falls flat on her ass

I ju a row of books to the floor with h it "Give les as I try to pry the phone froers She rolls on her back and pushes herself across the floor with her feet and I crawl after her

"Hi, Asher, this is Raven," she says into the phone and I narrow et the chance She needs to know if you’re okay and if you like her, because it’s driving her crazy Literally"

I pinch her arm hard "You are the worst friend ever"

"Ow…" She laughs, throwing her head back Tears of laughter flood her eyes as she keeps talking in the phone "In fact, it’s a s up the phone

I glare at her and rip the phone fro to think I’m insane"

"Aren’t you?" She flutters her eyelashes innocently "Besides, I was just trying to help and it shouldn’t bother you what other people think You’ve been through a lot worse than so you’re a stalker"

I turn todistance from her and her death "I don’t knohy I care, but I do"

"I wouldn’t get your hopes up," she says in a heavy-weighted tone "Guys like Asher don’t really look at girls like you They’re more my type"

I wonder if this whole scene was to make Asher think I am insane, so she could have him "Raven, are you sure--"

Ca as his eyebrows dip together at Raven and I tangled up in a pile of books

He stops in front of us and his lips curl into irin "I’m kind of curious what led up to this Was it an accident or the beginning of so kinky?"

"We fell," I say, before Raven can feed hirab the shelf above my head and pull myself to my feet

Raven sticks out her hand to Cameron and pouts her bottom lip "A little help, please"