Page 104 (1/2)

She eyed hiht, and I’m Michael Jackson’s love child”

He grinned at her “You don’t look like him”

“Very funny Look, I gotta run—” She started to get to her feet and he grabbed her, held her in place

“Don’t run” It was all he said, just two si And suddenly the tords didn’t seem simple at all Slowly she bent back down to her knees and looked at him, really looked “How’d you stop?”

“Aunt Vicki put me in detox When I dried out, I transferred to this school At first it was hard… I didn’t know anyone But I ran for vice president to rinned sheepishly “Course, no one ran against me”

“I found out this weekend that Angel DeMarco is my dad” She hadn’tout She waited, shoulders tensed, for him to respond To make fun of her

He studied her “Yeah, you sorta look like him”

“I do?” She heard the completely dorky awe in her voice and she winced, embarrassed

“You’re way prettier, though”

The coh her A quick smile jerked one side of her mouth “Thanks”

She looked at hiain, and saw for the first tih Grant Not really like a nerd at all

Chapter Twenty-two

The doctors’ lounge was uncustomarily quiet in the last few minutes before the close of the day shift The tables were empty, their cheap, brown surfaces cluttered with paper cups and plastic forks A row of soda and candyfor the next shift of storm troopers to descend, quarters in hand

Madelaine sat at the rickety table closest to the , her fingers cupped around the co The burnt scent of French roast coffee wafted upward

At precisely 5:01 Allenford and Sarandon strode through the single