Tainted, Book One: Possessed

29. In Trouble

Gemma

As we left Angelic languages on Monday morning, I overheard Chessie telling Kerry to wait because she wanted to talk to him. Gigi and I were a few feet ahead and the crowd pulled us further away from them. I didn't want Kerry to think I was ditching him, so I edged over to the wall to wait.

Gigi came with me.

"Dadgum, she gave us a lot of homework!" She shoved a fat curl away from her face. "Maybe we can do some of it at work tonight if it's slow."

"Sure."

I watched Kerry slide his hands in his pockets while he listened to Chessie. Her face was angled up at him, although those pitch-black shades made it hard to read her expression.

Wonder if she's having trouble with Cole Fanishell again. Even though he's expelled from school, he still lives at the Sanctuary. And he could have enlisted an accomplice, like Reilly did with Whit and Travis.

Concerned now, I listened as hard as I could. The hall was noisy, though, and I was too far away to hear every word, but I definitely I heard him say he'd meet her at her dorm.

Then he smiled at her and laid a hand on her shoulder - and my heart broke.

"Gemma? Are you okay?" Gigi's voice reminded me I was standing in a crowded hallway at school. "Look, I gotta go or I'll be late."

"He touched her," my mouth said all on its own. "He touched her and he smiled at her."

"What?"

As fire roared up in my chest and stained my cheeks, I spun on my heel and took off down the hallway.

"Hey! Aren't you going to wait for Kerry?" I heard her call, but kept moving.

No, I wasn't going to wait for a guy I liked while he made a date with one of my new friends. I hustled away and didn't care how many people I bumped into.

My eyes filled up and I went faster, praying I'd make it to the locker room in time. I was mortified enough realizing how mistaken I'd been these past few weeks. I didn't need to add a breakdown in the hallway to my shame.

I hit the locker room door as the floodgates opened.

"Gemma? What's wrong?" Tara ran up to me, Maddy close on her heels.

"I'm so stupid!" I swiped my cheeks with the backs of my hands. "So, so stupid!"

#

Kerry

"You, my friend, are in trouble."

"Huh?" I looked up at Jax.

"Gigi texted me. What happened with Gemma?"

"I dunno. She didn't wait for me. I looked for her and she was running toward the gym."

That confused me. She always walked to the gym with me. The only reason I was doing this whole school thing was because of her, and she knew it, so why didn't she wait for me?

"Well, Gigi said Gemma's face went white, then fired red when they saw you talking to Chessie outside Weatherbee's class." Jax kicked my boot with his, and I scowled at him. "Then Gems took off down the hall like Hellhounds were chasing her. So, what's going on with you and Chessie?"

"Nothing. Well, she owed me a favor, so she's making me a ward. She wanted to tell me she'll be finished with it next week and I can pick it up. Why?"

"Well, my dude, allow me to explain something to you. When a girl hears you arranging to meet another girl, she's gonna think you're setting up a date."