“All right,” he says, the lightness of his tone relaying that he’s gonna let me off the hook—for now, anyway. “I guess we’ll catch a movie some other time.”
I look up just long enough to catch his gaze, but then Mark calls out for him. Hunter needs to head back to his kingdom, so he spares me one last charming little smile, then he moves past me and goes back to his friends.
I’m feeling a little floaty, my heart so light in my chest, I’m surprised it doesn’t lift me off the ground. A tiny smile plays around my lips—at least, until I look up.
Valerie is standing just a few feet away, her feet cemented to the ground. I can see by the look on her face that she just witnessed Hunter touching me, and if blue eyes could kill, hers would be roasting me alive.
“Huh. Guess I won’t be able to squeeze all of Hunter’s trash into that tiny receptacle,” she says, her eyes moving up and down my body with the sharpness of a blade.
Since she wants to cut me so badly, I offer her a little smile to show her I’m unscathed. “Aw, don’t feel bad. Keep eating those salads and I’m sure eventually you’ll fit.”
It takes a moment for my barb to land, but when she gets it, her eyes narrow and she glares at me. “Watch it, Riles. You don’t want to make an enemy out of me.”
I don’t bother to mean mug her back. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be,” she states.
“Why?” I challenge, cocking my head. “What exactly are you gonna do to me?”
Her eyes narrow even more, but she doesn’t seem to have an answer for me.
I’d say she’s all bark and no bite, but she’s not—Sara’s social isolation is proof of that. But that’s the thing—Valerie reigns over a kingdom I don’t care about. She could cut me down socially… but I’m already in social Siberia with Sara. Hunter’s the only socially relevant person who pays me any attention, and she can’t take him away from me. As much as she’d obviously like to, she doesn’t have that power.
She can’t do anything to me, and I can see her simmering as she realizes it.
Finally, she says, “Stay away from Hunter.”
I don’t know why she thinks she’s my boss, but I derive great pleasure from telling her, “No.”
Her eyes widen slightly like she has never heard that word before in her life, but I don’t wait for a response. I take my bags and go over to find Sara so I can tell her my mom is on her way.
Chapter Seven
Since hanging out with his friends didn’t go so well, I’m not sure what to expect when I go back to school on Monday. All morning as I get ready I think about Hunter. I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment, so I tell myself we probably won’t even get a chance to talk today. And that’s okay. My relationship with Hunter isn’t a status thing for me, I don’t care if I’m not seen talking to him.
With my expectations adjusted, I prepare to start my day. Mom can give me a ride to school on her way to work, but I’ll have to walk home. That’s perfectly fine with me. Hopefully I’ll run into Hunter.
Mom’s frowning lightly as she waits by the door, keys in hand. “Hey, that’s a snazzy jacket. Where did it come from?”
“My genie.”
“Ah. What did I tell you about wishing for clothes? Dream bigger, kid.”
I flash her a smile and head out the door, adjusting my backpack strap over one shoulder as I head for the car.
Mom locks up behind me and follows me out. “Seriously, though. Where did you get the jacket?”
I sigh, walking around to the passenger side door and pulling it open. I shouldn’t have worn the jacket. When I got home from the mall, Mom asked to see what I bought—not to check up on me, she just likes shopping and was excited to see what I picked up at the “awesome sales” I mentioned to explain how I had two bags full of stuff when she sent me to the store with only $20. I managed to get out of showing her, and I hoped she just wouldn’t notice when I started peppering the items Venus bought me into my regular wardrobe.
The jacket is too obvious, though.
“I don’t remember which store it was,” I tell her, shoving my backpack into the space between my legs in the floorboard. “It’s not very warm, but it’s just a little chilly today, so I thought I might as well take it for a spin.”
She’s still frowning, looking me over as she drops into the passenger seat. “You managed to get this and something else in the other bag? And you bought food? Do you actually have a genie? If so, can you pass the lamp to me when you’re done with it?”