Free Wicked by Addison Moore

the room before hitching his thumb at the empty seat behind his back.

    “Skyla,” Chloe twirls her fingers through her long, dark ponytail. “Would you mind sitting in front of Ellis?”

    “Yes, yes I would.” I open my notebook and settle in.

    “Have it your way.” She ticks her head, and Gage gets up and follows her clear across the room.

    “Holy. Freaking. Shit.” I’m so stunned I can’t breathe.

    “Looks like the wicked witch cast her spell.” Ellis blows a breath through his cheeks.

    “Yeah, only I don’t think it’s a spell.”

    The bell rings as the last few stragglers file in.

    Well Skyla, Marshall gives a gloating smile in my direction. Looks like your competition has eliminated you with minimal resistance.

    I cut my eyes in the opposite direction. There is no way I’m going to watch Marshall thrive over this.

    Aren’t you the least bit relieved to know that the final Oliver standing has a fondness for corpses? It’s best to be apprised of such wicked fetishes at this stage of the game before he promises to marry you then leaves you at the altar for a casket. He’s probably got the entire cemetery mapped out of long departed beauties.

    I catch Gage sitting there staring off at the wall with a clear look of irritation. No, he’s definitely not into this.

    Chloe’s got him by the balls.

    But with what?

    ***

    Gage pretends he doesn’t even know me for the better half of the day. He spends lunch in cafeteria with Chloe as the other students continue to glom onto her every word as though she’s just been dropped back onto the planet after an alien abduction.

    Before sixth, I do a lightening change into my cheer uniform and wait outside the boy’s gym for him to emerge.

    Gage and Logan come out at the same time.

    “Hi stranger,” I say, pulling Gage back by the elbow. “Are you mad at me?”

    “No.” His eyes soften into twin pools of cobalt sky. His dimples tremble before digging in, but he doesn’t say a word.

    “So can I have a ride home?” A heavy feeling coats me from the inside—already I know the answer.

    Gage squints across the field. I can see Chloe flagging him down with a big toothy grin.

    “I’ll come over tonight,” he rubs the side of my cheek with his fingers. I love you.

    He takes off running in her direction.

    “You have a funny way of showing it!” I shout after him. Clearly my role as clueless girlfriend has just begun.

    “You’re on the schedule for tomorrow.” A single beam of sunlight casts its light across Logan. He shrugs as if to ask if I still want the hours. Of course I do, just not with him.

    “Will you be there?” A part of me is hoping he’ll say yes—explain everything to me.

    “I will.”

    “So, do you know what’s going on here?” I glance over at Gage who’s busy speaking with Chloe.

    Logan shakes his head. “He won’t say a word.”

    I’m slightly relieved to know it’s not just me he’s keeping this from.

    “I’ll be there,” I say as we walk out onto the field together.

    ***

    I land on a patch of wet grass next to Brielle.

    Ms. Richards blows her whistle and claps her hands together to get our attention.

    “I want to welcome back one of the most competitive and best disciplined team captains the West Paragon Dawgs have ever seen.” She breaks out into spontaneous applause as Chloe steps up.

    I look over at Michelle, our newly dethroned leader, and I swear it looks as though she’s scowling at Chloe. She slides the rose of deadly dreams across the chain on her neck, over and over as though it were an act of sorcery—and the birth of an idea starts to percolate in me.

    “So,” Chloe begins, “I just want to thank all you guys for all the support since I’ve been back. I want to apologize for taking off and letting you guys worry about me—bury me. I feel terrible. Anyway, one of my best friends, Emily Morgan,” she flexes her fingers in her direction, “was nice enough to organize a