Free The Glass Wall (Return of the Ancients Book 1) by Carmen Caine, Madison Adler Page A

Obviously, it was a very expensive skirt. I quailed at the thought that I would have to pay for it.
    “I just bought this!” Reese snapped at me. “And I’m on my way to a party!”
    “I’m sorry,” I said, clearing my throat. “It was an accident.”
    “You obviously don’t think! Aren’t you too old to be playing in the mud?” Her eyes raked me from head to toe and then narrowed. “Wait a minute. Aren’t you that charity-case kid?”
    “Charity-case kid?” I repeated, frowning a little.
    “Yeah, the stupid one who wears trash from discount stores?” Her tone was highly disdainful.
    I was actually used to comments like this, but I blushed anyway.
    “Oh, look. Isn’t that Reese?” I heard Ellison’s voice from close behind me. “Isn’t she that girl with the botched nose job?”
    “Yeah! She’s the one who can’t smile anymore because of all that Botox.” Grace giggled from my other side.
    Reese’s fine nostrils flared and she lifted her chin, but it trembled a little.
    “Looks like someone should tell Sister Ann that Reese has been wearing super-short skirts again, breaking the rules!” Ellison continued. “Yeah, she’ll probably be followed around again for month like last time and have her skirt measured every day at lunch. Reese must have liked all that special attention.”
    Reese eyed all three of us and then rolled her eyes. “Whatever!”
    Angrily, she clicked away in her heels toward her red sports car, got in, and slammed the door.
    Ellison snickered. “That was fun!”
    Grace punched me on the arm in a chummy gesture.
    Suddenly, it was difficult to swallow, and I was strangely misty-eyed again. That was twice in less than twenty-four hours. I asked, “Why … did you do that?”
    “No one can stand her.” Grace shrugged.
    “But everyone wants to go to her party!” I frowned, shaking my head. “That’s all I hear them talking about.”
    “Nah! The only ones who want to go are those incapable of original thought.” Ellison laughed. “Can you imagine how boring her party would be?”
    He jumped on the bridge railing, struck a pose, and shrilled in a high voice, “Everyone, look at my new skirt. Isn’t it epically awesome? It’s one of a kind, like, made only for me ! And everyone, look at my nails! Omigosh ! So the first stylist was so lame I had to get them redone pronto—“
    “’ Pronto’?” Grace interrupted with a laugh. “What century is ‘pronto’ from? Reese wouldn’t even know the word! And ‘epically awesome’ is only something a boy would say!”
    I found myself smiling as Ellison jumped off the railing with a grin. “Sorry, it’s hard to be that stupid. I keep forgetting her vocabulary only comes from Teen Vogue .”
    I knew it was a little mean-spirited, but I couldn’t help giggling.
    “Oh, look! Mom’s here,” Grace said as she and Ellison headed toward the truck.
    Watching them go, I again felt that odd fuzzy feeling and wondered what it was. I slipped my hand into my pocket and let the comforting fairy runes run through my fingers as I followed them. If it wasn’t for the fact I was getting ready to shoplift, I’d be in a great mood.
    Ellison told us good-bye as we climbed into the truck. I watched him walk away and smiled, thinking that he was such a nice guy.
    As Betty left the school parking lot, she asked Grace to dig through her purse and find me some money for the bus fare.
    “Are you sure you don’t need some spending money, Sydney?” she kept asking.
    I shook my head, feeling ashamed, and finally lied, “Neelu gave me some.”
    “Are you sure, honey?” Betty persisted.
    It didn’t feel right to take her money to buy her own present. Against my better judgment, I insisted I was fine.
    Grace began to babble excitedly about the Jareth concert on Friday.
    I no longer felt like going, but I didn’t know how to tell them that. I knew Betty had paid a good forty dollars for my ticket. That was a lot of money for a foster kid.