Free Wrenching Fate by Brooklyn Ann Page B

mother before she changed the subject. “So, what were the bimbos worked up about this time?”
    Akasha gently extracted her curls from Beau’s grasp. “My new jeans, if you can believe it. I don’t get it.”
    “I can’t believe those assholes are fucking with you ‘cuz you got a new guardian.” Aurora shook her head, making the silver beads in her braids clink like tiny wind chimes.
    “I can.” Sylvis rolled her eyes. “People aren’t supposed to get out of their assigned roles. First, I know they hate it that we get to go to college early and they don’t. Also, it probably makes the rich kids sick that a poor orphan is suddenly on ‘their level.’”
    Beau nodded, hazel eyes twinkling. “That, and they’re jealous.”
    “Jealous?” Akasha spluttered. “Where the fuck do you get that idea?”
    He laughed. “Oh, honey, you’re so precious. Do you ever look in the mirror? Those bitches could overlook it when you were poor, but now…” he grinned. “We so need to take you shopping and get some sexy outfits to throw in their faces.”
    Akasha’s cheeks heated. Did Silas think she was beautiful? She thrust the thought away. “I just got a shit-load of new clothes.”
    Beau waved a dismissive hand. “I said ‘sexy clothes,’ not stuff like you wear all the time. Granted, those jeans are fabulous.”
    Xochitl nodded. “They are, and you’re short enough that I could totally steal ‘em. Anyway, come smoke with us, ‘Kash.”
    Akasha pasted on a wan smile and followed the Goths.
    Shouts of, “ Freaks ” “ Satan worshippers ” and “ Fag !” accompanied the five on their way outside. Akasha saw Beau’s shoulders tense at the last insult. Why the hell do kids have to be so cruel?
    They piled into Xochitl’s battered blue 1980 Datsun 210. Xoch’ hadn’t been kidding. The engine really did putter. It was probably only running on three cylinders. Akasha frowned and dug out her pack of Camels. I gotta run a compression test on this poor baby, ASAP.
    Everyone but Sylvis lit up the second the car pulled out of the school parking lot. Sylvis had a newspaper with the classified section open on her lap and was skimming the ads, highlighter in one hand, and a bag of Skittles in the other.
    “How about this one?” she mumbled through a mouthful of candy. “Commercial building on Northwest Boulevard: $600 a month. That’s a nice deal!”
    Xochitl sighed. “You forget. I’m between jobs now. Burger Hut fired me because they didn’t want to give me time off for Mom’s funeral. ‘Right to Work state’ my ass.”
    “Those assholes!” Akasha roared, carefully flicking her cigarette ashes into an empty Red Bull can. “Why do you want to rent a building?”
    Aurora turned to her and flicked her cigarette in the can. “We need to find a new place to practice our music. Our lease ran out on our old place, but the building was condemned anyway…and haunted.”
    “Yeah, but that part was fun!” Xochitl grinned at her in the rearview mirror. “You shouldda been there ‘Kash! It was this creepy old church and there was a freezing cold place in the bell tower that kept our drinks cold even in the summer and…”
    As Xochitl chattered away, Akasha took a deep drag of her cigarette as an idea occurred to her. The band needed a place to practice and Silas had a huge garage… and he wasn’t even around most of the time. If they could use it, they’d be so happy.
    “Hey guys,” she said, eager to repay the kindness her friends had shown her. “Don’t sign any leases until tomorrow. I may have an idea.”
    ***
    When Akasha approached Silas in his office to ask if her friends could use his garage to practice their music, it was all he could do not to grin in triumph. The opportunity to begin fulfilling Delgarias’s request had literally fallen into his lap. He’d been agonizing on how to broach the subject of Akasha’s friends without the lass getting suspicious and defensive.
    He leaned back