Free Dusk (Young Adult Paranormal Romance) by Amy Durham

into Daniel and several other friends who’d served in student government with me.
    “So glad you changed your mind and decided to run,” Daniel said. “Even if it’s not for president.”
    “You’ll make a great president,” I said. “I’m glad you’re running. I really hope you get elected.”
    “Thanks,” Daniel replied. “And it’s cool you’re running unopposed.”
    I still wasn’t sure why no one had run against me, but I wasn’t going to complain. I wasn’t like I was in any shape to do heavy campaigning.
    Carla Mabry, Andrea Bishop, and Nick Henry joined us, and congratulated me too. All of them were on the ballot for offices as well. Nick was the only one who hadn’t served on student government before, but he was a nice guy and a really good student. He’d be a great student leader.
    It felt good to be back in a familiar situation, with familiar friends who’d been with me for the past three years.
    Viv walked up and smiled brightly, Brett standing right beside her.
    “Thanks for the making the signs, Viv,” I said, leaning over to give her a hug. “And thanks for forgiving me.”
    “Always here for you,” she said, hugging me back. “You know that.”
    And I did know that. I hadn’t told her about my dad’s infidelity yet. Not because I didn’t trust her, but because it was so humiliating, even though I knew she wouldn’t look at me any differently. It was time to get past my embarrassment and tell her all of it. I wanted her to truly understand what had sent me spiraling out of control over the summer.
    In the midst of the discussion, I saw Adrian halfway up the hallway, but the crowd of people between us kept me from being able to get to him. With a wave and a smile, he turned to head to his homeroom.
    A tap on my shoulder drew my attention away from Daniel, Viv, and the others. Turning slightly, I found Courtney, without Nikki for once, standing behind me.
    “I’m so glad you’ve decided to run for class secretary,” she said. “Aren’t you guys? I mean, she’s just done so much for our school and we should all be so grateful for her service.”
    Since her interaction with this particular group of people was so out of character, Daniel and the rest of the gang just looked at her and said nothing, completely unsure how to respond.
    “It’s just so brave of you to step back into the spotlight after that nasty little business with your dad.” She raised her voice, making sure she could be heard above the buzz in the hall.
    “Courtney, shut up,” I ordered. There was no way she could know what had happened.
    “But why? I just want everyone to see how terrific you are.” Sarcasm laced her words, and a crowd started to gather. The audience spurred her on.
    “Messy stuff, when your dad leaves your mom for another woman. Especially the mom of one of your classmates. My mom was devastated when he died. They had such plans to be happy together. Just think Zoe, we could’ve been sisters.”
    Her words punched me in the gut. I felt their effect as if I’d been hammered with a baseball bat. The lights in the hallway suddenly seemed far too bright, and the figures of the people around me began to swim.
    My head pounded, and my knees threatened to give way. Chaos erupted all around me. I was vaguely aware of people saying my name, shouting at Courtney, but my brain had gone into self-preservation mode.
    Shut out the bad stuff. Shut out the bad stuff. Don’t think about it now. Save it for later. Just get away. Just get away.
    Pushing through a doorway just as the bell rang, I ran up the hall, no particular destination in mind. I found myself in the girls’ bathroom at the end of the senior hallway. I was alone, thank God.
    Outside the bathroom door I heard the last few people scuffling to class, hoping their tardiness would be overlooked. I didn’t move. At that moment I could not have cared less about getting to homeroom.
    Humiliation crashed over me, the emotion as violent