Free The 13th: Frozen Destiny by Ela Lond Page B

oval face with its narrow nose, high cheekbones and strong chin, her mouth stretched into a smile. She knew his name as if it were imprinted onto her brain. “Ethan,” she breathed out. She loved that boy and he loved her, or so he said, and not only said, but showed her, repeatedly.
    “Hey, Claire.”
    Claire? Her name wasn't Claire, her name was -- Claire. She rubbed her forehead and sighed. When she lifted her head, she saw ice-blue eyes staring at her, something like worry written on his face. She smiled. “I'm afraid that I'm not completely well yet.”
    “You might not be completely well for a while,” Ethan said. “You were quite sick, much more than Mandy and Tyler were.”
    “Ryan was almost in as bad shape as you.” Kate put her hand on the black-haired boy's shoulder. “But you feel better now, right?”
    Ryan nodded.
    Claire watched Ryan’s spiked hair shift with his nod, wondering how much time he had to spend on gelling it. His skin was pale and had a grey sheen. She leaned toward Ethan. “Who's that?” she asked in a whisper. “A new student?”
    “You are so silly.” Ethan flickered her forehead. “That's Ryan, Kate's boyfriend. He has been here for two years now.”
    He had? But he looked so... unfamiliar. She faced Ryan and found him staring at her. Had he heard her? She gave him a smile.
    He rolled his eyes and turned toward Kate. The light scowl that marred his face smoothed out and his face lit up. He picked an apple from his plate and offered it to the black-haired girl.
    He must really like her, Claire thought.
    “What's that?” Kate asked, frowning.
    “For you. You have been really into them lately,” Ryan said.
    Kate took the apple, but instead of biting into it as Claire expected she set it on the tray before her.
    It was such a nice gesture and I would have eaten it in Kate's place , Claire thought as she wrapped her fingers around her apple, which she had taken in her pillage of the buffet. After she had read that they were good for one’s health, she tried to eat at least one a day. She lifted the fruit up and sank her teeth into it, breaking the red skin. The sweet juicy taste spilled over her tongue. She had really started to like apples. They had become one of her favourite fruits.
     
    #
     
    “Kate said there’s a party this evening.” Claire pushed the brown thing that was supposed to be meat to the edge of her plate. The food here... She grimaced, put the fork down and leaned back in her seat.
    “Yes, there is.” Ethan leaned his forearms on the table.
    “She said we are going?” Which was weird, since usually they liked to keep to themselves.
    “That’s the plan.”
    But she and Ethan didn’t have to go. “You could back out.” She eyed the table, annoyed that it separated her from him. Usually he sat on the same side as her, so that he could hold her hand. She liked the way he slid his fingers among hers and slightly squeezed them as if in reassurance, telling her that he was there and that he wasn’t about to go anywhere. She glided her hand over the table and her fingers touched his then tiptoed over his hand. “You could come to my room.” As he had so many times before, and they would snuggle and talk late into the night. “You haven’t been to my room in such a long time, not since I got well again. I miss you.” And their talks and his warmth against her back.
    He hauled his hand against his side.
    She scowled. “What’s the matter?”
    “It’s forbidden.”
    She chuckled. “You are not serious.”
    “It’s forbidden,” he stubbornly repeated.
    “So is the party.”
    “That’s different.”
    “Both are against the rules, aren't they? But when has that ever stopped you?”
    “We are not going to have...”
    “What?”
    “I’m not going to break the rules.”
    “Why not?” Claire couldn’t understand it. He was the one who always waltzed into her room, into her bed and under her bedcovers to spoon with her. Why had that become