Free Good vs. Evil High by April Marcom

no Christmas.
    “Most of us do. The Cinders don’t, though. We
probably won’t see a lot of decorations there. You can decorate
your room and exchange gifts with your friends all you want, of
course. Which reminds me—” He reached in his khaki pants pocket and
pulled out a thin silver chain with a tiny bell hanging on it. “I
got you something.”
    “Thanks, Roman.” I took it and shook it
gently. We heard the tiniest tinkling sound. “This is really
sweet.” I slipped it over my neck.
    Roman smiled and moved closer to me.
“Kristine?”
    “Yeah?”
    “There’s something I’ve wanted to do since I
saw your picture yesterday...” He moved even closer, placing his
hands over my shoulders, and I knew he was going to kiss me.
    “Why?” was all I could think to say. It still
felt like I hardly knew him.
    “Because I feel something I’ve never felt
before when I look at you. I can’t explain it—the sparks people
always talk about, the butterflies in the stomach. I don’t know,
but I feel it with you.”
    I knew what he meant, I guess. He was
describing what you see on those chick flicks Ms. Wendy back at the
orphanage was always watching. But I didn’t feel those things for
him.
    It didn’t matter, though, because he was
about to kiss me. And I figured what better place to get my first
kiss than on a castle veranda with a guy who, for some reason he
didn’t even seem to understand, was crazy about me. So I tilted my
head and kissed him.
     

 
    Chapter
Ten
    ~ No Escape ~
     
    “I usually eat breakfast about half an hour
before classes start,” Roman told me when we climbed into the
elevator to go back to our rooms. “Tomorrow morning, meet me in the
same place you did tonight and we’ll go together. Then I can walk
you to your first class.”
    I nodded as we began going down, because he
made it sound like I didn’t have a choice. In fact, I felt kind of
like I was being forced into being his girlfriend, even though
neither of us had brought it up. I was flattered that he liked me
so much; I just couldn’t make myself like him back. It was all so
confusing.
    “We have reached the girls’ living quarters,
destination of Kristine,” Connie said a moment later.
    The elevator stopped and Roman kissed my
cheek before I stepped out. “See you in the morning,” he said.
    When I walked into my room, Nadine was lying
facedown in her bed, dead to the world, and Sassy was lying on hers
looking at a magazine with headphones on. She didn’t even notice me
come in.
    But Harmony was sitting in her bed with books
spread out in front of her. “Hey, Bunky. I’m glad you’re here. I
need a break from all this studying.”
    “Final exams?”
    “Killer final exams. Come on up.”
    I climbed up using the boards at the edge of
our beds and sat down beside her.
    “How’d it go?” she asked.
    “The Dome Room was cool, and we went out on a
balcony, which was amazing.”
    “Did he kiss you?”
    I could feel myself blush as I nodded.
    “Wow.” Harmony closed the book in front of
her and pushed them all aside. “What was that like? Are you in
love?” She put her hands beside her face and batted her
eyelashes.
    “Nah. Roman’s okay, but...I’ll put it this
way. The view was better than that kiss.”
    “Aww, I was hoping you’d have tons of juicy
stuff to tell me about your new boyfriend and we could stay up all
night talking about it.”
    “We can stay up all night talking about
whatever you want, but Roman is not my boyfriend.”
    “I hope he knows that.”
    “Me too.” Though I doubted it.
    “You know what we need to do? Set your
wake-up call. It can sound like whatever you want it to.”
    As I reached into my pocket to pull out my
con, Miss McCree walked into the room. “Lights out, girls.” She
went over to Sassy’s bed as Sassy set her magazines on top of her
wardrobe and climbed under her blanket. Miss McCree did the mom
thing, making sure her blankets were pulled up around her