Free Soul Thief by Majanka Verstraete

know how I spent my weekend. What did you guys do?”
    â€œI spent most of my weekend worrying about you.” Michelle took a sip of her Coke. “And studying. Don’t forget about that Spanish test we have coming up.”
    â€œAs if anyone could forget.” Craig toggled his fingers on the table. “I’ve been studying the whole week and I still can’t remember half of the vocabulary.” He turned to look at me. “I went to that photography class I talked about.”
    â€œThe one with the cute guy?” My lips cracked into a smile.
    â€œThe one and only. He was really nice. We talked for a while and then we went for coffee.”
    â€œI’m sensing a ‘but’ coming on.” Katie arched an eyebrow and looked at Craig.
    â€œWell, I don’t think he’s gay.”
    â€œBummer. Want me to give it a shot so you know for sure?”
    Craig rolled his eyes. His brown, curly hair fell in front of his eyes. He was thin as a pencil and perpetually pale. You’d think he was allergic to the sun, except he probably spent more time outside than the rest of us since his parents owned a farm and he helped them day in and day out. “No, I don’t think I’d like you to ‘give it a shot’.”
    â€œWhat’s with you and all the dating talk today anyway?” Michelle asked Katie. “First, with that psychologist guy…” She stopped talking and glanced at me, as if she was trying to see if I was okay with her mentioning it.
    â€œHmmm.” Katie moved her lips from left to right. “Should I tell you guys? Maybe I should.”
    â€œTell us what? Come on, spill the beans.” Craig gave her a soft nudge.
    â€œAll right, all right.” She paused dramatically, smiling at our combined curiosity. “I met a guy.”
    â€œA guy? Can you be any more cryptic?” I asked.
    â€œNot just a guy. His name is Myron. He’s gorgeous. Seriously, like even hotter than that psychologist guy.”
    â€œWe need more than ‘gorgeous’,” Craig said. “Hair color, height, weight, muscles or not?”
    â€œHe has dark brown hair, the fiercest green eyes I’ve ever seen. He’s at least six feet tall. Not too muscular, but I like them that way. And he has a scar just above his left eyebrow. It makes him look badass.”
    â€œLet me guess. He is a badass?” Michelle snorted and took another sip from her Coke. “He sounds like a slightly upgraded version of your last boyfriend, what’s his name again?”
    â€œMotorcycle guy?” I asked, stifling a laugh. Michelle and I always came up with nicknames for Katie’s boyfriends because we couldn’t be bothered to remember their names. She switched boyfriends like she switched handbags — at least a new one every month.
    â€œHe’s not at all like motorcycle guy,” Katie protested.
    I grinned, Michelle pulled a ‘yeah, right’ face, and Craig wiggled his eyebrows.
    â€œFine.” She sighed. “You could say they hang around in the same social circles. But Myron is about one thousand times hotter. He’s mysterious too. He didn’t even give me his last name.”
    â€œHold on. You’re dating a guy and you don’t even know his last name? Maybe you’re playing this one a bit too fast.” Michelle shot me a look requesting back up.
    â€œNo, it’s not like that. We’re not dating dating. He’s taking me out on a date tomorrow night. It’s nothing serious yet.”
    â€œBut you’re smiling from ear to ear,” I said, “so you must really like this guy.”
    She bit her lower lip and started blushing.
    I almost tumbled out of my seat. Katie didn’t blush. This was the first time that I’d ever seen her embarrassed about something.
    Michelle and I exchanged a worried look.
    â€œI do. I think… he might be the one.”
    â€œOh