Free THE SHADOWED ONYX: A DIAMOND ESTATES NOVEL by Nicole O'Dell

talking with your parents because they need to know what’s going on. I can’t ignore all of this. I hope you understand.”
    “Whatever. Am I excused?”
    “You’re excused, but I really want you to realize you dodged a bullet here today. If I hadn’t known you your entire life, you’d be facing some deep trouble for the way you acted in this school today.” Principal Crosby shook her head. “I’d like a little gratitude for the light punishment and some recognition we’re trying to work with you. Can you dig deep and find some?”
    If it were in there, Joy would have already brought it out. “I’ll do my best.”
    Whatever that meant.

Chapter 8
    J oy’s damp hair clung to her neck in icy strips. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned, her dry lips cracking like they did when she snored with her mouth open most of the night. Lovely. She squinted to see in her dark room. It felt like morning, but where was the sun? Pulling her covers tight around her shoulders, Joy rolled to her stomach and parted the blinds at the window behind her head.
    Snowy mounds covered the bottom few inches of her garden-view bedroom, and judging by the sky, it had no intention of stopping anytime soon. Just what she needed. Now she could pull the covers back over her head and hide from the world all day long. No one would notice. With Mom and Dad already off for their day of Saturday real estate showings, Joy could probably make it for the next ten glorious hours without talking to a single living soul.
    Then again, a day stuck in the house was probably the last thing she should be hoping for. She threw the covers off her body. She had to do something. But what?
    Joy shivered as she slipped her arms into the fuzzy pink robe she’d gotten for Christmas the year before. When she’d first seen it, Melanie piped in with a Reese Witherspoon quote from
Legally Blonde
, “Whoever said orange is the new pink was seriously disturbed.” Indeed.
    No. Don’t go there. The movie quotes would start filtering through her consciousness. Then Joy would pull out the DVDs and pop one into the player. Probably something like
Steel Magnolias
. Ugh. The scene where Sally Field is at her daughter’s grave and her friends ask her how she’s holding up. “I want to know why! I want to know why Shelby’s life is over!” Sally had screamed with blood-curdling sounds of utter grief.
    Ten minutes of a movie like that, and it would be all over from there. A box of tissues and a frozen pizza would be the extent of her Saturday. Yeah. Joy needed to avoid spending her day embroiled in the fictional misery of others at all costs.
    Beatrice. Perfect. She’d go hang out with her sweet cousin. Joy fumbled on the nightstand for her cell phone. She touched the icon for messages and typed one to Aunt Sue.
    O K IF I COME HANG WITH B TODAY ?
    The reply beeped within seconds. P LEASE . S HE’D LOVE IT .
    That settled that. G R 8. G IMME AN HOUR . C U SOON .
    Now to let Mom know.
    G OING TO HANG OUT AT B EA’S . W ANT ME TO PICK UP DINNER ON MY WAY HOME?
    Joy headed to the bathroom. Mom never replied right away, especially on a busy Saturday when, like all good Realtors, they usually had showings back to back all day anywhere between Ogallala and North Platte. At least Mom and Dad got to work together, their different personalities complementing their business. Mom loved paperwork, and Dad could sell diet pills in Ethiopia.
    After showering off the sweat from her rough night, Joy used her blow dryer and round brush to smooth her hair. She’d leave it long and straight so Beatrice could play
beauty
, as she called it.
    Joy stepped into her most holey jeans. One day the legs would fall right off of them. Until then they’d provide her the comfort, in more ways than one, she longed for. A black tee and her black North Face fleece over it, she was ready to go.
    The phone buzzed and vibrated on Joy’s desk. She glanced at the display to find a message from