Free Sell Out by Tammy L. Gray Page B

sure he wasn’t going to rat them out again.”
    My head ached. Henry hadn’t exaggerated when he said he was an outcast. But to hurt him that badly? “How could they—”
    “I’ll stop it.” Our eyes connected, and there was a fleck of something dark in his. Like he shared my outrage. “There are some perks to being the king of Madison. This is one of them.”
    I felt a hint of something I couldn’t define. It wasn’t Blake’s fault that Henry was jumped; yet, something in me wanted to put distance between the two of us. Maybe it was the casual way he said “king,” like he was proud to hold puppet strings over the entire school. Or maybe I was just looking for any excuse to justify my growing fascination with his quiet friend.
    *
    Cody didn’t sit next to me in sixth period. He took a chair three rows up. The same one he sat in yesterday when he didn’t text me.
    He’d kept his promise not to tell my secret, and that should have been enough. But it wasn’t. He said I might be his soul mate and then completely stopped talking to me. Who did that?
    I reached down and slid my phone into my lap.
    Me: Any advice on a movie choice for tomorrow?
    His motions were so slow I barely caught them. But he reached back, pulled a phone from his pocket.
    Cody: I’ve been scolded for texting you in class
    Me: What? By who?
    Cody: Doesn’t matter
    Me: What if I want you to text me?
    Cody: Then I’m flattered. Big plans tonight?
    Me: Date night with my dad. It’s our Friday ritual.
    Cody: Movie premier or rock concert?
    I smothered a laugh. I guess my life was a little fairytale-like. Daddy made Fridays an event. One time, he’d left a trail of presents to the movie theater we had in our California home, the final one being a visit from Kelly Clarkson, who was just as cool in person as she was on stage.
    Me: I think it’s just Monopoly tonight. :)
    A dark-headed guy leaned over and whispered something to Cody before looking back at me. I didn’t recognize him, but his stare said he knew exactly who I was. I didn’t like it.
    Cody: Gotta go. Don’t spend too much time in jail.
    Me: You either.
    I eased my phone back into my bag, a weird creepiness taking root in my gut. Who would tell Cody not to text? And why would he listen?

CODY
    I was the first to show up at the movie theater on Saturday. It wasn’t intentional. In fact, if given the choice I wouldn’t be there at all. I needed a Skylar cleanse. I’d known her less than a week and already felt addicted.
    She kept my stomach in a constant state of unease. The way she chewed her pen in class or touched my shoulder when she sat at our lunch table yesterday. The way she watched me with those transparent eyes that said she wanted to know all my secrets.
    A flash from headlights pulled my attention to the parking lot and the sweet black Mustang that Skylar drove. Her hair was the first to emerge—red and curly with all the sass and fire I’d expect from the daughter of Donnie Wyld. What I didn’t expect was her genuinely kind nature or how comfortable she was in her own skin. I didn’t expect the confidence she carried that lacked any conceit.
    “Hey!” Her bright smile had me pushing off the wall. It took a monumental amount of self-control, but I resisted pulling her into a hug. “Are we the first ones here?”
    “Yep. Seems that way.”
    She looked around at the movie posters lining the outside walls then back at me. Her fingers tugged on the locket around her neck. “Wow, I’m never the early one. I guess I’m nervous.”
    I wanted to take her hand in mine. Calm her nerves. But if I started touching her, I wouldn’t stop. With Blake coming in minutes, that was equal to starting a war I couldn’t possibly win.
    I cleared my throat. “So, who won last night?”
    “My dad! I couldn’t believe it. He never wins.” Her face lit up when she talked about her father. It made her eyes sparkle like blown glass. “I blame you. You jinxed me with all that