Free Phantoms of Fall (The Haunting Ruby Series Book 2) by Joy Elbel

period was a real snoozer. I avoided fulfilling my
history requirement every other year so my dad was forced to
sign me up for it this year.
World History was incredibly
boring to me so I would have been tempted to fall asleep
regardless, but it didn’t help that the teacher was about as
captivating as watching moss grow.
    Mr. Tucker was old—I’m talking old enough to have
helped build the pyramids. The room was hot and stuffy and
he refused to open the windows.
But it was his voice that
made me want to fall asleep. It was barely above a whisper
and had a soothing quality that lulled me into a half-conscious
trance. I periodically glanced around the room in an effort to
keep my eyes open. Seeing that no one else was faring any
better, I was almost tempted to give in to the urge to close my
eyes. Thanks to the nightmare, I only got about five hours of
sleep and just a quick cat nap would have done the trick.
    Then I noticed something disturbing. Something even
more unsettling than the sight of Misty sitting two rows away.
The strange girl from homeroom was also in the room. And
she was staring straight at me.
And I mean staring at me.
Like she wanted to kill me. My eyes locked with hers briefly
and I felt so uncomfortable that I had to look away. Quickly, I
turned, looking
out the
window instead.
But there was
something about the intensity in her eyes that made me look
back. She was still glaring at me, unblinking.
    What was this girl’s problem? At least I understood
the motivation when Misty looked at me like that. Did this
girl like Zach, too? I didn’t want to be mean, but how could
this girl even remotely think she stood a chance with Zach? I
sucked up the bad vibes and stared back.
    She was quite possibly the creepiest girl I’d ever laid
eyes on. Her hair was dirty blond and hung limply around her
face. The paleness of her skin made my fair complexion look
tanned in comparison. And her clothing? Let’s just say that it
really made her stand out.
Yeah, she was wearing skinny
jeans, but they looked like the kind they wore back in the
eighties. And by that, I mean they actually looked like they
were from the eighties and the rest of her outfit was no less
vintage. But it was her eyes that really grabbed my attention.
Dark and penetrating, they both intrigued and frightened me
at the same time.
    Entranced by her, I nearly jumped out of my skin
when the bell rang. The very second I got my bearings; I ran
out of the room and never looked back. AP English was my
next class and the only class I was really looking forward to.
When I realized Mr. Raspatello was my English teacher, I was
even more excited.
Although he put me in the hot seat when
he made me introduce myself to the class, I still felt that he
was going to be a fun teacher, the kind who makes class
interesting. Feeling a little bit better about the day as a whole,
I slid into my seat hopeful for the first time today. Then, I saw
her. Creepy Girl. And this time, she sat down right beside me.
    Mr. Raspatello started off class by handing out the
reading list for the year. One by one I read down through the
list, disappointed to find that I’d already read most of them.
Then
he
explained that
half
of our time would be spent
reading and analyzing the classics and the other half would be
devoted to creative writing. Now we were talking. Creative
writing was my strongpoint. I didn’t just win that writing
contest last year by accident—I was good. As if he read my
mind, Mr. Raspatello called my name.
    “Ruby, I read in your transcripts that you took first
place in a creative writing contest last year.
Tell us about
your story.” He motioned for me to join him at the front of the
room and I almost threw up again. What cruel enjoyment did
he get out of humiliating me? Slowly, I trudged up front, well
aware that Creepy Girl was staring bullets into me the entire
time.
    There were only a few things in this world that truly
terrified me.
Spiders, ghosts,