Page 129 of Stone Cold Touch

But school also meant back to reality and if anything was a giant mood killer, it was that. Back to being around humans other than Stacey and Sam. Back to facing the cold possibility that I could be the cause of the infection. Because even though I could kiss Zayne without sucking out his soul as if he was a Tootsie Pop, that didn’t mean it wasn’t me.

He sensed the moment I withdrew and he frowned. “Where’d you go?”

“Nowhere.” I forced a smile. I hadn’t talked to Zayne about my fears since that night because I knew he firmly believed that I was innocent and I... I wanted to keep it that way. With him, I didn’t feel as if I was a time bomb waiting to go off. I felt normal. “Maybe I can skip?”

“Hmm...” He brushed his lips over the tip of my nose. “While I love the sound of that, your cute little ass needs to get to class.”

I pouted.

He laughed softly and then the smile faded. Seriousness crept into his teal eyes. “You know you’re not infecting anyone, Layla-bug. It’s okay for you to go back to school. Deep down, you know that.”

“I know.”

Zayne kissed me again, and for a little while, I got lost in his lips and his intoxicating scent and taste. And for a little while, I stayed in our world, even if it seemed to be make-believe.

Stacey and Sam were waiting for me at my locker. She popped forward and gave me a quick hug, pulling back before I could push her away and look like a freak.

“Welcome back,” Sam said. He was still missing his glasses. “I bet you missed school.”

“I missed it a little.” I opened the locker door and pulled out my bio text. That was true. School was kind of like a sanctuary...when there weren’t zombies, Nightcrawlers and wraiths crawling out of the woodwork.

My high school was turning into the Hellmouth.

I giggled.

Stacey arched a brow. “What?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer.” It was a relief to be honest with them now. Closing the locker door, I turned to them. “I was thinking that our school is kind of like Buffy’s Hellmouth.”

She grinned. “I’m totally Cordelia. And you’re Buffy.”

I laughed as we started walking down the hall. Sam was holding Stacey’s hands and that made me all kinds of warm and fuzzy. “I’m not Buffy. More like Willow. Sam, you’re totally Xander.”

“I’d say I’m more like Angel,” he commented, and I expected there to be some kind of factoid aboutBuffy the Vampire Slayer,but there was none.

“By the way,” Stacey said, leaning toward me and lowering her voice. “I’m assuming you told Roth that we knew the...uh, the truth.”

My stomach did a cartwheel. They hadn’t seen him since we’d been suspended. “Yeah, he knows, but I wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. I’m going to the bathroom real quick.”

Stacey stopped. “I need to go, too.” Turning to Sam, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “See you later?”

He nodded as he backed away and then turned, running a hand through his messy hair. I watched him for a few moments and then shook my head. “Do you really need to use the bathroom?”

“No,” she giggled. “I just wanted a few seconds alone with you to ask if you’ve had sex with Zayne yet.”

Heat bled across my cheeks. “What? No. Have you and Sam?”

Her grin spread and my eyes widened as I pushed open the door, greeted by the smell of disinfectant and the faint aroma of cigarettes. “Oh my God, you seriously had sex with...” I trailed off and then came to a complete stop inside the bathroom.

Stacey bumped into me from behind and she, too, stopped.

At one of the sinks, Eva was hunched over, hands pressed against her face, covering her eyes. Her slim shoulders trembled. Lying in the sink and on floor were tiny balls of brown rolled-up paper. A cell phone sat on the ledge above the sink.

She was crying—no, sobbing really.

“This is awkward,” Stacey murmured as the door closed behind her.

Yeah, it kind of was. Eva was evil and if I hadn’t known better, I’d categorize her as a demon from Hell, but she wasn’t. Just a typical mean girl who probably didn’t get enough love at home or whatever, but the girl code kicked in.

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