Page 75 of Wicked Games

My heart and my mind are at war—to love him or to hate him. How can I possibly choose which one is right?

Chapter 19

Margo

Winter has arrived early, it seems. Not in snowfall—luckily what little we had melted over the weekend—but in windchill. The temperature has dropped into the teens, and the ground is frozen solid.

Lenora puts a hat on my head, patting my cheeks and smiling faintly. She opens her mouth to say something, then seems to think better of it.

Robert drives me today. Riley texted early—way too early—to say that her dad was giving her a ride, too. She didn’t trust herself on the potential black ice. Robert gets to go straight to his classroom, while the students have been shuffled from the courtyard to the cafeteria before school starts. He drops me off there and waves goodbye with a wide smile.

Someone’s feeling cheeky.

In the back, toward the windows, are the popular kids. Amelie is absent, but Savannah is there with her cheerleaders, leaning against one of the football player’s arms. She’s got a circle of girls and guys around her, acting like… like someone put a crown back on her head.

I search the room for a friendly face, but Riley hasn’t arrived. And Caleb hasn’t either. Not that I would call Caleb friendly, but whatever.

I’m still hunting for either of them by the time the bell rings.

Caleb doesn’t show up for first period.

Between second and third I find Riley. She almost doesn’t see me, walking by with her head down, so I grab her and tow her into the nearest stairwell.

“Hey! I missed you in the courtyard.”

Riley winces. “Yeah, Dad was running late. He had to sign me in at the office. Eli is back, did you see?”

I did notice that, although I hadn’t registered that as weird or noteworthy. “Savannah is acting like she did at the beginning of the year.”

My best friend sighs. “I heard that Amelie is finishing the semester in France.”

“It doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” I laugh. “Wonder if I can join her?”

She snorts. “Yeah, right.”

“Have you seen Caleb? Or heard anything?”

She hesitates. “No.”

She says it like a lie.

I stare at her for a minute, but I don’t have time to question her. The bell is going to ring any moment, the only warning being the sudden emptying of the hallway.

“Okay… let me know if you do.”

“I’ll see you at lunch,” she says, rushing away.

I hurry to my next class and keep my head down. I still expect Caleb to magically appear in the hallway, dodging students and sauntering up to me. I crane my neck, trying to see past taller students, but he’s nowhere to be found.

And it’s daunting.

Right before lunch, I spot Theo. I skid to a halt right in front of him.

“Little wolf,” he greets me. His tone is always so even. Undaunting. He only lost it once—at that football game we went to at Lion’s Head. But otherwise, he’s stoic. His mask is impregnable.

“Where’s Caleb?” I ask.

A muscle in his jaw jumps.

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