Page 31 of If The Shoe Fits

“Oh, um,” I begin, my brain scrambling for a tactful response, when another voice cuts in.

“Back off, Matt. I’m asking Cyndi to the ball,” Brian Henderson says, ambling over with a determined look in his glassy eyes.

Matthew bristles, straightening his spine as he turns to face Brian.

“Hey man, I’m the one who’s asking her.”

“Yeah, well, I called dibs,” Brian retorts, puffing out his chest.

“You can’t call dibs on a person!”

Before I can intervene, another boy,Daniel Spano, joins the fray, setting his box down with a thud.

“What are you guys talking about? I’m asking Cyndi to the ball.”

“Like hell you are!”

“Get in line, buddy!”

“Dude, I’m *way* closer to her locker than you are between classes!”

And so it goes, one by one, until all five boys are shouting over each other, their voices rising in pitch as the argument escalates. Agatha and I exchange wide-eyed looks as the boys start jabbing fingers into each other’s chests, dangerously close to a full-blown shoving match.

“Whoa, whoa,whoa!” I shout, stepping forward and throwing up my hands.

“That’s enough! Everyone take a deep breath before this turns into something we all regret.”

The boys freeze, glancing at me like they’ve just realized I’m still in the room. For a moment, the tension seems to deflate, but the glassy look in their eyes doesn’t go away.

Agatha leans closer, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Is it just me, or are these boys actingweird?”

I nod, my frown deepening. This isn’t normal teenage awkwardness or misplaced bravado.

This is something else.

And I don’t like it one bit.

chapter thirteen

Ithought I had the situation in hand, but five seconds later, and all three boys were shoving each other again.

Shit.

“STOP IT THIS INSTANT!” I yell over them, using a bit of sparking silver magic to catch their attention.

“There now, I don’t know what’s come over you five, but that is quite enough of that,” I tell them sternly.

Agatha is just staring with a shocked expression on her face. I know how she hates confrontations, so I am more than happy to step up here.

“Uh, what, why are we fighting?” Matthew asks suddenly, and he is scratching his head like he just forgot what he was saying and doing.

I take a step closer and squint as I take in his appearance. I had already noticed his pallor, but there must be more to it than that.

Something is off.

Come to think of it, something seems wrong with every single one of these boys.

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