Page 12 of Enemy Crush
“Oh,” I said. I’d never gotten into Dungeons & Dragons and couldn’t understand its appeal. “You joining it here?” I presumed the school had a club.
Mason shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Who were your friends at lunch?”
“They were Katie’s new friends,” he said.
“Cool,” I said, “what teachers did you have?”
Mason went through his list and I commiserated with him over Mr. Butler, the math teacher who loved springing pop tests on the class.
“Always do your homework,” I advised, “he’s one teacher who always checks.”
“I will,” he said and looked down at his backpack, saying with a wry smile, “Should have brought my book.”
I winced, feeling bad—if Mason liked to read, who was I to stop him? It was a long ride home staring out the window.
“Hey,” I said, “tic tac toe?” I opened my phone app and held the screen between us.
Time passed quickly as we played a bunch of games, so engrossed in trying to beat my brother that I failed to notice where Quinn had sat, or even if she’d gotten on the bus. Perhaps Ronan had taken her home. I shouldn’t care. Ididn’tcare, right?
“Gotcha!” Mason exclaimed, “Three in a row now.”
“I’m just playing with you, you know that,” I teased.
“Whatever!”
My brother was smiling and that was all that mattered.
Dad had been baffled to learn that Quinn was now at Snow Ridge High, even more so that she’d ridden the bus. She had taken it home, gotten off after us and trailed us down the lane. I knew this only because Mason had looked behind.
“Must be a let down for Miss Devereaux,” Dad said, stirring the spaghetti sauce on the stove, “but come to think of it, I haven’t seen her Jeep around lately.”
“Me neither,” I said—perhaps foolishly admitting that I’d noticed too. “Brayden said her parents divorced. Did you know that? Apparently that’s why she left Brizendine.”
Dad shook his head and snorted. “News to me, but can’t say I’ve seen him around either. Can’t blame him though, he’d probably had enough of the dragon lady.” I smiled at Dad’s comment, so true, thinking that the dragon lady had a dragon daughter.
Mr. Devereaux had never come to our house or made complaints, that was always the horrible Annabelle. He apparently had a business in Pine Ridge and I’d only ever seen him in his car, which he regularly changed, always upgrading to a newer model.
Dad lowered his voice. “How’d your brother go today?”
“Fine. Did you know he has a friend? Katie.”
Dad grinned. “Good for him.”
“She’s a friend from middle school. He didn’t want to be seen with me.”
“Haha,” Dad chuckled. “Don’t blame him. Set the table, will you?”
THE NEXT DAY, MY LIFErevolved around keeping out of Quinn Devereaux’s way. Peeking out from behind the kitchen curtain, waiting for her to head to the bus stop, then herding Mason out the door a minute later, following at a safe distance. Quinn meandered along the lane in a short skirt and t-shirt and she carried a backpack as well as her tote bag, meaning I had to slow my pace, not wanting to look weird by following too closely. Not that I minded the view in front of me. I hated to admit it, but Quinn Devereaux wasn’t terrible to look at, and I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination but she seemed to leave behind a sweet scent, making the walk even more pleasant.
Once the bus reached school, I bolted off the bus to get to my locker. I ate my lunch outside again, this time joined by Brayden, no one suspecting anything other keeping an eye on Mason. He was sitting with Katie and her friends again so I had high hopes that he’d found his crowd.
“You friendly with your neighbor, then?” Brayden asked as he nodded toward the window where Quinn sat between Elise and Sienna again. I was surprised she hadn’t moved onto Ronan King’s crowd.
“Nah. Never see them.”
“They live in that big house with the big archway?”
