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.But no other guys asked me out.So me and my friends came up with doing Seven Minutes in Heaven, capturing cute boys at school and throwing them in the dark with us.Today just happened to be my day.I haven’t done it that much.It was only my third time.”“Third time?” I breathed in through my nose and tried not to scream.“Kimber, look, you can’t turn yourself into someone who just throws herself at any guy who comes your way.These eighth grade boys should have to fight for you.”“Look, this is all easy for you to say,” she said.“You have Liesel.”I shook my head.“I don’t know if I do anymore.”“What do you mean?”“Let me just finish my thought.Promise me, Kimber.I want you to promise me you’ll stop these games and end this desperation to feel something with just anyone.I know it seems like the end of the world, but give it time.You’ve got high school coming up.Playing these games in middle school is one thing, but high school guys are different.They can take advantage.They can cause real, serious problems.Trust me, I would know.You need to be careful, Kimber.I want only the best for you.”She cracked her neck and started stretching her arms out.“Cam, you have to understand something.After what happened in that closet today, I don’t think I’m gonna be kissing any guys for a long, long time.”I managed a subtle laugh.“Yeah….well… same here.”Kimber laughed really hard at that one.But then her happy demeanor quickly transitioned into a somber one.“OK,” she said.“OK.”“Tell me everything.”I did.I started by taking her back to the night in late March last year when Charisma and I and my basketball teammates went out for a late pizza dinner.I told her what Liesel did.I told her how she and I bonded over the next couple of months, until I finally caught her in the CRHS biology room lifting objects in the air with only her mind, including that very vocal frog.I told her about the night I laid dying in the hospital bed, only to watch in awe as Liesel magically brought me back to health with the most awesome set of spells the human eye had ever seen.I told her all about Liesel’s powers.I told her the truth about our floating at graduation.And then I told her about last Saturday night at the French restaurant.Surprisingly, she didn’t flinch.“It’s amazing,” she said.“It all makes sense now.”“I don’t know if everything makes sense,” I said, “but at least there’s kind of an explanation.”“She has powers? Why didn’t you tell me?”“I shouldn’t be telling anyone, Kimber.And you can’t tell a soul.”“I won’t…”“If you tell one single person, I’m never going to speak to you again.Ever.Do you understand me?”“Can I at least tell Mom and Dad?”“Especially not Mom and Dad!”Some students walking to a school bus turned to us.I just smiled back, like Kimber and I were sharing a frivolous conversation.“Kimber, listen to me.” I took her hands and brought them down to the cement sidewalk.“The reason I came to see you today was to show you what’s happening to me, and for you to help me lie to Mom and Dad about my whereabouts.”“What—”“Mom and Dad can’t know I’m aging again… it would kill them.”“How will they not know, Cam? I mean, look at you!”“They won’t see me.At least, not until I figure out how to stop this.Which should be soon.”She pulled away from me.“I don’t understand.If Liesel is the cause of all this, why don’t you just get her to change you back to normal?”“She’s disappeared.”“She’s what?”Again, more students turned to us.I awkwardly waved back as the last of them stepped inside the overcrowded school bus.“I’m trying to find her,” I said, “and when I do, I’m going to—”“Dump her,” Kimber interrupted.“Huh?”“What? You can’t seriously be considering staying with her now.”“Stay with her? I’m gonna marry her, Kimber.I love her.”“She cursed you! Again!”“It was an accident…”“How can you ever trust her again? Every single time you guys have an argument, she sets a curse on you.What if you do something really bad, like cheat on her or something? She’ll turn you into a rat, or a hamster.Or worse, she’ll make you vanish into thin air, never to return!”“She wouldn’t do that! She loves me.This is all just a huge misunderstanding.I’ll figure this out, OK? I promise.”“How do you know for sure?”“Because she’s going to turn up.She will.”“What if she doesn’t, Cam? You’re growing a year younger every day?”“Yes.”“So how old does that make you now?”“Fourteen.”“Fourteen?” Her jaw just hung open.“Yeah.”She licked her lips and took a deep breath.“So that gives you… what… just…”“Two weeks.”Kimber stood up, turned around, and started pounding her fists against the school fence.“Hey!” I shouted.“Stop! Stop it!”I grabbed her arms and pulled her back.She was really bawling now, barely able to speak through her sobs.“I just… I can’t lose you…”“I know,” I said, hugging her.“You’re everything to me, Cam.I don’t know what I’d do without you.”“I know,” I repeated.“Promise me you’ll do it.”“Do what?”“You’ll leave her.If you find her and she makes you better.You’ll break up with her and call off the wedding.”“I can’t…”“Swear it, or I’m telling Mom and Dad!”I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.I shook my head and took a deep breath.“OK.OK, I promise.”“Good.”I started walking with her along the sidewalk, heading back toward the school.“So this is what I need you to do for me…” I started.I made it back to my car a few minutes later.I had another missed call from my mother.I’ll talk to you in a few days, Mom.I need time to figure out how to stay alive.7 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]