Stuck and Stoned by Millie Annaliece (beautiful books to read txt) 📖

I trudged through the next two classes, avoiding anyone's gaze and staying silent. The only interaction I allowed was in math when Jonathan, a guy in Choir, asked if I'd be at Madrigal practice today. "Duh," I teased. "It's required, Jonathan." Madrigal was the dinner and show the Choir was hosting. This was the first year. He smiled.

"Are you excited?" Leah had asked. She sat next to me and behind Jonathan.

"Hell yeah," I said. I tried to smile, but not even my solace- music- could cheer me up. 

Jonathan asked me, "So how are you and your melodramatic guy? He being nice to you?" 

Leah looked down, back at her work. "Fine," I whispered, trying to hold the tears away. Jonathan didn't believe me, but he stayed out of it. I was grateful for that. 

Band was after math. Bodhi was in there but he didn't even look at me. I concentrated so hard on the music we played that I got pissed off when the bell rang in the middle of a song. I started to cry. That just wasn't fair. People looked at me concerned or confused but noone tried to console me. I was glad of that. After Bodhi put up his sax he came to stand next to me. I was putting up my clarinet. Before Bodhi could say anything, Kendra shooed him away. 

"Elizabeth, Baby talk to me," she said, putting my music in my folder. 

I shook my head. There was too much she didn't know. And she was close to Stone. I just wiped my face and walked with her quietly. As we left the Band room, we ran into Stone coming from the gym. I looked at Kendra weakly and fled to my locker. For once, I was sick of all my friends gathering by my locker because it was at the corner of the hallway. Everyone looked at me, confused and worried. Leigh Ann grabbed my wrist and pulled me through about three of our friends. She gave me one lookover. 

"Damn it, Elizabeth," she said. I looked at her weakly ready to run and hide. Her emerald eyes were lined and kohl and her eyeshadow was green and glittery. She studied me and gave me a hug. Stone and Kendra rounded the corner, laughing innocently. I broke away from Leigh Ann, but she pulled me back. Everyone else had left for class but Stone, Kendra, Leigh Ann, and me. Kendra gave me a hug then flounced away. She was too damn innocent. 

Stone eyed me with hate. I bowed my head. "I'm sorry," I whispered. 

"Does it matter? You hate me- you're the only one that kept me here but I'm going to try--" 

"Shut up!" I said. 

He began to walk off. I grabbed his belt loop and pulled him to me roughly. I felt the school resource officer eyeing us warily. "Talk to me," I begged. 

"I have nothing to say to you." he said cuttingly. 

"Don't go," I whispered. I knew I was crying. I grabbed the sides of his jacket desperately. I felt weak standing in front of him, knowing what he could do. He'd hit me, scratched me, shook me, and noone even knew because they believed him, not me. 

"Stone," I said. Just to hear his name. 

He pulled my chin up to look at his face. The proximity of him shocked me. I was standing against the wall, Leigh Ann and the SRO long gone. Stone was inches from me. I pulled him closer just to feel his hands on me again. "I love you," I whispered against his neck. He tried to speak but I shushed him. I grabbed his hands in mine and placed them on my hips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes. I let myself rest my head on his shoulder. His cologne intermingled with my perfume. 

"We have to go to class," he said. 

"Do we have to?" I said. He looked at me then dragged me to the double doors where the camera was broken and people rarely checked. I smiled wryly. I lay my purse down and he shrugged his black leather jacket off. I touched a button on his shirt. 

"Do you love me?" I whispered. 

"Yes, you know that." 

"Kiss me." 

"What?!" he said. "No. I'm not putting you in that situation," he said. 

"You're not." I insisted. 

"No," he said. He hugged me to him tightly. I cried against his chest. "I'm sorry," I sobbed. He stroked my cheek. Why did someone so nice have to be so mean? I wondered. How could someone good hurt me, scratch me, shake me, punch me? How could he look at me with such hate? How could his words scare me into submission? How could I need him so desparately? 

"Elizabeth, it's time for lunch. Do you want to go?" he said. The sound of his voice tickled me. Conspiratorial. That's the word. Sexy. Dangerous. Damn it! Bodhi would kill me if he found out I'd skipped the first half of English with Stone. At least I could go to the second half. Maybe. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. 

"Yeah, I need to eat," I said. Before he could go I grabbed him by the neck and kissed his neck softly. He tensed up. I melted. My cheeks were hot. I kissed the corners of his lips in turn, then the center of his lips. His skin was icy as always. Mine was always hot to the touch. He draped his jacket over my shoulders when I shivered and grabbed my bag. 

We walked to the cafeteria careful not to touch. It was like we had seperate bubbles. People eyed us suspicously. I sat next to him and waited for him to get a tray and sit down. 

Leah, who also had English with me asked, "Where were you?" 

I dropped my gaze. Stone answered "She was sitting by the lockers crying, so we sat in the front lobby together." 

Eva raised her eyebrows. Leigh Ann looked at me across the table, knowing that was a lie. I shook my head at her, begging her silently not to say anything. Thankfully she didn't. She ate in silence. I nibbled on some crackers and fruit off Stone's tray. He wrapped one arm around me, drawing me close. 

Eva bombarded us with questions which we skillfully avoided. She believed the act, and Leah did too. I was kind of glad Kendra had a different lunch so she didn't have to see this. Soon Eva and Leah left, leaving just me, Stone, and Leigh Ann. 

Two exes. One I was way too close to, the other holding me to him. 

"Elizabeth?" Leigh Ann said, a million questions in one word. 

Stone tensed up beside me. I placed one hand on his thigh palm down. He calmed down but didn't loosen his grip on the curve of my hip. In fact it tightened. It hurt, but I ignored it. 

"I'm sorry Leigh Ann," I said. Stone wrapped his other hand in front of me. His hand slipped underneath the hem of my white off the shoulder shirt. I shifted in his arms just slightly. My hip hurt where he had a hold of me. The hand I had on his thigh shook. My right hand always shook when I got upset. And Leigh Ann knew. She always just knew this stuff. 

But the thing that had brought us together- majick- is what drove us apart. We'd had a bond, but when she'd bound me from working magick, I'd gotten hurt badly bu someone else. My animosity towards her escalated until my Anger is what saved my Abilities. It had grown until it broke her binding spell with all the energy from it. My amber had shattered when it happened, and I couldn't fix it. But I had my moonstone. 

Anyways, totally irrelevant. I began to tell Leigh Ann everything. Stone got pissed and left. When he did, my moonstone seemed to get darker. It was around my neck. It burned my skin, but again I ignored it. After I'd finished talking, Leigh Ann hugged me, and made me go to class. 

She wasn't mad, just quiet. Which somehow was worse. 

I somehow, by some miracle, got through the last three and a half periods without incident. Or having to be near Stone or Bodhi. I was too embarassed and scared. Oh so many emotions. It was 3:15. Now I had to make myself go to Madrigal practice. That would last until after 8, and Bodhi would be there. 

I was just a serving wench, like most everyone. But there were 12 people as the royal court. They were the Chamber people and Bodhi was one of them. He got to dress up in an actual costume and speak and walk with gorgeous-beyond-words Mariska, who had also made Chamber. 

I felt a tinge of jealousy as I thought of Mariska. She was naturally beautiful. She had ebony hair that fell flawlessly around her shoulders. She had a gorgeous complexion and skin pale and glowing. Her eyes had a twinkle in them and she always smiled. Despite her gothic style, she was an individualistic person and she had a beautiful voice. 

Somehow my thoughts drug me to the cafeteria where the practice was to be held. First we had to decorate. We had until 5:30 to decorate, and from the looks of it we had a long way to go. I smiled wryly as I watched Kendra hanging tinsel and lights from the seiling. So focused was she that she didn't hear me call her name. I didn't really need anything, so I didn't call her name a second time. I didn't want to scare her when she was atop a ladder. 

Bodhi and a few other guys, including Jonathan were cutting sprigs from evergreen branches they'd picked earlier today. I waved then approached outgoing redhead Melony. She was starting to unroll paper to tape to the walls. I helped her, and as we worked, slowly albeit, we talked casually. Soon Stone came into the cafeteria with a coke and his hand and spoke to Ms. Hally, our Choir director. She nodded emphaticly at him. 

He approached me and Melony and I lowered my head. "Hey Melony," he said, intentionally ignoring me. Well fine. Two can play that game. 

"Hey cuz. What you doing?" Melony answered him. 

"I didn't have nothing to do. Ms. Hally said I could help in here until I have to leave." 

"Hi Stone" I said. 

"Uh, hi Elizabeth." Why'd his response sound forced?! Not fair! 

"How long you staying?" I asked as innocently as I could. 

"I don't know. It depends." Conspiratorial. Stupid little bitch. I knew why he was here. I wasn't that blind to his ways. He didn't like Bodhi because he knew I trusted him. He knew if me and Bodhi got talking I'd end up telling him. Maybe I wouldn't mean to, but I couldn't lie to him. And Stone knew it. He didn't want me to be near Bodhi. Just like Bodhi didn't want me near Stone. But I couldn't control other people and I wasn't a forceful person.

I walked to where Kendra was. "Stone's here!" she said cheerily. 

I put on a happy smile and said "Yeah, I was just over there." 

She laughed. "I knew it!" 

"Knew what?" I asked. 

Her cheeks flamed.