Angels of Darkness

should count for something.”
    Maybe Marc agreed with him, maybe not. Radha couldn’t tell. But since he hadn’t taken a drink of his coffee yet, she floated an eyeball in it.
    It was always the little things that gave them away. Not eating or drinking was one of them.
    Marc glanced down at his cup. His lips curved a little— why did that have to be sexy instead of making him look like a smarmy asshole? —but he took the hint, and took a sip. He didn’t choke when she added the sensation of the floating eyeball bumping into his lip, just smiled a bit more, this time directing it at her.
    Next time she’d just tell him to take a drink. That wouldn’t be any fun, but maybe that was the problem. She remembered all too well how fun he’d been—so unflappable, so solid, no matter what she threw at him. It made her want to forget how a few of his words had stabbed through her heart.
    She never liked dwelling on anything that had once hurt her. She liked to forget it. With Marc, she had to remember, or she’d probably find herself in the same situation again.
    When Marc set the cup back down, no eyeball looked up at him. Whether that disappointed him or not, she didn’t know. He simply asked Sam, “But you were still close friends when her brother died?”
    â€œYeah. Well, mostly.”
    Marc’s brows lifted. He hadn’t expected that. “Mostly?”
    â€œNot so much. She’d already started hanging out with them.”
    â€œBut I thought the change came because he’d died.”
    â€œWell, yeah. That was after. I mean, it was really obvious after that.” A flush started up the boy’s neck. “Homecoming, right? That’s the night he was killed. I remember, because I asked Miklia to go with me. Just as friends, okay? But I thought, maybe if she saw how I treated her well, how I was a great date, something more might finally happen. Four years , man. But she said homecoming was silly—and then showed up at the dance with the Brainless Bitches.”
    â€œThat had to sting,” Marc said.
    â€œYeah. But her brother was killed that night sometime.”
    â€œDid she seem upset at the dance?”
    Radha shoved another fry into her mouth, reminding herself to keep silent. No doubt this kid had been keeping an eye on Miklia that night. Resenting every second.
    â€œNo, she wasn’t upset. She just sat at a table with the other three. They left early. I don’t know where they went.” He shrugged and swiped through a pool of ketchup with his last fry. “Maybe to Perk’s Palace. That’s where they always seem to be now.”
    â€œThe coffee shop?”
    â€œYeah. Because that’s where Gregory works.”
    A little sneer accompanied the name. Marc didn’t let it pass by. “Gregory?”
    â€œYeah. Gregory Jackson. Not Greg, of course. Gregory .” Sam shook his head, disgust clear. “New kid this year. He’s supposed to be some big shot quarterback from a school in Chicago, right? Except he tore his knee up or something, and they moved here, his mom opened that shop. But he thinks he’s better than all of us.”
    Radha’s interest piqued. Marc leaned forward, expression intent.
    â€œBetter? How so?”
    Sam shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s just an attitude I get from him. Last fall he partnered with Miklia a few times in chemistry, and someone caught them sucking face in the weight room, and that’s when she started backing off from me. Like she’s comparing us. And I came out on the bad side, even though he’s not there half the time now.”
    â€œNot there . . . ? Class, or Perk’s Palace?”
    â€œClass. And even when he is, he’s just half asleep through most of it.”
    â€œBut does he do well anyway? His grades are all right?”
    â€œI guess so, yeah. He doesn’t seem to try hard at anything, but he still gets everything. Even Miklia. And now she’s doing the same thing. Her parents never notice anything, so they wouldn’t notice that she’s skipping half her classes or that she’s coming in late to first period—like this morning. She was probably with him all night.”
    Oh, now that was bitter. Radha hoped he was wrong about Miklia being with him—though not for Sam’s sake. A lot of what he’d just described sounded like a scaled-back version of a demon. They