Read Exposure for Free Online Page B

about our last conversation in the darkroom, I tried to break the ice as his groupies slowly dispersed.
    â€œWhere’s Beth?”
    No answer. He was still looking off at where Cat’s car had turned out of sight; Elvis rocking it pensive-style.
    â€œDid she go to hell?”
    Craig turned and looked at me, confused.
    â€œWhat? Who?”
    â€œ
Beth
.”
    â€œWhy would you say something like that? That’s not cool.”
    â€œUh, she was dressed as a
devil
. It was a joke, Mac, jeez!”
    â€œOh. Right. She actually went home sick this afternoon. She threw up in gym class.”
    â€œOh, that’s too bad. I hope she feels better.”
    More silence. This was weird. The sky already seemed darker now than it was five minutes ago. I peeled off my mustache and quickly stashed it in my messenger bag. Craig reached over and rubbed off some of the sticky residue from my upper lip, causing my face to instantly flush. Was he seriously wiping off my mustache boogers? I looked down toward the blacktop rather than make eye contact with him, but eventually glanced back up. I couldn’t tell if the smile on his face meant anything other than, “You look ridiculous,” but it seemed like it could have. I blushed again, but thankfully he didn’t notice. Duncan was yelling to us from across the parking lot.
    â€œYo, numbnuts! You want a ride or not?”
    Craig’s jawline visibly tensed. He and Duncan had become pals pretty quickly on the heels of his debut at school two years ago, but there was definitely a pecking order to this friendship. As much as Duncan seemed to enjoy Craig’s company, he occasionally seized the opportunity to show him — and everyone else — who was the alpha male. Craig usually tried to laugh it off, but I think it bothered him more than he let on.
    â€œWhat?” he yelled back. “Is your crap car going to turn into a pumpkin in thirty seconds?”
    Duncan grinned and started casually striding in our direction, tossing his keys up in the air and catching them every few steps.
    â€œWhatever, bro. I don’t exactly see
you
driving a luxury vehicle and god knows your pops could afford it. Dude, I’m sick of waiting around for you to wrap up this session of ‘geek love’ — no offense, Skye — so let’s motor. I’ve got three hours of SportsCenter to veg on before my mom gets home and pries my ass off the couch.”
    Craig gave me an apologetic look, then used both hands to mash my bowler hat down over my face. By the time I’d righted it and could see again, he was jogging in his white jumpsuit toward Duncan’s car.

CHAPTER FIVE
It Is a Knell That Summons Thee to Heaven or to Hell
    LATE TO SCHOOL YET AGAIN, I skidded in my Chuck Taylors, rounding the corner of the fluorescent-lit hallway only to run smack into Craig, who reached out to steady me. Not in time, unfortunately, to stop my books from tumbling to the tile floor in total disarray.
    â€œWhoa, Beanpole! Where’s the fire?” He grinned before bending to help gather up my scattered belongings.
    â€œOverslept,” I said, while trying to accomplish a couple things at once: checking out how adorably hot he looked in his blue T-shirt while also reaching over to pick up my green leather journal before he could spot it. “What about you? Shouldn’t you be in homeroom?”
    â€œI have thoroughly convinced half the staff of this high school that I suffer from an overactive bladder,” he said, digging his cell phone from the front pocket of his jeans. “Pretty much gives me
carte blanche
to roam the hallways at will. Right now I’m arranging refreshments for tonight’s festivities. There’s a party out at Kristy’s dad’s hunting shack.” He ran one hand through his dark wavy hair and started dialing with the other. “You should come.”
    â€œSounds like a teen slasher movie in the