Read Halo for Free Online Page B

his ridiculous good looks and hundred-watt smile. The flutter in my chest when I looked at him told me I was already in hot water. I was learning to read the signals given out by my body and knew that this boy was making me nervous. But there was a hint of another feeling, one that I couldn’t identify. I backed away from him, toward the classroom door, where I could see the lights had just come on. I knew I was being rude, but I was too unsettled to care. Xavier didn’t look offended, just bemused by my behavior.
    “I’m Bethany,” I managed to say, already halfway through the door.
    “See you around, Bethany,” he said.
    My face felt beet red as I came back into the chem lab, and Mr. Velt threw me an accusatory look for having taken so long in the bathroom.
    By lunchtime I’d realized that Bryce Hamilton was a minefield of projector slides and other traps designed to ferret out undercover angels like me. In gym class I had a mild panic attack when I realized I was expected to change in front of all the other girls. They peeled off their clothes without a second thought and tossed them into lockers or onto the floor. Molly got her bra straps tangled and asked for my help, which I gave nervously, hoping she wouldn’t notice the unnaturally soft touch of my hands.
    “Wow, you must moisturize like mad,” she said.
    “Every night,” I replied lightly.
    “So what do you think of the Bryce Hamilton crowd so far? Boys hot enough for you?”
    “I wouldn’t say hot ,” I said, puzzled. “Most of them seem to have a normal body temperature.”
    Molly stared at me. She looked like she was about to snicker, but my expression convinced her I wasn’t trying to be funny. “Hot means good-looking,” she said. “Have you seriously never heard that before? Where was your last school—Mars?”
    I blushed as soon as I understood the meaning of her original question. “I haven’t really met any boys yet,” I said, shrugging. “I did run into someone called Xavier.” Speaking his name aloud was strange. There was a cadence to it that made it sound special. I was glad the boy with the intense eyes and the floppy hair wasn’t a Peter or Rob. I’d hoped to sound casual bringing him up, but his name exploded into the conversation like a firework.
    “Which Xavier?” Molly quizzed, all ears now. “Is he blond? Xavier Laro’s blond and plays on the lacrosse team. He’s pretty hot. I wouldn’t blame you for liking him, but I think he might already have a girlfriend. Or did they break up? I’m not sure; I could try and find out.”
    “This one had light brown hair,” I interrupted her, “and blue eyes.”
    “Oh.” Molly’s expression changed. “That would be Xavier Woods. He’s the school captain.”
    “Well, he seemed nice.”
    “I wouldn’t go for him if I were you,” she counseled. Her expression was all concern, but I got the feeling she expected me to take her advice no matter what. Maybe that was one of the rules in the world of teenage girls: “Friends are always right.”
    “I’m not really going for anyone, Molly,” I said, but was unable to resist asking, “Why, what’s wrong with him?” It didn’t seem possible that the boy I’d met could be anything other than perfect.
    “Oh, he’s nice enough,” Molly replied, “but let’s just say he’s got baggage.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “Well, a whole heap of girls have been trying to get his attention for ages, but he’s emotionally unavailable.”
    “You mean he’s already got a girlfriend?”
    “He did have. Her name was Emily. But no one’s been able to comfort him since . . .” She trailed off.
    “They broke up?” I prompted.
    “No.” Molly’s voice dropped and she twisted her fingers uncomfortably. “She died in a house fire almost two years ago. Before it happened they were inseparable, people even talked about them getting married and everything. No one’s been able to measure up to her. I don’t think he’s