Read Over My Head (Wildlings) for Free Online Page B

you're just playing dumb. He's going to be in your face every time you run into him in the hall. He'll want to go all public about putting the little black dude in his place. You know that. It's the way it works."
    I sit up and swing my feet to the floor, wincing. Every part of me still hurts—maybe more than it did yesterday.
    "Promise me you won't do anything," I say.
    Desmond shakes his head. "I can't do that. And you better hope I get to Gess before Chaingang does."
    Chaingang's built like a mountain and he's got no patience for idiots. He's also my friend, though given his status as an Ocean Aver, I don't really hang with him like I do with Desmond.
    "Chaingang's not going to do anything," I say. "It's not like I'm in the gang."
    "No, but you're both Wildlings and he told you he'd have your back. Bet that goes a lot deeper than gang loyalties."
    "Crap."
    I put my head in my hands. I'd kill for something to stop my head from throbbing.
    "I didn't think of that," I add.
    When Desmond doesn't answer, I look up to find him studying me with a puzzled look on his face.
    "What?" I ask.
    "I'm trying to figure out why you still look so messed up."
    "Hello? Five guys jumped me?"
    "Yeah, yeah. But I thought you Wildlings had some kind of magic healing powers. Didn't that guy in the lab with you have his leg come back"—he snaps his fingers— "just like that?"
    "I have to change into the mountain lion and then back again for that to work."
    "So why don't you?"
    I sigh. "Because then I won't have a mark on me and everybody'll know something's weird with me."
    Desmond shakes his head. "That is crazy, dude. Really. Listen to yourself."
    "I'll heal up," I tell him. "Nothing's broken."
    "Well, maybe this'll cheer you up," he says and swings the chair back around to the computer. "News feed says that the dude who ran the security at ValentiCorp got himself killed." He turns to look at me. "At least there's some justice in the world, right?"
    I get a bad feeling. It's not that I care one way or another about Clint Gaillard. He wasn't the one experimenting on the kids that got taken like I did, but his Black Key Securities team did grab us and bring us in. When I think of what happened to those kids in there—what almost happened to me—it's hard to keep the mountain lion from roaring its rage. So I'm not sorry he's dead. But this feels ominous, like it could have repercussions.
    "Does it say how he died?" I ask.
    Desmond shakes his head. "The cops are being tight with the details." He gives me a once-over, then adds, "Your mom said you want to go to school today. Are you sure you're up for it?"
    "Yeah. Just let me grab a shower and some more painkillers."

    I was always the kid who kept his head down at school. You don't get noticed, you don't get into trouble. But now it seems like every couple of days, I show up as the main attraction.
    And now it's happening again. I'm the center of attention, with everybody hanging around outside the school talking about me, staring at my swollen and bruised face, whispering about Gess and me, and how the Feds happened by to break things up. I want to run and hide, but that's not an option. For once, this is exactly what I want: for everybody to look at the mess I am and really believe that I'm just some unlucky kid who got beat up. They're not thinking I'm a Wildling.
    I walk up to the door and see Chaingang sitting in his usual place on a picnic table under the palms, shades hiding his eyes. He just shakes his head and looks away. I can't tell if he's disappointed or pissed off.
    Desmond and I have almost reached the front door when it bangs open and I blink in surprise. Marina's standing there and I don't have to guess about her feelings. From the way she's glaring at me, she's furious.
    "You and me," she says. "We need to talk."
    "We've got class …"
    "Screw class. Right now , Saunders."
    She stalks by without waiting to see if I'll follow. I look at Desmond and he shrugs.
    "I've no idea,