Read Witcha'be for Free Online Page B

but instead strained my neck. I laughed, rubbing it.
    “Aw, song’s over.”
    “Not a moment too soon,” I said as Mrs. Flemming pulled up in front of the school.
    “Bye, girlies. Have a great day.” She turned in her seat and pecked Lenni’s cheek.
    “Bye, Mrs. Flemming.”
    “Pam,” she said, pretending to glare.
    “Bye, Pam. Thanks for the ride.” We slid from the backseat.
    Lenni chattered about how cute this girl’s hair looked, or how hot that boy’s smile was as we walked to the schoolyard. Now and then, she stopped to stand on her tiptoes and squeal, waving wildly at people across the yard.
    “No way! Sarah actually went through with it. Let’s check out her tattoo. She’s by the basketball goal showing everybody.”
    “I don’t really know Sarah. You go ahead. I’ll hang here and check my messages.” I pulled the phone from my pocket and scrolled through old texts.
    “Okay, if you’re sure.” Lenni searched my face with her wide, blue eyes.
    “I’m fine. Go. Take a good look so you can describe it to me later.”
    “If I miss you when the bell rings, I’ll see you after first hour. And hey, your hiccups are gone.” She sprinted toward the crowd.
    I leaned against the tetherball pole and reread messages. A skull-and-crossbones appeared onscreen, turning my ribs to icicles. The phone buzzed. I flinched and dropped it in the dirt. It vibrated harder and harder, jackhammering off the ground, warbling out a disturbing melody, like an ice cream truck underwater.
    A gigantic hand scooped up the phone. “Hey, you dropped this.” Jake blew on the screen and rubbed it with his massive thumb before handing it to me. “It’s ringing,” he said, as if I couldn’t see the phone performing a demented song-and-dance routine.
    “Thanks, Jake.”
    “Cool skull-and-crossbones feature. Where can I get that app?” He took out his phone as mine jarred violently against my fingertips. I resisted the urge to throw it down and stomp it like a bug.
    “I don’t know. The skull just suddenly popped up. Sorry, I’ve got to go.” I shoved my thumb hard against the phone. The screen faded to black.
    Hic!
    The bell rang and I squeezed through the congested entrance.
    My locker was a total wreck. Lenni had already been there. I grabbed my books and walked to Mrs. Piper’s classroom.
    She greeted me at the door, as she did all her students. Her warm, brown hand rested on my shoulder. “Good to see you, Molly. We’re starting a new project this morning I think you’ll enjoy.”
    My hiccups disappeared.
    Mrs. Piper’s room reigned as my favorite place on earth. Tranquil. Like calm water. Encouraging words lined the walls, written in Mrs. Piper’s flawless calligraphy. I read the saying closest to my desk. Perfect love drives out fear . My shoulders relaxed as I imagined what perfect love would feel like—strong, warm, unconditional. One day I’d ask Mrs. Piper where she found these wonderful verses. I needed a whole book of them.
    Kids stomped in and filled the empty seats. I leaned back in my chair, stretching tense muscles, amazed I could relax with a cursed phone in my pocket.
    Mrs. Piper pulled the door closed. “Good morning, class. I trust your weekend went well?” She stepped to the front of the room.
    “Wasn’t long enough,” Jesse Parker, the principal’s son, mumbled from the back. A few voices joined in, sparking a conversation about sleeping all day.
    “Everyone would rather be sleeping? Well, it so happens, we are starting a new project this morning that requires sleep.”
    “Wooooo-hoooo!” Jesse stretched his thick neck then laid his head down.
    “Not so fast.” Mrs. Piper strolled to the supply closet and removed a stack of notebooks. “We are going to be journaling our dreams,” she said, passing them out.
    “Awww, man. You said we could sleep.” Jesse rubbed his eyes.
    “I said this assignment requires sleep. You won’t sleep during class. But you will sleep with one of