Rattlesnake by C. Lee McKenzie

Author:C. Lee McKenzie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ghosts, speculative fiction, young adult, teen, ya, speculative, second chances
Publisher: Evernight Teen

Chapter Twenty-One

“Grounded?” He clamped his hands on top of his head. “I’m not ten anymore!” Jonah couldn’t believe his aunt was not only going to pick him up in Bozo after basketball practice every night, but she also was going to totally humiliate him by not letting him go anywhere for a whole month. That wiped out any chance of going to the dance.

“Look, practice ran over. I was almost home. I tried to flag you down and you, like, didn’t even see me! Come on. Not a whole month, okay?”

She didn’t look as if she’d heard him. Instead, she seemed to be trying to come up with more penalties when she suddenly sank onto the kitchen chair. “I’ll think about it, Jonah.” She waved him away, but he was grateful she’d at least opened the way for negotiations.

When he met Allie on his way upstairs, she asked, “How’d it go?”

“Not good.” He pushed past her and toward his room.

“So we’re not going ahead with the plan?”

“Oh, we’re going ahead with it, all right. Friday after school, just like we said. I want that creep scared so much, his stud pops out of his lip.” Jonah shoved his door open and slammed it behind him.

****

At school the next day, Jonah waited outside for Juliet before first bell. He had to talk to her. He had to tell her he was sorry.

She came up the walk surrounded by her friends, talking and smiling, until she saw Jonah waiting at the door. Then her expression shifted to unhappiness, a reflection that had to be about her promise to Willa Boone and her responsibility for Snake that it saddled her with. Jonah hoped that she didn’t look unhappy because she didn’t like him.

She pressed her lips together and her shoulders tensed.

“I’ll see you later,” she told the three girls, and they brushed past Jonah, darting nervous glances at him over their shoulders.

Juliet waited until he came to her. “You’re not dumb, so you must be the most stubborn boy Rattlesnake High ever enrolled.”

“No, I wanted to apologize. That’s all. For pressuring you about the dance.”

She hesitated for a moment. “Thank you.”

“One thing I know is that you can’t let someone like Snake take over your life. I’m not going to let him take over mine.”

“It’s not that he’s taking over my life, Jonah. It’s that I can keep him in line. For some reason, he’ll listen to me, but not if you and I—”

“Go to the dance together?”

“Yes, or do anything else together.” She glanced around. “Like right now.”

“I don’t get it.”

“There’s nothing to get,” Juliet said. “We’re not a couple. He’s just Snake, and we’ve known each other since grade school. He didn’t use to be like this and act ugly the way he does now.”

“Hard to picture that.”

“But it’s true. He was kind of my boyfriend in fifth grade. You know, hand holding, that sort of thing. He was sweet then. Kind of slow, but nice, you know? He just needed tutoring.

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