Inner Demons

34. Wondering If Anyone Would Notice

I sat on the bleachers for most of the second half. My body temperature went from freezing to burning up to freezing all over again. Mrs. King handed me a fuzzy blue blanket and a cup of hot chocolate when I started to shiver.

I begged my body to recover faster. Every little shiver or grimace of pain was a clue to anyone watching that I'd been doing some kind of forbidden magic beyond my level. Why didn't I think of the consequences earlier? I thought I was being all sneaky and undercover with my talks to Morgyn and Jackson, but now I wasn't so sure.

Mrs. King implied that the tattoo on my back was also used as some kind of tracking device. A way to monitor recruits. Nothing I did was private. Did any of the other girls know the Order was watching us? I made a mental note to question Lark about it later, but for now, I had more pressing questions on my mind.

If the Order was watching me, how the hell was I going to sneak up to the third floor library? Much less Jackson's bedroom? Just thinking about it made me want to throw up all over again. I pulled the blanket tighter against my body and begged my stomach to calm down.

Once the game was over, the PHS Demons were officially in the playoffs. Drake ran off the field and pulled me up into a hug.

"We did it!" he said, pumping his fist. "Let's go celebrate."

Did he seriously not even notice that I'd been sitting on the sidelines for the past hour and a half? I had to stop myself from punching him in the face. He had to be one of the most selfish guys in the world. I don't know how I didn't see it before.

"I don't feel good," I said. "That's why I sat out the entire second half. Didn't you notice?"

He frowned. "No. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's not like I'm dying or anything," I said. "But I think I'd rather just go home and get some rest."

"Bummer. Foster invited us over to his house to go swimming. He's trying to get back into Brooke's good graces. I thought you might want to come."

"It's freezing out," I said, shivering."Indoor heated pool," he said. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. "With a hot tub."

I shook my head. I couldn't take this anymore. The more time I spent around Drake, the more I began to despise him. The thought of hanging out with him in a hot tub made me feel even worse. "Listen, Drake-"

"Great game, son!" Drake's father came up behind him and give him a big pat on the back.

"Thanks, Dad!" Drake turned around and gave his dad a strong handshake.

Mrs. Ashworth was close behind. My heart rose into my throat, and I felt slightly dizzy.

"Yes, that was a great game, dear," she said, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss Drake's cheek. "Exactly what I wanted to see tonight with so many recruiters in the stands."

I stood by silently, wondering if anyone would notice if I made a run for it.

Then, Mrs. Ashworth turned to me, and I was stuck. "Harper, honey, what happened to you the second half? You looked miserable down there on the bleachers. Are you ill?"

I nodded. "I really think I should be heading home," I said. "I might be coming down with something."

Mrs. Ashworth studied me carefully. I felt my heart pound against my ribs like a frantic, caged bird. Could she tell I'd been doing magic?

"I'm sure all this training has been hard on you," she said. "Maybe you should go home and rest. I hope you get to feeling better. We'd love to have you over to our house for dinner sometime soon, now."

"Yes, ma'am," I said. "Goodnight, Drake, good game."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You want me to drive you home?"

"No," I said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "I'm just going to catch the van home to Shadowford. I'd hate to get you sick, too."

As soon as I could, I made my way back up to the parking lot and searched for the Shadowford van. I spotted Courtney coming out of the stadium gate and jogged to catch up with her, glad to be rid of the Ashworths.