The Curse of Betrayal Read Online Free

desk, half-naked, to see if our class matches up. After she throws the dress over her head, she comes to my side and snatches the schedule from my hands. “Rude,” I mutter, glaring at her, but she doesn’t notice. She stares down my schedule intently as I finish dressing beside her.
    “We have two classes together!” she squeals, tossing my schedule on the desk, only to miss and have it flutter into a wet puddle near my feet on the floor. I angrily stare at her again, but she just shrugs her shoulders. I bend over to lift the sheet up and see the ink start to run, leaving a black, smudgy trail down the page. I blow on it and wave it around in hopes that it dries. I have no idea where I’m going all day, and I need that thing as a guide.  
    I don’t dress up, but I do make an effort to look good today—other than my weather appropriate clothes. First impressions are everything, and I want people to like me. I take the time to brush my already straight brown hair, pencil straight. I put a pair of silver hoops in my ears and tuck the front strands of my hair behind my ears so they’re perfectly visible since I almost never wear jewelry.  
    My skin is pale and gaunt from barely sleeping, so I apply a thin layer of blush on my cheekbones to give me some color and accentuate my high bones. I even take the time to put some coal liner under my eyes to show off the bright green—while they’re still this color. Who knows, by the end of the day, they may be blue like Ollie’s or even purple like my mother’s.  
    My dad got me a new backpack for Christmas that I like, shockingly enough since an older male’s taste isn’t typically so great. After shoving some pens, pencils, notebooks, and a calculator in the main compartment, I zip it up and grab my schedule, shoving it into my pocket so I know it won’t be too far out of reach. I’m using it as my lifeline today to get to and from class in a somewhat organized manner.  
    “I’m going to go early and check out my classes,” I tell Kara as I reach for the door knob.  
    “Do you want me to come with you?” She’s not even close to being ready, but she asks anyway, and I appreciate that. By the mess she has on the floor and the half up hair-do she has going on with that blonde head of hers, I can tell she has another half hour, at least, to go before she’ll consider herself presentable.
    “That’s okay. I’ll see you in class.” I rush out the door before she comes after me with her way-too-bubbly-for-seven-am attitude.
    I want to get the day started and map out my classes before I make a complete fool of myself stumbling lost around campus. But before that, I need to stop and get breakfast before anyone else is in there. Don’t get me wrong, Kara’s friends were welcoming, but I’m not comfortable here yet. I don’t think I can handle having to put on a happy face this early in the morning with a group of strangers.  
    As expected, the student center is empty when I walk in, save for a few overachieving students who are studying while eating simultaneously. Shaking my head, I quickly get through the line, grabbing some Cap’n Crunch and a milk carton, before sitting myself down at a vacant table off to the side of the main aisle.
    I eat my cereal while reading my schedule, attempting to memorize teacher’s names, rooms, and subjects, and then matching them all together. It’s a bit overwhelming, being thrown into a new place with new people—starting a new life in just one day. It’s all a bit much and I’m starting to lose it. A light knock breaks me out of my trance as Ari hovers over me, banging his knuckles on the wooden table.  
    I smile up at him. “Hey!” I squeak out, way too over enthusiastically.
    “Hey there. What are you doing?” He sits himself on the top of the table, making me think he isn’t going to stick around for long. I look around the room and am thankful there aren’t any wandering eyes.  
    “Trying to figure out