Hi readers and friends!  So I know I have been a slow updater and I am sorry!!! Reason being Hidden Monster is all set to be published November 4th!  Sadly, I won't be able to put the entire novel up on Wattpad, BUT there is GOOD NEWS!!! You can enter to read it for FREE NOW!  No more waiting!  Check out:  

http://cleanteenpublishing.blogspot.com/2014/07/arc-giveaway-and-cover-reveal-for.html?spref=fb

Hope you enjoy the latest!  PS...I have updated chapters 1-12 adding some small details! So you may want to re-read those before this!!!

 “Impeccable timing, Mack,” Blake muttered. I peeked over at him. Wonder if he wants to kill Mack right now too.

Mack jogged over. I could’ve sworn his grin faltered a second when he saw Blake’s hand on mine, but then he laughed loudly. “Wow. Fancy meeting you two here, of all places.”

“Yeah, fancy that,” Blake said dryly, but I didn’t miss the smile spreading on Blake’s face and I relaxed. It was such a relief; Jeremy would be spitting bullets right now if Mack had appeared.

“Hey Mack, what’s up?” I asked, wondering what he was doing wandering up here by himself anyway.

“Oh you know, off saving the world, same old same old. How about you two?”

I grinned at him. “We were just debating if we should jump.” Or kiss.

“Brrr,” Mack replied, shaking his shoulders. “No thanks, there are parts of me that don’t like turning blue.”

Blake chuckled, and I rolled my eyes at both of them.

Mack turned to Blake, his lips twitching. “An old friend’s back.”

Blake visibly started, but then his face went blank. “Oh really?”

Mack nodded. “Saw him today.”

I looked to Mack and then Blake for answers.

“Who are you talking about?” I asked. I didn’t miss the boys’ swift glance to each other. Suddenly irritated that my childhood friend, Mack, kept secrets with Blake, I turned on him.

“Come on, you have to tell me, now that you brought it up,” I complained, fearing I sounded like a whiny baby.

Mack squinted. “Kory. You probably don’t remember him.”

I racked my brain. Kory? Oh yeah… “The guy Jen had a crush on?” I asked.

Mack flinched, and I felt bad because I knew he liked her. “Yeah, that guy.”

What’s Kory have to do with this? I racked my brain to remember what I knew of him. We went to the same elementary school until they discovered he had cancer. Our school had done a huge fundraiser to help pay for some new cancer treatment he was going to get, and then his family moved away. Years later, he’d showed up in middle school. I probably wouldn’t have even realized who he was except for the fact that Jen was obsessed with him from eighth grade on.

“Didn’t he move away when we were sophomores?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Blake answered, instead of Mack. How would he know? He didn’t live here.

I turned to ask when I noticed Blake’s jaw clench as his eyes narrowed. He stared out over the bridge.

Swallowing back my question, I glanced at Mack. “So what? He’s moved back again?”

Mack cocked his head to the side. “Yep. Maybe it’s time to get reacquainted. Huh, Blake?”

“Yes.” The word came out flat, lifeless. Blake glanced at me, his face softening. “Sam, I’m sorry, but I think we better head back. I have… a few things to do before I leave.”

The drive back was quiet; I slumped in my seat, the pain of disappointment smarting. I had hoped this outing would have a very different outcome. But since Mack’s announcement, Blake had turned quiet, almost moody. He seemed a thousand miles away, not right next to me.

I cleared my throat. “So, are you going to tell me what you’re thinking about?”

His eyes widened, as if remembering I was there. “Oh, sorry, zoned out there.”

I hiked my shoulders up. “So… how do you know Kory and why do I get the feeling you don’t like him much?”

He sighed heavily. “Kory used to live in California. Let’s just say the last time we saw each other, it didn’t end well.”

I wanted more, but I had a hunch Blake wouldn’t expand. Instead, he said, “Sam, can you promise me something while I’m gone?”

I folded my arms across my chest, tempted to say ‘no’ to whatever he was about to ask. Why’s he keeping secrets from me? Then realization seeped in; wasn’t I doing the same thing by not telling him about my wings?

“Okay, sure,” I muttered.

“I know you love to go biking and running but while I’m gone, can you be extra cautious? In fact, I don’t think you and Anna should go on that ride anymore.”

“Wait, what? Why not? I promised her we’d go. What’s going on, Blake?”

“Nothing, nothing’s going on.”

 “Yeah, right…” I glanced at him, and my words faded. He reminded me of a first time snow driver; shoulders stiff, hands white knuckling the steering wheel, and eyes flickering to the rearview mirror repeatedly. Apprehension replaced my frustration. Are we being followed?

I stared at him. “What’s wrong, Blake?”

His eyes met mine briefly, and then flashed back to the road. “Nothing, just promise me, okay?”

I had a horrible, sinking sensation in my gut. “Okay, fine. I promise I’ll be careful, but I’m not backing out on Anna.”

He glanced my way and then sighed. “Always the stubborn one… I see why you two get along so well.” He grinned. “I’d never hear the end of it from Anna if you don’t go, so on second thought, keep that date.”

“Haha.”

“But stay away from Jeremy,” he added. His light tone let me know it wasn’t my safety he was worried about—he just couldn’t stand the guy.

“No worries there. Let’s just say Jeremy and I have an understanding too.”

“Oh really?” Blake’s eyes danced back at me. “Best news I’ve heard all day. Spill it, and don’t spare the details, especially the parts where you told him what a moron he is.”

Relieved to see Blake’s playful side, I told him everything, poor Jeremy becoming the brunt of all our jokes.

 After Blake had dropped me off and I climbed the steps to my bedroom, the weight of the afternoon hung on me like a noose. It started with the nagging suspicion that someone had been watching me outside Blake’s house, and that maybe he wasn’t that far off telling me to be careful.