Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Vance and I noticed a serious decline in Shelly's mental attitude over the next few weeks, so I began making an extra special effort to incorporate her into my day-to-day activities. I sat by her at lunch and called her after school. Vance and I even went on a few double dates with Brad and her.

The puzzling thing about it was, while Brad and Vance became ever closer as friends, Shelly and I drifted further and further apart. It wasn't just me who was experiencing the apparent cooling either. Brad pulled me aside one day to tell me things between him and Shelly had been getting difficult also.

"I don't know what to do," he said in a frustrated voice. "She's totally despondent. I can't get her to be excited about anything. All the things she used to like, she doesn't have an interest in anymore. She wants to be alone all the time, and it worries me."

I promised him I'd try talking to her again and see if I could find out what was going on. That led me to where I was today, sitting outside the school early in the morning, waiting for her to arrive.

I almost missed her when she came, not because I didn't see her, but because I didn't recognize her when she did. I wasn't prepared for her once pink mustang to be painted pitch-black with a funky skull and crossbones air-brushed onto the back. As shocked as I was about that, it was nothing to what I experienced when she stepped out of the car.

Gone were the gorgeous, blond, curly locks. While it was still long, she had dyed her hair jet black except for a few platinum streaks. It had been flat-ironed straight and had several small braids with tiny silver threads running through them. Her makeup was a shade too pale, and she had lined her eyes thickly with coal-black liner. She also wore a deep shade of red lipstick.

Shelly reached into her car and pulled out a large leather bag with silver studs. She slung it over her form fitting leather jacket, which matched her equally tight leather pants, and began walking toward the school. The heels of her knee-high boots clicked against the pavement as she moved, causing the round emblem bearing a skull and crossbones hanging from her neck to swing about.

"Shelly?"

She paused for only a moment to arch an eyebrow as she glanced at me. She gave me a not-so-nice sardonic grin, flipped her hair, and continued right past me into the school. I sat dazed for a moment, too shocked for words, then turning to follow through the glass doors.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one surprised. The students who lined the locker hall had gone completely silent, staring at Shelly as she made her way down the hall. In fact, the clacking of Shelly's boots was the only sound I could hear. Seeming completely oblivious to the silent stares, she made her way through the crowd toward her locker. She stopped, quickly twirling out her combination, opening the door to grab a book, and slammed it closed again. That's when I noticed Brad standing on the other side of her wearing a disbelieving stare of his own.

"What the heck, Shelly?" he said, giving her the once over. "Are you all right?"

"Whatever could you possibly be referring to?" Shelly gave him the same arched eyebrow she'd given me.

"What's all—this?" He gestured toward her hair and clothing with his hand.

The two stood there staring at each other for several moments without speaking. Finally, Shelly broke the silence.

"Let it go, Brad, okay? I have better things to deal with than you."

With that, she shoved past him, knocking him against the lockers as she went. She didn't apologize or even look back as she continued down the hall and into one of the classrooms. Instantly everyone was abuzz, students talking and pointing at Brad, unable to believe what they'd just witnessed.