"Thomas E. Sniegoski - The Fallen" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sniegoski Thomas E)

lounge.тАЭ

Aaron just stared, the annoying buzz in his head growing louder and more painful.
тАЬYour exam, Mr. Corbet,тАЭ demanded Mr. Arslanian.

Aaron pulled himself together and handed the test to his teacher. Then he gathered up his books and
prepared to leave. As he stood the room began to spin and he held on to the desk for a moment, just in
case.

тАЬAre you all right, Mr. Corbet?тАЭ Arslanian asked as he ambled back to his desk. тАЬYou look a little
pale.тАЭ

Aaron was amazed that he only looked pale. He imagined there should have been blood shooting out his
ears and squirting from his nostrils. He was feeling that bad. тАЬHeadache,тАЭ he managed on his way to the
door.

тАЬTake some Tylenol,тАЭ the teacher called after him, тАЬand a cold rag on your head. ThatтАЩs what works for
me.тАЭ

Always a big help, that Mr. Arslanian,Aaron thought as he stepped lightly in an effort to keep his skull
from breaking apart and decorating the walls with gore.

The hallway was jammed with bodies coming, going, or just hanging out in small packs in front of
brightly colored lockers, catching up on the freshest gossip.ItтАЩs amazing, Aaron thought sarcastically,how
much dirt can happen during one fifty-minute period.

Aaron moved through the flow of students. He would drop off his books, and then go to the nurseтАЩs
office to get something for his headache. It was getting worse, like listening to the static of an untuned
radio playing inside his brain.

As he maneuvered around the pockets of people, he exchanged an occasional smile or a nod of
recognition, but the few who acknowledged him were only being polite. He knew people looked at him
as the quiet, loner guy with the troubled past, and he did very little to dispel their notions of him. Aaron
didnтАЩt have any real friends at Ken Curtis, merely acquaintances, and it didnтАЩt bother him in the least.

He finally reached his locker and began to dial the combination.

Maybe if he got something into his stomach heтАЩd feel better, he thought, remembering that he hadnтАЩt
eaten anything since the night before. He swung the locker door open and began to unload his books.

A girl laughed nearby. He looked behind him to see Vilma Santiago at her locker with three of her
friends. They were staring in his direction, but quickly looked away and giggled conspiratorially.WhatтАЩs
so funny? he wondered.

They were speaking loudly enough for him to hear them. The only problem was they were speaking
Portuguese, and he had no idea what they were saying. Two years of French did him little good while
eavesdropping on Brazilian girlsтАЩ conversations.

Vilma was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. She had transferred to Ken Curtis last year
fromBrazil , and within months had become one of the schoolтАЩs top students. Smart as well as gorgeous,