New York: Allie's War, Early Years

"Maybe she does," Cass murmured, still watching her friend.

Allie didn't answer. Her eyes seemed to exude a kind of static. Cass touched her friend's arm.

"Hey. Seriously. Are you okay?"

"Fine," Allie said. "I'm fine." She smiled, but it seemed faraway still. "I'm good. Just really tired."

"Well. Go make yourself a cappuccino or something."

"Okay."

She wandered off, and Jon and Cass exchanged looks.

"What's up with zombie girl?" Jon said.

"She's tired," Cass said. "Leave her alone, okay? You don't have to give her shit all the time, you know. Be the big brother about everything..."

Jon shrugged, but Cass saw his eyes follow Allie as she wandered back over to the espresso machine. Cass found herself doing the same, hoping her worry didn't show on her face.

Whether this guy had anything to do with it or not, Allie was acting decidedly weird lately. That whole thing in the bar with Jaden and that girl was beyond bizarre. Allie had always been the rational, pacifist type. In fact, sometimes Cass had wished Allie would be a little more gonzo, especially when it came to Jaden, who'd been dicking her around for months while Allie defended him. For Allie to go all gangland violence like that, out of nowhere, was just...well, weird. In fact, if Cass had to take bets, she definitely would have plunked money down on Cass herself doing something like that...not Allie.

The whole thing was weird, and decidedly un-Allie.

She hadn't done anything like that since, but she hadn't exactly been normal either. If she didn't know better, Cass would think her friend had developed a drug problem.

But Allie never touched anything in that area, not even to experiment. And although she claimed the reason was indifference, Cass suspected she worried about doing anything that might make her stand out even more to the weirdo crowd than she already did.

In any case, Cass knew Jon had noticed it, too.

Whatever was up with Allie, it was getting worse.