Page 20 of And They Were Roommates

There’s no way Jasper, Rank One, needs tutoring. Logically, there’s only one reason why he’s here.

I struggle to stop my expression from contorting. “You’re a tutor.”

“Welcome to the most helpful program on campus,” Jasper says.“Here to assist with all your”—he tosses up air quotes—“‘tutoring needs.’”

“Do those numbers mark you as tutors?” I ask, gesturing at the pin on Jasper’s collar.

He glances down. “No, these are our top five passes.”

“Your what?”

“Didn’t you check the weekly grade announcements today? Did you see an instructor sitting around with a basket?”

“No?”

“They hand these out at noon every time on both campuses. Well, to any student who ranks top five of their class. As long as we keep our rank, we get special access to the equestrian center that’s half on their campus and half on ours, Friday through Sunday.”

Another part of Valentine I never knew existed. “An equestrian center is our perk? Who cares about horses?”

“Who cares about horses?” Robby repeats farther down the line. His eyes are wide with shock. Almost offense.

I bite the inside of my cheek for failing to blend in once again. Must be a weird rich-people thing. “Right. Sorry.”

“It’s not only about the horses,” Jasper says. “Whenever the top five visit the equestrian center, they also get to see the top fivegirls.”

Of course. “The academy allows that as a perk?”

“Well, that perk, in particular, isn’t written on paper. It’s more like a glitch in the system. Faculty claims the whole arrangement is to encourage friendly competition. They’ll do anything to make sure we stay the best private academy in the nation.”

That’s almost more screwed up than having a public grade board. Delilah and Mom never mentioned this. “Is everyone who ranks in this thing?”

“Some ranks change too often. Rank Fours and Fives, really. But most refuse to get involved.”

Most refuse.Yet I’m supposed to join this. “Why?”

Jasper twirls a finger in the air, his bracelet jangling so obnoxiously that I debate ripping it off. “Because we are not here to tutor, von Hevringprinz. We—”

“Jasper,” Xavier mutters warily from his table, then faces me again. “Sorry, man, but we shouldn’t share too much since you’re, well, new.”

A piece of my heart cracks. Still a transfer. An outsider.

“We can trust Charlie about us being non-tutors,” Jasper insists, walking over and swatting Xavier’s shoulder. “He’s an Excellence Scholar.”

“Yeah,” I say, admittedly appreciating Jasper sticking up for me. If everyone else knows, then I need to, especially since Principal Grimes expects me to fix this. “You’re… non-tutors?”

“French for not a tutor,” Jasper answers. “Apologies, this may be confusing for you since you don’t speak the world’s most romantic language like moi. Really, we deliver love letters.”

“Loveletters?”

“Oui. Although some simply use the service to keep in touch with their girlfriends beyond the wall, I offer a much more popular, secondary option of writing love letters on their behalf. I am a renowned poet, after all. Then the other members bravely deliver them to the sister academy each week and pick up whatever the sister academy wishes to send back. Blaze delivers, mostly. Robby and Xavier step in, too, to avoid suspicion.”

My shock quickly turns to anger.

Somehow, writing to three other girls behind my back at campwasn’t enough to knock Jasper’s love letter obsession out of his system.

“Why waste time on pointless love letters?” I say too sharply. I can’t help it. Now my principal-assigned job is impossible. These guys don’t tutor atall.

Jasper’s mouth hangs open. “Pointless? How else will these heartbroken souls stay in touch with their crushes and lovers across the cockblockade that divides our academies?”

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