Page 87 of Mistaken Magic

Ipulled open the door and slipped in, scampering over to my elevator. "Two?"

"No."

"Three?"

Hewalked right up to me, standing close enough he could kiss me if he bent only a little bit. "None.Seemsthat about two weeks ago, something pretty caught my eye and then my mind.It'sa dangerous combination."

Myheart stalled,Ilifted my chin, waiting for him to lean in that last bit.Instead,Keirsmiled and his gaze shifted over my head.

"Hey,Aspen," he said, taking a step back. "Gladto see you're doing well."

Sheskipped over to my side. "Areyou flirting with my best friend?"

"Iwas getting grilled.Ithink you just saved my pride.Don'tget into too much trouble, ladies."Thenhe turned and walked away.

Aspenleaned in close. "Ilike him.Helikes you.He'snot even subtle about it."

Duckingmy head,Isimply reached over and pushed the button.AnythingIsaid now would get me in more trouble.Thesaddest part wasIhad a feeling the fae were trying their hardest to be nice.Icouldn't imagine how much shitI'dbe in if they decided to fuck with me like the stories said they did most people.Thiswas bad enough.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Aspenhad picked on me aboutKeir, but she dropped it as soon asIdidn't play along.Haulingme into her room after her, she began telling me all about whatIshould expect for the fae version of this holiday.Niceclothes were a must, but we weren't expected to wear uniforms.Mostof the school took this as their chance to show off.Justone problem:Ididn't have much but t-shirts and jeans now.NotafterMr.Sparkshad trashed my wardrobe.

Aspensaid not to worry about it.Thenshe told me about the feast.Everyonewould be allowed to drink nectar from the silver oak with our meal.Oneglass, though.Nomore than that for those of us under eighteen.Everyfood imaginable would be served, from a traditional human style meal to a mass of fresh fruits and even flowers!

Moreimportantly, the instructors would all be involved.Therewould be a few speeches, but nothing too insane.Mostly, it was a complete holiday.Thosewith families were allowed to go home if they chose, but not many did, she explained.Mostof all, the dining room would be fancy, not just the usual stuff we were used to.

AndIfelt like a duck out of water.Surely,Iwasn't the only kid with no family to spend money on them and no expensive clothes to show off?Ifmost of us were here on scholarships - which was what it sounded like - then they'd all understand.Iwas pretty sureIhad a nice pair of dark jeans, andIcould just use one of my white shirts for my uniform, andI'dbe fine, right?

Ispent the night worrying about it, making it hard to fall asleep.Thatmeant the next morning,Islept in.Nota problem, since the meal wasn't until two in the afternoon.ButwhenIopened my eyes, the first thingIsaw was a dress hanging on the bathroom door.Itwas a periwinkle-blue color, simple, and so very beautiful.

Icrawled out of bed and staggered over, still in my jammies.Hell,Iwas barely awake, but whenIreached out to touch it, half expecting the dress to vanish whenIwoke the rest of the way up,Iheard a giggle.Turning,IsawAspenin a pair of long pants and a tank.Herhair was a mess, making it clear she hadn't been up for long either.Shewas also smiling at me.

"Likeit?" she asked.

"Wheredid this come from?"BecauseIwas pretty sure the fabric was silk.

Shemoved behind me to wrap her arms around my shoulders, then rested her chin beside them. "Youmay not have a fairy godmother, but you do have a fae best friend,Rain.Ireally want to make a joke about getting home before midnight or it will vanish, but it won't."

"Oh, me standing there and poof, my clothes are all gone.You'dlike that, huh?"

Shepressed her lips to my shoulder to hold in a giggle. "Irefuse to respond to that.Ihave a feelingKeirwouldn't mind either.Couldget a little awkward to explain to the teachers, though."

Iturned around and hugged her. "Thankyou,Aspen.TheSparksthrew out anythingIcould've worn.You'rea life-saver."ThenIpaused. "Shit.Iused theTword."

Shejust cupped my cheek. "It'sok.I'mstarting to realize that for you, it's not a way to ignore the gesture.It's... the voice of your heart."

Ihad no idea what came over me, whatIwas thinking, or if it was simply thatIwasn't functioning on all cylinders yet, butIleaned in and kissed her.Ijust pressed my lips to hers, but she froze.WhenIpulled back a second later,Aspen'seyes were searching my face almost desperately.

"Sorry,"Ibreathed, pulling away.

"Please...Don't..."Sheblinked. "That's..."Thenshe just smiled. "Youkissed me."

Igroaned and turned back to the dress. "AndnowI'membarrassed.Imessed that up, didn'tI?"

"No," she said softly, shifting closer, andIfelt her arms side around my waist and towards my back. "Thatmore than makes up for any debt the dress may have carried.I'llalso let you have the shower first, since you have more hair to dry."Thenshe kissed the side of my neck and all but flitted back to her room.

Ilifted my hand to touch the spot and a smile claimed my lips.I'dkissed her.She'dwrapped her arms around me like that.Iwas so used to boys always pawing and wanting to make out and grope instead of talk or do things, butAspenwasn't like that.Shewas... amazing.Mymind spun asIheaded into the bathroom and took that shower.

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