Page 102 of A Drop of Anguish
“Everyone cares about that sorta thing; you just get away with it because you’re strong. If you wanna be here with us, you’re nice to all of my friends or you’re out. Or better yet, I’ll use my truth-telling potion on you. You’re still free pickings thanks to truth or dare, right? I’d be willing to bet you’ve got a secret or two you wouldn’t like getting out.”
Elliot swallows hard. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll behave.”
I huff and cross my arms, sincerely worried he struck a nerve with Lola. Janet begins a conversation about weird wolf traditions with Thompson, who plays along nicely. Before long the conversation is forgotten and the tension eases.
But the fact that Lola is quiet for the entire rest of the lunch period tells me she hasn’t quite let the comments go.
Our group eventually disbands. Lola soars off on a search for extra credit, Janet and Marcus slip away to make out probably, and Elliot rushes into a crowd to hide from his hecklers.
“You coming to hang in Elite Hall today?” Thompson asks casually. I resist the urge to glare because I know he’s only asking for Jarron’s benefit.
I sigh. I actually wanted to—that library is tempting now that it’s an option again—but I’m concerned about Lola.
“No, not today,” I answer without comment on his meddling. “I wanna spend time in Minor Hall with Janet and Lola.”
He nods absently. “All right, I accept that excuse. Tomorrow, then?” He grins widely and then skips off down the hall without waiting for an answer.
“You don’t have to feel pressured,” Jarron says under his breath.
“Everyone thinks we’re together again, ever since the bite.”
Jarron tenses but doesn’t comment. Right, that was probably a stupid comment. We are almost, kind of, sort of together again?
“It was good to have you sit with us today,” I say quietly to cover my awkward comment.
“Was it?” he asks.
I nod. “I liked you being there.” When I meet his eyes with a sincere smile, he returns it with one of his own. This boy is going to be the death of me. I sometimes have to actively remind myself of Janet’s and Lola’s assessment that I really can get past the idea of my sister being his mate. I’m still not convinced, even though I do accept the logic.
Other times, being around Jarron just feels so incredibly right that I forget every doubt I’ve ever had. I live for those moments.
This is not one of them.
“Origins of magical objects, right?” he asks as we turn down a hall toward the eastern wing.
I nod. He knows my entire schedule now. Even though the black magic suffocating the entire student body is noticeably absent today, he still insists I’m never alone. He’s recruited Stassi to walk with me from occult ethics to potions, and Thompson is with me in the mornings. Laithe tends to show up to and from combat class. There is at least one Elite student with me every moment between classes.
“Learning anything interesting in that class?”
“No, not really. It’s more history and basic foundational information. We don’t really get into anything cool until level two, which I won’t reach before graduation.”
“Well, if you want to learn it, I’m pretty confident you will.”
I nod. “Potions take up most of my focus for now. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to do something cool with objects.”
“Mastering one thing before dabbling in another is a wise choice.”
We reach my classroom, and I stop. “Hey, by the way, I just wanted to mention that I got another… message.”
“From the jinn?” His brow pinches. “I’m half tempted to make you move into Elite Hall, whether you want to or not.”
I laugh like it’s a joke, even though I know it’s not.
He twists his lips but shows no other emotions. “Bring it to classes tomorrow? I’ll have Laithe do an investigation on it.”
“Or maybe I can bring it to Elite Hall after classes tomorrow?”
“Really?”
