Page 23 of Revenge is a Witch

I cringe a little at the price. Chongqing isn’t exactly budget-friendly, but hey, she’s my best friend and after everything she’s been through with Derek, she deserves a treat.

Perf! See you then!

As I slip my phone back into my pocket and keep heading toward my dorm, I hear a familiar voice calling my name. I stop and turn, and there’s Derek, strolling over with that annoying, effortless confidence he always seems to carry. But my eyes immediately zero in on the tightly wound bandage around his wrist, and I freeze.

“Oh my god, Derek!” I gasp, grabbing his hand before I even think about it. “You weren’t supposed to actuallyhurtyourself!”My fingers hover over the bandage like I can somehow magically heal him by touch.

He chuckles, looking down at our hands. “Z, as much as I’m enjoying you holding my hand, it healed hours ago.”

I drop his hand like it’s on fire, smacking him on the chest with my other hand. “You’re unbelievable! Why are you still wearing the bandage, then?”

He grins, completely unfazed. “Well, I wasn’t sure if you’d want to kiss it better.”

I roll my eyes, fighting back a smile. “Yeah, not happening.”

He shrugs, as if this whole situation amuses him far more than it should, and then his expression shifts slightly. “Anyway, I saw Kyla earlier.”

My heart skips a beat, and I do my best to play it cool. “Oh? And how’s she looking?”

Derek gives a little scoff. “Her hair? Let’s just say... it’sinteresting.Frizzy grey perm chic is definitely a bold choice.”

I try to smile, but a small pang of guilt sneaks in. “I think I went too far. It’s semi-permanent. What if she can’t fix it?”

Derek raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. “You’re worried about her? Really? You remember what she did to you two years ago, right?”

I blink, and the memory crashes back. It was right after summer break. I’d been excited to come back to school—nerdy little witch me, excited to show off some new spells I’d been working on. Kyla and her crew had other plans. They got into my locker, filled it with hexed slime that oozed out the second I opened the door. It ruined all my books, my clothes, everything. And to top it off, she made sure to hex the slime so it only stuck to me. I spentdaysscrubbing that stuff off while Kyla and her gang laughed. I could still hear their shrill cackles in my head if I thought hard enough.

“You’re right,” I say, nodding as the guilt starts to melt away. “She deserves what’s coming. And I’m not done. Phase Two starts tomorrow.”

Derek smirks, stepping closer. “The weekend’s going to be interesting, isn’t it?”

I meet his gaze, my resolve hardening. “Oh, you have no idea.”

Revelations

Iwalk into Chongqing, the smell of soy sauce and garlic hitting me in the face like a warm, delicious hug. Sam is already at a table near the window, scrolling through her phone, looking far more relaxed than I expected after the whole breakup situation with Derek. I slide into the seat across from her, shrugging off my coat as she glances up with a grin.

"Hey, finally! I’m starving," Sam says, setting her phone down and flipping through the menu.

"Sorry, got a little held up," I reply, picking up the menu as well. "Ready to order?" Sam nods and rattles off her order to the waiter—dumplings, fried rice, and a mountain of spring rolls. I go for something lighter, knowing I’ll be stealing half her dumplings anyway. Once the waiter leaves, Sam immediately dives into her usual rant. "Ugh, you won’t believe my day. Mr. Thompson actually had the nerve to say I didn’tparticipatein gym class. Like, excuse me? I wasthere!" In my mind, I’m replaying gym class earlier. Sam "participating" consisted of picking up the basketballs and putting them back in the basket atthe end of the session. I bite back a sarcastic comment, though, because she’s clearly on a roll. "I mean, I didn’t need to run around like a maniac. I contributed!" Sam continues, rolling her eyes as if the injustice of it all is just too much to bear.

I’m about to say something when Sam’s phone buzzes on the table for the third time in the last few minutes. She glances at it again, quickly typing a reply before turning her attention back to me.

"Everything okay?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah," Sam waves it off casually. "It’s just this guy I’ve been seeing."

I freeze, blinking in confusion. "Wait. What do you mean,a guy? You just broke up with Derek last night."

Sam shrugs, unfazed. "Yeah, but it’s not like this thing with Derek was working out for a while. I just… moved on before he did."

Moved on? My brain scrambles to catch up. "Are you telling me you were seeing someone else while you were still with Derek?"

"Someone?" Sam laughs, leaning back in her chair. "More likesomeone or two."

I gape at her, my mind doing backflips trying to process what she just said. "Sam… what?"

"Relax," she says, rolling her eyes like I’m the one being ridiculous. "Look, Derek wasn’t exactly being a boyfriend these past few months. He was barely around, and when he was, well, he wasn’t doing his… boyfriend duties, if you catch my drift."

---