Page 62 of Faerie Marked

He responded with a grunt and pushed his fork around his plate.

“Okay, someone is in a bad mood today,” Melia joked. She and Roman made eye contact, and he shrugged. “What’s the matter with you guys?”

Mike didn’t want to answer. He kept his gaze trained on his tray as though it held the secrets of the universe.

I sat down across from him with my plate filled with greens and fruit. Swallowing my distaste at the monotonous salad, I said, “I didn’t see you at the assembly today. I looked for you.”

Mike didn’t want to answer either, and soon Roman had to speak for him. “We were in the back. We came in a little late,” he said. “We got caught up elsewhere and came right at the tail end of Leaves’ speech about the top five.”

I waited for the congratulations I almost expected at this point. These were two of my best friends, after all, and we’d helped each other get this far, boosted each other with our study sessions.

But I recalled a saying about expectations leading to disappointment, and soon the feeling settled on me hard.

“I guess we’ve all had a rough week,” I said. “We are going to need more than a week of vacation when this is done—”

“I can’t believe you got the top spot.”

I jumped at the harsh sound of Mike’s voice. He still wouldn’t look at me. “What? Why?”

“It should have been me at the top.” His grip tightened on his fork until his knuckles turned white. “I’m not sure how you managed to work up to number one but I don’t think it’s fair.”

I gasped, though it sounded more like a huff. “Mike, it’s not fair you’resayingthese things to me,” I told him. He raised his gaze to meet mine briefly, long enough for me to take note of the puffiness, the rims of red around his eyes. The way it looked like he hadn’t slept for days. Had he been pushing himself too hard? Disappointment warred with guilt. Both cut deeply.

He ran a hand through his hair, his gaze in the distance. “I’m sorry, Tavi. I’m really sorry, but I think you beating me for a spot in the top is ridiculous. I’m not even in the topten.”

Jealousy didn’t sit well on him. It colored his cheeks and the tops of his ears a blush-pink but turned his knuckles white. I never would have expected such a reaction from him. Sitting here with him day after day, it was easy to forget about his royal status, and how we sat in the middle of the room surrounded by other students doing their best to politely ignore us. As if we weren’t even there.

Yet I knew they were listening to every word.

“Jeez, I didn’t realize you really thought so little of me you’d be jealous I out-scored you.” I pushed away from the table. “I don’t have to listen to you rant and rave about the unfairness.”

I still didn’t feel I’d earned my spot, still felt it was some kind of fluke, but I didn’t need to let Mike know. At least not right now. That would only compound the hurtfulness.

Mike grimaced as though this were the most painful conversation he’d had in a while. My heart stirred and I dropped my gaze to the floor so he didn’t notice the change. No weakness, I reminded myself, because if he saw weakness it would give him an opening to hurt me more.

“Don’t bother leaving, Tavi,” he stated, rising at the same time. He left his tray on the table and gestured for Roman to follow him. “I’m the one who should go. I’ve stayed long enough.”

Melia and I watched them walk away, Roman shooting us a small, sad smile over his shoulder before moving faster to follow his friend out. He didn’t offer an apology.

“Wow.” Melia stressed the word and drew the vowel out. “I didn’t expect him to be bitter about his place in the ranking.”

I plopped back down in my chair, still stunned. “Yeah. Neither did I.” I took a slow breath, my nostrils flaring, and rubbed my arms. Worries bit at me repeatedly, and no matter how hard I tried to calm down I had no success.

“You didn’t deserve him going off on you.” Melia placed a hand on my knee and squeezed. “Don’t pay any attention to him. He’ll come to his senses soon enough.”

I stared at the door until well after the boys had gone, wondering if I could have said something, done something to ascertain what was really bothering him. I couldn’t get a read off of Mike. I thought maybe he was angry, or even a little guilty, but neither made sense to me. Perhaps he feared disappointing his parents. It seemed plausible, but not enough to justify his emotional outburst. The only thing fitting his reaction—

My stomach froze in a flash of cold. Could Mike have had something to do with the murders of the other two top contenders, and that’s why he didn’t want me at the top?

No, that…that was absolutely ridiculous.

Utterly. Ridiculous. Wasn’t it?

23

Michael Thornwood might be a full Fae, true. His blood didn’t make him better than me, and it certainly didn’t entitle him to treat me like I didn’t matter, like I was a piece of trash.

I knew everyone in the first year was my competition. I didn’t need a reminder. Not from him.

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