Page 30 of Faerie Trials

“You don’t trust my judgment?” Mike asked. The haughty persona was back and stronger than ever.

Coral backpedaled a bit. “I trust you to make the right decision in the long run, of course. Except I know how tempting it can be to let yourself be swayed by a pretty face. Where is the halfling, anyway?”

Mike waved his hand. “She’s around somewhere. I’ll find her soon.”

I’d beendismissed. The word ricocheted through my mind until I saw red.

The effects of the ambrosia bolstering me, I slammed back the rest of my second round and shoved the glass blindly into Lane’s hand, setting off toward Mike with a growl.

“Can I speak to you for a second?” I burst out, grabbing his arm.

“Ah, Tavi. There you are. Wonderful to see you. And looking so…casual,” Coral said in greeting. Her smile was fake enough to be made out of plastic as she raked her gaze from my feet to my head. Apparently she found nothing redeeming. “Helping yourself to the refreshments, I see. You might want to go easy on the ambrosia. It can have quite an effect if you aren’t used to it.”

“Mike,now.”

I went so far as to take his hand and steer him toward the fireplace where there were fewer people. Less of a chance for us to be overheard in the crowded room. I would have escaped entirely, but for some reason the fuzz in my brain prevented me from finding the door.

“What is it, Tavi? What’s this all about?” Mike said, turning his full attention to me.

“You’re being two-faced,” I told him bluntly.

“What?”

Nerves crackled beneath my skin and I found, once I’d started this conversation, I couldn’t stop. “You’re performing for your shitty friends and it’s really getting old. I thought you should know. You act like a completely different person for them than you do when it’s just the two of us. I’m not sure why you want to but it’s kind of crazy.”

This time his gaze turned cold for me. I didn’t like it. “Is that what you think I’m doing, Tavi? You think I’m putting on a show?”

“I think you’re lowering yourself to their expectations. I’m not sure why you want to, whether you even realize what you’re doing, or it’s some kind of act you’ve been trained to put on because of your status. The way you cater to them means…”Means I can’t trust you. Because I didn’t want to be with a guy who switched his personalities on a dime. Did I?

Then again, this wasMike. This was the guy I couldn’t stop thinking about.

And he wasn’t assuring me I was right.

“I think you’ve had a little too much to drink and you’re making a big deal out of nothing,” Mike told me slowly. “I’ve been trying to play nice with them when I clearly don’t want to be here. I said as much to you butyou’rethe one who wanted to come.You’rethe one who toldmewe were coming here tonight.”

I took a deep breath, knowing I’d tossed out too much emotional baggage. Emotions swirled and receded beneath the surface. Could I hold them down? “And now…now I want to leave.”

Without hesitation he swept his hand out toward the door. “Go on, then. Maybe I’m not done performing for my shitty friends, as you say. Maybe there are still conversations I’d like to have without you getting angry with me for having them. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing is going on withme.” I wasn’t sure how to suppress these emotions anymore.

“Clearly something is bothering you if you’re jumping on me forthis,” he snapped.

“This. Like it’s nothing.”

“Itisnothing.”

“Okay, fine, no problem. I’m leaving. I can find the door. You stay as long as you like,” I said.

I didn’t say the words I really wanted to say:I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to call him out in front of all these people, and odds were good I’d regret having so much ambrosia when the effects wore off.

We’d already made enough of a scene to have our fellow students turned our direction, watching. Waiting for the final performance. To see if I would launch something at Mike’s head or break a glass or whatever.

I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

I turned away from Mike and headed toward the door, clutching my last words close to me.

So much for not letting myself get emotionally attached to Mike. What was he even doing with me? A few measly hours together and I felt like I needed to have all of his attention. And when he adopted that ridiculous cold personality around his friends? It got under my skin and made me cringe. Because that wasnotthe Mike I knew and…loved.

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