Page 35 of Spelling Disaster

I’m not supposed to listen. I know it’s bad form to listen. I can’t force myself to move until there’s only me and Theo left behind, and neither he nor the teacher are aware of me.

“Now, I’m sure this is not what you want to hear. I hate to be the one to say this, or to make you feel as though you’ve been called out in front of your friends,” the professor begins.

“No, it’s okay,” Theo assures him, kind rather than rattled. “Go ahead.”

“Quite frankly, your grades this semester are poor, to say the least.” It’s a whisper. Barely there, and yet every word rings louder than the clang of a hammer on an anvil. “If you do not open yourself up to some much-needed help then you are at serious risk of failing. I’d hate for your witchy dreams to go poof. Do you understand?”

Theo is silent for a long time. “I understand.”

He’s solemn, pale.

“Your family donates a lot of money to this school so the other professors may not feel comfortable talking to you about such matters. They may even be content to let you slide by under the radar and push you through when your attention flags. I am not one of them. Mr. Acaster, you have the makings of a fine spellcaster, tempered by your attitude and sensibility. None of those things will matter if you don’t apply yourself.”

“What do you suggest I do?” Theo wants to know.

“Personally, if I were in your shoes, then I’d find a tutor,” the professor continues. “It would be in your best interest. Someone who grasps concepts easily and may be able to explain them to you on your level.”

Theo stiffens before saying, “My level?” His jaw clenches.

“In a way you will understand better than the way I have been explaining things,” the professor explains. “Technical jargon is getting in your way. I’m not sure how you plan to juggle studies, baseball, and tutoring, but you’ll find a way. You’ll figure it out.”

“Fine,” Theo grinds out.

I’ve stayed too long.

Trying not to let either of them know I heard, I shove my last book into my bag and hurry for the door. Shoot, eavesdropping was wrong and I know it. I’m a third of the way across the expansive campus green when the heavy thud of footfalls catches up to me, and at first I’m too lost to notice the sound.

Until a hand drops on my shoulder and sends me shooting out of my skin.

“Hold on. Yasmine? Wait a second. I want to talk to you. Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Theo catches up to me and the surprise of hearing my name come out of his mouth turns my legs into icicles once I come back to my body. Staring at him, just staring, up close and personal for the first time.

Be cool, be cool.

“You…oh, you didn’t scare me.” I sound the complete opposite of cool.

I had no idea he knew my name.

Every atom of my being is now attuned to his presence.

“I called your name, but I guess you didn’t hear me,” he continues. “You ran right out of the class before I had a chance to talk to you.” His smile is thin. “You did a great job today. I saw your stacks of gold.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t—” hard. No, I can’t say that to him. Not when he struggled. A tutor. The great Theo Acaster needs a tutor for his classes. I can’t wrap my mind around the concept.

He’s breathtaking, so alive and in charge, even more so now than before. That’s the only thought circling inside my head. From the cut of his shoulders to the squareness of his jaw and the slightly off-center bend of his nose, as though it’s been broken before.

I see with absolute certainty why Theo Acaster is the king of this school.

What I don’t understand is how he’s so close to failing out. I know sometimes it’s hard for people to marry concepts and execution. I’m a bookworm, a nerd, so that’s my forte. Theo seems to be much better at dealing with the people around him than abstracts. It’s a strength.

“I know we’ve never spoken—” he begins.

Understatement of the century.

“—but I want to ask you a question.”

He nudges me to get me to start walking. It doesn’t seem as though there’s any direction in mind which is better for me. I’m barely able to concentrate as it is with him right there next to me.

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