Page 38 of Magical Academy for Delinquents
I didn’t know what to think. What didn’t he want me to do? Fight? Defend myself? Or use my powers? I scuffed my Mary Jane against the floor as I walked to my final class of the night, annoyed at him, pissed at Laura, heartbroken about Dad. I was in a funk. And I was ready to take that out on someone.
Fencing should have been the perfect outlet.
It wasn’t.
Huchmala fucking sucked as a hippie-dippie Art Therapy professor. But the old lady kicked my ass in fencing because I could never tell where she was actually looking with her weird eyes staring off to the side. I charged and screamed and thrust and all that crap and got the shit beat out of me.
It was cathartic, in a way. I didn’t normally wear myself out physically. Not the way Metamorphose did. But fencing was better than running. Getting to pretend to hurt someone was better.
I didn’t even want to analyze myself when I thought that as I showered and changed for dinner. I sighed and rolled my neck as I walked through the quad. With the number of showers I was taking, after daily Cross Country, P.E., and then fencing every other day … I was gonna need to order new shampoo next week. Or shave my head.
I laughed hollowly, wrung out as I headed to the cafeteria to eat dinner. My calves burned with every step. I also needed to order supplements or some kinda something or I was gonna be limping through the Pinnacle’s secret passageways. I put that on my list of things to Google as I planned for my break in.
I gulped down the first half of my meal as rapidly as those wolf-shifter professors had the other day. I didn’t even taste the crap they called cheese and broccoli casserole.
Once I didn’t feel like I was about to fall face first into my plate, I decided to test out what I’d learned from Malcolm as I ate. I’d never thought of giving myself an aura with my powers before. But it was so fucking cool and I was pissed this was the first I’d heard of it. I put a hand out under the table as I ate, letting the shadows grow a little bit darker near me. But keeping it subtle was hard. I accidentally made a light go out near me. A couple students looked over and then I had to keep up the damned facade and make it look like the light had just burned out. That was annoying. I kept up a stream of power to zap the light as I ate a salad, wondering how long it had taken Malcolm to master the aura thing.
As I thought about him, I rubbed my thighs together. Everything about him was just damn hot. His eyes, that control. I had to force my legs apart and close my eyes. I knew I needed him and Grayson on board before I came here. But now, I didn’t just need him.
No damned romantic complications, Dunemark,I scolded myself, biting into my apple. I tried to shake off thoughts of Malcolm. I pulled up my phone and messaged a hacker I knew while I ate. By the time I’d finished my apple, the guy was sending me the deets on Evan’s transfer here. I shook my head as I read through them. The big furry idiot had gotten into a fight with that Medeis quarterback, the one harassing Terra. Evan was such a fool. And such a fucking stalker. I was going to have to figure out a way to take him and his hulking grizzly ass out of the picture. I sighed. As if I didn’t have enough to do.
Chapter 17
Sunday bitch-slapped me.I mean, who started their Sunday with a four-hour run? Idiotic movie stars who didn’t have a mind, so they had to sell their body. And Professor Lundy. He forced all first year or transfer Metamorphose students up at the ass crack of dawn to run. His diabolic plan to break me almost did the job because not only did I have to run, I realized Laura Whitehall was a transfer this year too—so I got to spend the morning with her. Grayson’s curly-haired hoe glared at me. She looked like shit in the morning, her normally slick curls were like a frizzy creature clinging to her head, her burnt hand was wrapped in bandages. I hoped it had bugged the crap out of her while she slept. Maybe that would make her think twice before she attacked me again. I smiled and blew her a kiss, just to help make her day a little worse. Because I’m petty like that. And if she wasn’t gonna take my warnings, I was gonna push her buttons.
But fate zapped me for being a dick. I turned away from Laura only to see Evan stalking toward me. He wore rip away black pants and a black hoodie that did nothing to hide the bulk of his shoulders.
Why couldn’t he just look like a grizzly bear all the time? “Why doesn’t he at least keep the hair?” I grumbled under my breath. If he had nasty hairy arms, despising him would be so much easier. When Evan got within five feet, I zig-zagged through the other students like an idiotic rat in a maze. Dammit all! Was every Sunday morning gonna be torture surrounded by people I couldn’t stand? I took a deep breath and decided I’d just have to use the time for planning. Lord knew I needed it because the schedule here was intense.
That’s when Emelia walked up, gym shorts looking awkward on her punk rocker body. Her long-sleeved black t-shirt showcased some band I’d never heard of, who were apparently really big on broken skulls. I walked over to her with a little wave, but she turned away from me. Damn it. I deserved that for ditching her yesterday. I went over and apologized anyway.
“Look. I’m sorry. I was an ass. Evan makes me do irrational things.”
“The hot guy?”
I nodded as Emelia glanced over at him. She gave him a once over and said, “Yeah, I’d be doing the opposite kind of irrational things if I was you. Why are you avoiding him?”
“Long story. Point is, he’s a jerk. And I’m a jerk.”
“Sounds like you’re perfect for each other.” She grinned.
I pointed a finger at her. “I’m about two seconds from retracting my apology.”
“Fine. Accepted.” She held out a hand to shake on it. I did, even though that made me feel like I was thirty.
“I’ll try not to do it again, but if he comes near—”
Lundy’s whistle startled me. I turned toward him, where he stood in a green beanie, looking like a Keebler elf. But the short, buff dude had lungs. “Shut your traps and give me twenty! Now!” he barked.
For a second I wondered if MAD was actually a military academy disguised as a reform school. But that second of wondering earned me five more damned pushups. Lundy was an ass. I didn’t know if it was because he had Napoleon syndrome, being so short or he was just naturally inclined to evil.
I finished, arms shaking, only to sit up on my knees and find Evan right in front of me.What the hell?
Lundy barked, “Stretch out. Grab the person in front of you and I want to see leg and back stretches. Go!” The whistle chirped.
Evan grabbed my wrists and pulled me toward him. We were so close his sweatshirt rubbed against my shirt. I swallowed hard, looking to the side, anywhere but at him. Someone else had already grabbed Emelia as a partner. Dammit. The only person without a partner was Laura Whitehall. Fuck it. Even she was better.
“When are you gonna forgive me?” Evan growled in a whisper when I tried to twist my wrists out of his grasp.
