Page 66 of Magical Academy for Delinquents
“Are you okay?” Malcolm asked.
I nodded. “More mad and embarrassed than anything.”
“It was pretty mean, what he did.”
“Well …” I thought about the dick tick. “Let’s say … he got his first. But don’t worry, I’ll get him back again.”
Malcolm shook his head and stared up at the night sky for a minute. When he glanced down at me, his expression was serious. “So, I’ve been waiting patiently.”
I swallowed hard and nodded toward the girls’ dorms. I started walking without checking to see if he followed, my hands nervously yanking at my stretched-out shirt. I knew what Malcolm wanted to know. And suddenly, I felt like it was too soon. I hardly knew him. I didn’t feel ready to ask him. Evan had been a different matter. Beneath the fury, I knew Evan. I knew that he’d sold his bike to the neighbor kid the time that Matthew had crashed his, so that they could be bikeless together. I knew he’d always snuck me exactly two cookies whenever the two of them stole a sleeve of Oreos from the kitchen because he knew Matthew would inhale the rest. I knew who Evan was and how he reacted and what made him tick.
I didn’t know that much about Malcolm. Only that his palm over mine made mine sweaty. Only that his chin dimple made me drool. And that he liked games. And preferred anarchy to the Pinnacle. But was that enough? I sat through the tournament, wracking my brain for anything I could do to delay what was about to come. I felt like we needed to know each other another month, maybe four, before I asked him to do something so monumental.
I avoided eye contact with Malcolm and when the chaos had ended, I dragged my feet.
Malcolm’s hand reached out and nudged the bottom of my chin until I looked up at him. He waited until the gym was nearly empty, students gone, only the professor chatting and the maintenance staff cleaning up. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
He saw my nerves and let my chin drop. He grabbed my hand more firmly and pulled me toward the door. He marched me to the girls’ dorms and waited patiently while I let us in and brought him up to my room.
I closed the door behind me and turned to face him like a prisoner turned to face the executioner.How are my nerves gonna hold up at the Pinnacle?I wondered, feeling sick at how weak-kneed I was. But at the Pinnacle, I’d be in control. Here, I was about to hand control over to Malcolm. And I honestly wasn’t sure what he’d do with it.
Malcolm stood in the middle of my room. He set down his bookbag. But he didn’t go recline against my dresser or hop onto my bed like Zavier might have done. He stood with his legs spread and his hands behind his back. And somehow, his presence filled the entire room. My bookbag slid off my shoulder to the floor, forgotten.
Malcolm looked over at me and commanded. “Come here.”
My arms crossed over my stomach and I swallowed as I made my way over to him.
Malcolm reached out when I was directly in front of him. He gently pressed on each of my arms until they were down by my sides. Then he waited, in agonizing silence, until I glanced up at him. “What are you afraid to tell me?”
“Everything.”
“Why?”
I studied his eyes, my tummy tightening. “Because you can say no.”
A tiny grin lit his face. “Try me.”
I opened my mouth, ready to spill my secrets. But what came out was, “Dost thou know mine secret… what infernal wind blows upon my tongue?” Fear turned to disbelief. To horror. My hands flew to my mouth. My eyes went wide.
Malcolm raised his eyebrows. “Is this another game?”
I shook my head frantically, dropping my hands. What spilled out my lips was more gibberish. “In truth, there’s no such game afoot, my lord.” My hands clamped over my mouth. What was wrong with me? My mind sped to the obvious answer. Grayson. “That black-hearted knave! That pustulant boil! Grayson Mars—the fool! I shall trample thy weapon, break thy sword in two…”
Malcolm leaned back against my dresser, relaxing the dominant pose he’d had before. Now, he snickered at me. “Is this Grayson’s revenge? You two seem to go back and forth with prank spells quite a bit. Should I be jealous?”
“Jealous? Of that bull’s pizzle? My wrath shall burn that three-inch fool to non.” I yanked at my hair, furious and amused at the same moment. What the motherfuck was I saying?
Malcolm didn’t help matters, adding, “I feel like you need to jump up on the bed and hold a skull in your hands or something, Shakespeare.”
I shook my head at him making fun of my hardship. I went over to my bed and hopped up, like I was being a good sport. But I grabbed my pillow and launched it at him. “Thou mockst’ my misery, most cruel sir.” I tried to keep an angry face, but I couldn’t. I sounded like a complete idiot! That fuckwad. That clever bastard. Ugh! I started to laugh and threw myself face first onto the bed.
Shit.I had a late night of unraveling ahead of me.
I glance up at Malcolm. He shook with laughter. His face turned red and he clutched at the pillow until he was bent over gasping. “I take back anything I ever said about you messing with Grayson. Keep doing it.”
Grayson’s spell saved me that night, though I’d never have admitted it to him. I wasn’t ready to confess everything to Malcolm. It was too soon. We needed to know each other better, trust each other more first.
