by ERIN BEDFORD
Pottington pursed her lips, her brows furrowing in annoyance. "Yes, and if you, Miss Mancaster, spent a little bit more time focusing on your craft and less on flirting with Mister Varnes," her eyes shot to Dale, who flushed and shifted in his seat, "then you could not only master this task but all those afterward. I expect better." Her eyes narrowed over her glasses as she waited for me to answer.
I nodded and murmured, "Yes. Professor Pottington. I'll do better in the future."
"See that you do." She spun around and moved onto the next student, clicking her tongue as she criticized their work.
A psst sound drew my eyes from my ruined project to Beth Ann's grinning face.
"What?" I grumbled as I jabbed my fingers into the clay on my wheel top. It didn't matter anymore, class was almost over and the pot wasn't worth saving.
Beth Ann giggled and glanced over her shoulder at her friends before back to me. "You really should just drop out. You're too far behind to be anything but mediocre."
"I'm not dropping pottery because of one day," I snapped back with a growl. I could feel my magic swirling in my stomach, and I pushed it down before I got myself in even more trouble.
Beth Ann shook her head and grinned further. "Not this class. The school. Take it from a friend when I tell you, you're not doing yourself or anyone else here any favors by staying. You'd be better off at a human college, then perhaps you could do somethin’ worth meanin’.” She smirked and eyed my clump of clay. “Though you are providing a public service with your attempts. Who am I to take away from others who might need you to encourage them to do better?"
My teeth grit together, the urge to throw clay at her perfect face was so strong but I shoved it down. Instead, a sickly-sweet smile curled up my lips. “You’re right. I am giving a public service, and here’s my service to you. You might have a better chance of having a happy marriage if you spent less time trying to kiss ass to your ex-boyfriend’s parents and spent more time with your actual fiancé.” I gave a shrug and pouted. “Just saying.”
Beth Ann’s eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a thin line. Then, while Pottington wasn’t looking, a glob of clay magically came hurtling toward me. Thinking quick on my feet, I shoved my magic out as a barrier sending the clay bouncing back off and splattering Beth Ann’s hair.
Suddenly, the room burst into laughter. My own mouth spreading into a grin as Beth Ann shrieked and jumped up from her chair her hands trying to grab at the clay in her red hair. Professor Pottington rushed to her side and tried to calm her down. Beth Ann didn’t immediately point a finger at me because then she would have to explain why she was throwing clay at me in the first place.
Pottington tried to make the class calm down, but they were too hyped up so she gave up. “Class is dismissed, and next class, I expect you to act like the responsible young adults you are.”
Dale stood and held a hand out to me. "Come on, Max."
Still grinning at Beth Ann, I slid my hand into his and did a little hair flip of my own. "Thanks for the advice, Beth Ann."
My words on made Beth Ann freak out even more as Dale ushered me out of the room. When we were safely in the hallway, Dale stopped in the middle of the hall. Bent at the waist, his hands on his knees, his body shook violently.
"Dale?" I tilted my head to the side and reached for him. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," Dale choked out and glanced up tears of laughter falling down his face. He removed his glasses and swiped his hand over his eyes. "I'm fine. Oh, Merlin! Max, I could kiss you right now."
I grinned from ear to ear and swayed from side to side. "I wouldn't object to that."
Dale mimicked my expression and wrapped his arms around my waist. "As tempted as I am, I think we better put some distance between us and Beth Ann for now."
I pouted. "But I want a kiss."
Shaking his head, Dale took my hand and drew me down the hallway. "Not usually. But you, my little minx, just attacked a Scarlett and they have bad tempers. I’d blame the red hair but...” He trailed off, running a hand through his own reddish head. “Just hope that Beth Ann doesn’t complain to her parents. Believe me, no one wants those soul-sucking medusas here."
My head jerked to him. "You've met them?"
Dale lifted a shoulder, tucking his hands into his pockets as we walked. "Unfortunately. Since I work for the Headmaster, there are a lot of meetings that involve other schools and the Scarlettes are big contributors." He snorted and shook his head. "Which is a fancy way of saying they use their money to make sure the schools are teaching what they want. You know, political bull shit."
I hummed and then changed the subject. "So, we have a free period...” I trailed off, giving Dale a coy grin.
Dale held back a grin in return. “Oh, whatever shall we do?”
I opened my mouth to answer back but almost walked straight into a hard body. "Woah!" I jumped back into Dale's arms and prepared to glare at the asshole who wasn't paying any mind to where they were going. "Watch it, why don't... Ian?"
The asshole who'd walked right into me was none other than one of my boyfriends. Ian's head slowly turned in my direction, his usually playful eyes tired and his charming mouth turned down in a painful grimace. He didn't seem like himself. His clothes were wrinkled, and he hadn't put anything in his hair, so it looked greasy and unkempt.
Ian blinked several times as if he couldn't focus completely before his lips moved slowly into a halfhearted grin. "Max. There you are."
"Uh, yeah." I gave Dale a sideways glance before moving closer to Ian. "What's going on? I haven't seen you since your parents came to visit. Are you okay?"
Ian grinned lazily, his hand brushing through his hair. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just busy with work. Where have you been?"
Still not completely convinced but not wanting to push, I told him about what happened in pottery class. Ian's brows furrowed, and his hands grabbed my shoulders.
"Don't mess with Beth Ann, Max. I'm serious. She can make life difficult for you. Worse than Sabrina."
My brows furrowed at Ian's warning. "I can handle myself. I'm not going to let some snotty Blue Bonnet paw my boyfriend and get away with it."
"Let it go."
The sharp tone of Ian's voice made me pause. "Do you want to be with her?"
Ian's head fell back, and he let out a tired laugh. "No, not at all, but I know how she and her family is, and I'm telling you, it's not worth it. She'll be gone after the games, then everything will go back to normal." He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. "Just leave it alone. For me?"
"How can you ask her to do something like that?" Dale asked with a growled, getting in Ian’s face. "She doesn't get to push Max around just because her family has money. None of you do. Max has a right to stand up for herself and for you to tell her not to is... just fucked up, man. How can you even call her your girlfriend?"
Ian looked like he was about to fire back at Dale but then he grasped his head and closed his eyes, hissing. "Whatever, I... I have to get back to work."
Then before either of us could stop him, Ian was gone.
I gave Dale a worried frown and held his hand tightly. "Well, that was weird."
Chapter 14
Mid-October I threw my pen down on the library table and groaned. "This is ridiculous."
"What?" Paul looked away from the papers he was grading, his pen poised in the air.
My eyes narrowed as the source of my irritation filled the air with her nasal voice and ridiculous giggle: Beth Ann. She sat at the table Sabrina and her friends used to sit at, holding court over a few of her friends and more than a handful of guys, some out-of-staters and some from our very own school. They were all holding onto every word Beth Ann said as she entertained them with some inane story or another. Probably talking about the latest sweet tea she and her annoying friends drank.
"So, what's the point of them being here before the games even start?" I jerked my head back around to Paul. Irritation made my face tight as I sighed
and threw my hand up. "I mean, all they're doing is hanging around, going to our classes, and... and..."
"Hitting on my brother?" Paul chuckled, a knowing grin on his perfect lips.
I narrowed my gaze on him but didn't answer.
Paul sat his pen down and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Look, I know you don't like them, but there's not much we can do. They're here until the end of the year whether we like it or not." I opened my mouth to argue, but Paul stopped me. "Believe me, if I could get them gone any faster I would, especially after Beth Ann brought my parents here."
I grimaced. "Yeah. That couldn't have been fun." I chewed on my lower lip and peered down at my book before glancing back up at him unsure of myself. "About that... your parents hate me, don't they?"
Paul's brows furrowed and then his mouth opened and closed several times before finally saying, "No, I wouldn't say that. They've never met you." He reached for my hand and cupped it with his own. Bringing it up to his mouth, Paul pressed a kiss to the top of my knuckles. "Not like I do."
I snorted. "Pfft. Yeah, sure, but they know Beth Ann?"
Paul let out a hard breath before releasing my hands to pick up his pen again. "Beth Ann's family has been involved with ours for a long time, the same way that Sabrina's parents were. You know, if you may be made more of an effort to mingle with our class, maybe—"
"I'd be a snobby stuck-up witch that wouldn't have attracted you in the first place." I stuck my tongue out at him and winked.
That’s when Paul grabbed me around the waist, pulled me into his lap, and kissed me soundly on the mouth. I giggled and curved my fingers along the nape of his neck, leaning into his kiss. Paul's tongue stroked along the edge of my lips and I happily opened up for him, letting out a tiny sound of pleasure. Our mouths tangled with one another and quickly becoming heated. Neither of us seemed to care that we were in public or what we looked like to the others.
Screw them.
Not even Beth Ann could ruin this for me.
The hands on my hips tightened slightly and I could feel Paul's length hardening beneath me. I wiggled against it causing him to groan and pull me closer. My thighs pressed together as I tried to relieve some of the pressure building there. If we didn't stop soon, we'd end up giving the library a free show, and I didn't feel like getting expelled today.
"Wanna get out of here?" I breathed into Paul's mouth and rubbed my hardened nipples against his chest. "I still have..." I glanced at my phone. "... thirty minutes before my next class."
Paul groaned and leaned his head back. "I can't. I have to finish these papers and then meet up with Ian. Our parents have been around more often now because of..." He trailed off, his eyes moving over to where Beth Ann sat, but he didn’t say her name. Instead, his lips pursed, and his nose crinkled up. "Business."
"Right," I drew out before slipping out of his lap and back into my own seat. Not wanting to argue about Beth Ann, I picked at something else that was bothering me. "How is Ian? I haven't seen him around much. And the few times we've hung out he's seemed really... off."
Humming, Paul stared down at the paper in front of him. There was a sort of seriousness to his expression as a bit of worry tugged at the edges of his lips. It didn't make me feel any better about how Ian had been acting.
The last time we went out, we'd gone to McKee's. Ian had been quiet and looked two seconds away from passing out the whole time. The waitress had to ask him several times what he wanted before he even looked up from his menu to notice her. Forget him listening to anything I said. I felt like I was talking to a brick wall.
"I'm not sure what's going on. He hasn't said anything to me about it." Paul tapped his pen on the top of the table surface and then released it.
The pen floated in the air and then started to write on the paper for him. I didn't know why he even bothered to do it the normal way if he had magic to do it, but then again, what did I know? Magic was still a new deal for me. For Paul, who had been working magic since he was in diapers, it was just another day in the life. Doing it the human way was probably a novelty for him.
"Well, what about Aidan? Has he said anything?" I stood from the table and gathered my books and notebooks. While Ian hadn't been around much, I'd been spending more time with Aidan and the others. Dale was still busy because of the visitors and all the stupid events the Headmaster thought would bring us closer together with the out of staters.
This month's Halloween party came to mind. There was going to be a huge costume party including a contest to see who had the best costume. Normally, I would have thought nothing of a costume party, let alone a contest, but this was the magical world. I could only imagine how far fetched the students would get with their costumes. Maybe someone would transfigure themselves into an octopus or a mummy? Or maybe they'd invite real live werewolves?
That would be awesome.
"Aidan hasn't said anything either." Paul lifted a shoulder and dropped it. "Besides, it's not like he's much of a talker anyway."
I sighed. "I thought they're supposed to be BFFs? Plus, they're both in the Dark Arts division. Shouldn't Aidan have the four-one-one?" I growled, getting more irritated by the minute. "I don't see Aidan looking like he's having the life sucked out of him." My brows shot up, and my mouth fell open. "Wait, could that be it? Could someone be sucking the life out of Ian? Maybe that group he joined last year?"
Paul shook his head. "Nah, there are strict rules against that kind of stuff. More than likely he is overworking himself and is just experiencing the normal stress of college life. He is about to graduate, you know?" Paul grabbed the pen and took over marking the papers before him. "I wouldn't worry too much about it."
"I know but—"
"He's still signed up for the Games, right?" Paul continued to scribble, not looking up at me anymore.
"Uh, yeah, I think so." My brows furrowed, not sure what he was getting at.
"Then he's fine." Paul inclined his head firmly as he shifted into his seat. "Ian wouldn't miss the Games if he was on his death bed. He's waaaay too competitive for that bullshit. Believe me, it used to drive me nuts growing up."
"Yeah, I guess..." I trailed off. I wasn’t completely pacified, but I knew I wasn't going to get any more out of Paul. He knew his brother, but maybe it was because he knew him that he wasn't seeing the warning signs like I was.
Last year, Aidan had been really worried about Ian and that Dark Arts group he was joining, but Ian had assured me it wasn't a big deal. And, up until now, it hadn't been. Ian had been his usual charming, panty melting self. The only thing I could think of that had changed in the past few months was that his parents had visited. Could they have had something to do with it?
I didn't know, but the only way I was going to find out was by meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Broomstein myself. I pulled out my phone with a determined frown.
It was time to call in a favor.
Chapter 15
The restaurant I was supposed to meet Mrs. Broomstein at was way too classy for my style. There was a dress code that required me not only to wear a dress but also a pointed hat like some kind of fairy tale witch. The wait staff hovered above the floor as they sat the guests. Even the floating plates that came out of the back room on their own had an air of refinement and judgment to them. I watched from where I waited at the hostess stand as a plate of pasta flew off the table before the lady eating it could take another bite.
"Hey, I was eating that," the plump woman cried out her fork mid-air.
The plate paused in the air and the noodles formed a mouth twisted in a disgusted frown. "And everything else in the house it seems," the dish snapped back.
The woman gasped and placed a hand on her chest, her brows bunching down in the middle. "Why I never!"
"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked my grandmother, Nina. The only way I'd been able to get Mrs. Broomstein to meet with me was to have my grandmother request to have lunch with her. Mrs. Broomstein didn't even know that
I was coming, something I hoped wouldn't be a problem since it had to do with her son and not me.
My grandmother looked up from her phone and glanced around the room, not at all bothered by any of the horrible aspects of the restaurant. "Yes, I'm sure. The Broomsteins have a regular table here."
I crossed my arms and glowered. "Of course, they do."
"Maxine, I'm not sure what you are hoping to accomplish with this meeting. Willow Broomstein is not the kind of person who would..." She trailed off, her face pinched as if she weren't sure what to say.
I let out a huff and adjusted my hat. "The kind of person who would like me? That's what you were going to say, right?"
My grandmother sighed and tucked her phone back into her pale mint green purse. It matched quite well with the skirt and blouse she wore. "I understand your concern for their son, but he is an adult, one that has made it clear he wants nothing to do with his parents or the society we have put so much effort into."
"I don't care. It's not about that. He's their son, something is wrong, and it all started with them." I scowled and stomped my foot in place, determined to get to the bottom of it.
"I would say that we do have a problem," a cool and collected voice commented from behind us.
I slowly turned to meet the same memorizing green and brown eyes that I had come to love on the face of a dark-haired woman about my mother's age. Mrs. Broomstein wore a form-fitting dress of a cream color that was probably the height of fashion somewhere, probably Milan or something.
Me, I liked my clothes to cost less than my car. At least, I knew I'd never outgrow my car, but a pair of pants? That was something else.
"Mrs. Broomstein," I beamed at her as I offered her my hand. "It's so great to finally meet you. Ian and Paul have told me so much about you. I feel like I know you already." I laid the compliments on thick, hoping to kill any dislike she had for me with kindness.