So he’s with that crowd. Good to know.
I used the info like ammunition. Or fortifications against him for chemistry and history class, and piano, if the teacher ever showed up.
“They’re practically blinding, aren’t they?” Dean asked with a laugh, and I realized I was staring.
I jerked my gaze away. “I almost wonder why they let us Benders in here at all,” I said. “Oh, shit, sorry. I don’t mean to presume—”
Dean chuckled. “It’s okay. I’m a Bender through and through.” His eyes dimmed slightly. “I may be the bendiest of them all. But we’re all one big happy family.”
As if to illustrate his point, Orion’s group of Richies caught sight of Dean and waved. I quickly looked away.
Dean waved back. “That’s Tucker and Orion, my boys on the crew. Both Big Five.”
“Big Five?”
“Their families give the most money to the Academy. Kings of the school.” Dean smiled. “But they’re good guys. Most everyone is, once you get to know them. Give it time, and you’ll feel at home.”
“If you say so.”
I must’ve sounded more pathetic than I meant to, because Dean put a hand on my arm.
“Come find me at lunch,” he said kindly. “You can meet the rest of the club, and you’re welcome to sit with us anytime. There’s safety in numbers.”
I smiled gratefully. “Thanks. I’ll do that.”
“And you’re coming to the bonfire this Saturday, yeah? It’s the first big social event of the season. The whole school will be there.”
“Not sure that’s the selling point you think it is.”
Dean laughed. “Castle Hill Lighthouse. Eight p.m. Give me your number and I’ll text you the details.”
Dean was handsome, sweet, funny. Perfect boyfriend material. As we exchanged numbers, I waited for a spark of attraction to ignite and drag my fixation away from Orion Mercer. But the energy between us remained stubbornly brother and sisterly.
But I did it, Dash. I made a friend.
***
“A volunteer?” Dr. Langford said, holding up a cardboard box in one hand and a list in the other. “Who would like to get acquainted with the chemistry storage room, just down the hall—code 353—and refill some of our classroom supplies?”
Several hands went up. Mine was not one of them. Storage rooms, in my experience, tended to be small, dark, cramped places with no moving air. Hard pass.
“Harper Bennett,” Langford said. “If you’d be so kind.”
Shit.
But the last thing I was going to do was show weakness, not so early in the game at a place like this. Get in, get out.
Not to mention, here was an opportunity to extract myself from Orion Mercer’s orbit. From the moment I’d arrived in class, I was inundated with all that washim, and I wondered just how in the hell I was supposed to survive an entire year like this.
I took the box from Langford and strode out of the classroom. The storage room was clearly marked, and I plugged in the keycode and propped open the aluminum door. It started to slide shut under the heavy weight, but the door stand held.
Get in, get out.
The room was small and cramped, lined floor to ceiling withnon-chemical chemistry supplies, stored in neatly labeled shelves. A bulky, counter-like table stood in the center. My pulse quickened, and I took a deep breath.
“Nope. You’re fine. You can do this.”
I studied the shelves for a second and then realized…
