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I had been planning to make a decision when I saw him after my last period class but he hadn’t appeared to escort me to my dorm after Home Ec so now I didn’t know what to think.
“You look like you’re still not sure what to do,” Avery said, looking at me. “What do you think—want to meet for lunch? I can pick you up.”
“You have a car?” I asked as we all trooped up out of the Norm Dorm and made our way with a crowd of other students eager for the weekend towards the main entryway of the castle. Though I looked everywhere, I didn’t see Griffin among them.
“Oh, sure.” Avery shrugged. “My dad bought it for me.”
“Not just any car,” Emma added, “He’s got a Tesla!”
“The kind with the wing doors,” Kaitlyn added, sounding slightly awed.
“Um, those are pretty expensive, aren’t they?” I asked as the bell chimed three times and we passed with the mass of other students through the stone archway and started walking down the long bridge the led over the black waters of the lake. The sun was bright and hot overhead but a cool breeze blew, ruffling my hair pleasantly.
“They certainly are expensive.” Avery gave me a wry smile. “My father gives me money instead of love. And since love won’t do zero to sixty in three point six seconds, it works for me.”
I could hear the bitterness in his words and I reached out to grab his hand and give it a squeeze.
“Sorry, Avery. I have a complicated relationship with my dad, too,” I murmured, letting him know I understood how he felt. “He pretty much dumped me on my aunt when he decided being a parent was too much trouble anymore after my mom died.”
“Parents suck sometimes,” Emma said as we all tromped towards the end of the long wooden bridge. This time I barely noticed when the huge, scaly head of the Guardian surfaced for a moment and looked at us with a dinner plate-sized golden eye before sinking below the black waters again.
“My dad left the day after I was born and never wrote or called or anything,” she went on. “My mom doesn’t even know where he is or if he’s still alive or anything.”
“My parents were great,” Kaitlyn said softly and we all looked at her. She had her head down as usual and her long, wavy black hair was hiding her eyes. Remembering what I had learned about her tragedy in the Headmistress’s office, I suddenly felt really bad.
“I’m sorry, Kaitlyn—we must all sound really ungrateful to you,” I said.
She shook her head.
“Of course not. Everybody has different relationships with their parents. It’s always complicated except with mine, well…it wasn’t. They loved each other and they loved me and I loved them.”
Knowing what I did of her sweet nature, I could certainly believe this. She seemed like the kind of girl who would almost never fight with her parents and would stay close to them for life—if she’d been given a chance, that was.
Kaitlyn sighed deeply as we all stepped off the bridge with the mass of other students. Some had cars of their own and some had cars waiting for them.
Nancy and her fellow Weird Sisters shot me one last disdainful glance before piling into the back of a long, sleek limo which was apparently waiting for them. Wow, her mom must have money then! I wondered how much being the leader of a prestigious coven paid and why, if Winifred Rattcliff was so rich, she couldn’t find someone to help her dress in something beside mauve.
It really wasn’t her color.
“Well, I’d better get my bike and get going,” Emma said with a sigh, pointing to a bike rack where a single lonely bike was parked. It was an old ten-speed that looked like it had seen better days.
“Don’t be silly—I’ll give you a ride. We can put your bike in my trunk,” Avery said. He looked at me and Kaitlyn. “And before we go, I’ll pick you two up for lunch tomorrow at…” he glanced inquiringly at Emma. “When is your lunch break?”
“Kind of late—not until two,” she said apologetically.
“That’s all right—late lunch works for me,” I said.
“Me too,” Kaitlyn said. “And I think Mr. Breedlove can probably drop me off if you can give me a ride home, Avery.”
“Of course, Katydid, no problem.”
“I’ll ask my aunt but I might need a ride both ways,” I said. “It depends on if she’s teaching one of her classes or not.”
“Your wish is my command.” Avery made a sweeping bow. “I’m happy to drive all you lovely ladies around all weekend if you want. It’s either that or fight with my father—if he’s home this weekend. Or else sew and craft with my mother—which of course, makes fighting with my father all the worse. He just hates it when I’m domestic. Oh look, Kaitlyn—I think your ride is here.”
