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I stop abruptly at the entrance to the hallway, her reasoning catching me off guard. I really only ever used the word abandon when it came to my mother. I never thought something so small could be viewed in the same way, but of course it could.
“What?” Harper blurts, turning on her heel a few paces later to look for me. Her brows crease as she scans over me before realization lights in her eyes. “Aria—”
“No, you’re right,” I cut her off, not wanting her to apologize for something she’s clearly upset about. I know she and Carter have trouble getting along, and I still left them alone with each other twice yesterday. “He might be my brother and you’re my best friend, but that doesn’t mean I get to dismiss your feelings. I’m sorry.”
“It isn’t even that big of a deal,” she says, glancing around her as if someone might be spying on us. Which honestly, they just might be. “Carter and I both have to grow up and get over our differences if we’re going to be your second and third. The next two hundred or so years will be unbearable if you have to babysit us all the time.”
Harper closes the distance between us and wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me closer before I can get out another word. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and give her a one-armed hug, something that’s usually the norm between us due to our height difference.
“Besides, you’ll have your hands full soon enough,” she teases, before playfully knocking me with her shoulder. My lips quirk to the side at that, and I push down the thought that has been plaguing me all morning of the four men I’ve had an encounter with in the last twenty-four hours. If having multiple partners is anything like the clusterfuck that has been, I want no part of it. Nope, no matter how sexy they are, I don’t need that kind of distraction and drama in my life.
“Don’t remind me,” I groan, taking a normal sip of my coffee as we take our time strolling down the hall.
“Speaking of, what did you get up to last night?” she says carefully, and I too look around the hall at that. Students pass us going both ways down the hall, some smiling while others give us furtive glances.
“Absolutely nothing,” I say calmly and give her a pointed look, hoping she’ll drop the subject. I’ll tell her about what happened with Greyson, but not right now. I honestly hate that I have to be so suspicious all the time, but growing up with Glenda taught me to always be wary of those around me.
“Sure, that’s why you’re so tired.” She giggles, waggling her eyebrows at me.
“I just didn’t sleep well,” I huff, lowering my voice as a warning.
Harper seems to take the hint as she looks around at the passing students and gives me a subtle nod. “Fine, but you better give me all the details later.”
“Fine,” I grumble. I send a silent blessing to the goddess as we approach the open door with room number 120 emblazoned across the front. “Did your schedule tell you what teacher we have?” I ask, pausing just before the entrance.
“No,” Harper huffs, clearly annoyed by that fact. My best friend is one of the most organized people I know and absolutely loathes surprises. The fact that she couldn’t research what professor we’d be spending most of our year with must be getting on her nerves almost as much as Carter.
The academy is split up in the first year by the type of supernatural you are in order to train everyone properly. In the second year, students come together to learn how to work as a team and use their strengths to help their partners. So everyone in this classroom will be a witch or warlock, meaning my chances of being in the same class as Denver are unbelievably high.
Harper tugs my arm, clearly not wanting to waste any more time out in the hall. I shouldn’t be surprised though, she’s definitely more the academic type. Sure, I can perform the spells, make the potions and work the enchantments better than my peers, but Harper is always close behind, and if it’s a theory-based test, she will always be the top of the class.
I huff out a breath of annoyance as her hand shifts to pull me by the arm, even going so far as to push past a student almost halfway through the door already.
“Harper,” I grumble, about to complain about her being so pushy when my breath catches in my throat.
I skid to a stop as my eyes lock onto a pair of tawny ones outlined by thick silver-framed glasses. Professor Pierce sits at a large oak desk at the front of the class, an open book splayed before him and a pen clasped in his fingers, hovering just over the page. The stubble lining his jaw seems to be thicker today, like he forgot to shave this morning. I’m definitely not complaining though since it gives his professional appearance a slight hint of sexy ruggedness.
Nope, not sexy. I cannot be daydreaming about my teacher all year, especially not with everything on the line.
His eyes widen a fraction and he freezes, neither of us able to look away just yet. The connection that sparked yesterday seems to thrum between us again, more intense than yesterday. But despite my inability to pull my gaze from him, I don’t have the same urgency as before.
The guy Harper pushed past mutters a curse as he brushes past her, heading towards the seat at the front of the room, right in front of the professor’s desk.
“Aria,” she huffs out in annoyance, her teeth grinding as she looks between the man taking her prime seat and me.
I stumble forward a step, reluctantly dragging my gaze away from the professor as I follow after her. There’s barely anyone in the classroom yet so there are still plenty of seats in the front, but I know I won’t hear the end of this for a while now that I’ve cost her the prime seat in front of the professor.
Harper slams down in her seat next to the man, grumbling under her breath as she stares daggers into the side of the man’s head. He pointedly looks away from her, but judging by the slight curl of his lips he knows exactly what he’s done.
Great, Harper’s already made an arch-nemesis on the first day.
I slip into the seat next to her, attempting to hide my amusement at Harper’s frustration growing with each second he pointedly ignores her. Although she might be in the center of the class now, she always values having the most access to the professor during downtime, and apparently this student has the same idea.
Pierce clears his throat, and I glance up at him beneath my lashes, wanting to get another look without being obvious. I have enough going on at this school already, I really don’t need to be lusting after a teacher, especially when the headmistress is allied with my grandmother.
He isn’t looking back this time, his attention having returned to the notes he must have been taking before we walked in.
I nearly sigh a breath of relief as some of the other students file in through the door and take seats behind us. Gathering my thoughts, I use the moment to summon my books and supplies from my room. My black messenger bag appears on the hardwood floor beside me and I reach down to pull my pen and notebook from it.
