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I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I,” he growled. “Apparently Mrs. Brooks’ asking me to tutor you in Water means I’m also somehow accountable for the rest of your studies.”
“But I’m also studying with Hannah, Daniel, and Malik. I just spent two hours with Mrs. Hedging this morning. I’ve been reading my textbooks and the previous years’ every night for three hours. What more can I do?”
His jaw clenched, and I worried he was going to break a molar. “I don’t know.”
Theo turned to me. “Maybe the teachers just need to see for themselves how much effort you’re putting in.”
My shoulders slumped. “How? It’s the first week. We haven’t had any exams yet. So far it’s just been lectures and a few random assignments.”
Theo turned to Niall, who finally pulled his eyes off me to look at him for the first time. “What did the headmaster say? What does he want you to do?”
Niall rolled his eyes. “He’d probably like for you to not waste your time with horses when you could be studying.”
We’d been here for less than an hour. Was I not allowed a break?
“I didn’t ask what you thought, Kelly. What did Goldstein say?” Theo crossed his arms over his wide chest.
Niall gave him a once over before turning toward me. “You have this weekend to prepare for a placement test in each class. If you don’t pass at the level where year-four students should be, then they’ll change your schedule. You’ll be put in classes better suited to your current . . .” he sneered, “state.”
Current state? Like I was less than? Not up to par?
“She has to learn three years’ worth of material in two days?” Theo gasped.
“Or accept that she needs to start from the beginning like she should have,” Niall answered him without taking his eyes off me.
“But I don’t want to move down to the year one classes.” I had friends in my current ones. I was doing all I could to progress as quickly as possible. They couldn’t seriously expect me to learn everything I needed to in a week. I was supposed to have the whole term.
“Then I suggest you leave this field and get to the library.” Niall’s disgust was clear. He didn’t want to be out here. This seemed to be beneath him.
“Let’s go.” Theo offered me his hand like he was going to join me in this marathon cram session.
“What are you planning on helping with?” Niall cocked his head.
“I might not have the same affinity, but I can help with all the other subjects and the basics of witchcraft.”
Niall made a sound between a scoff and a snort. “You’re not exactly at the top of the year, Bridges. I doubt there’s much you could help with.”
Theo cracked his knuckles. I thought he was getting ready to fight him, but as he worked his jaw, it looked more like a soothing gesture. “I’m not an idiot. I can help.”
“Fine.” Niall turned without another word and started back toward the barn. Theo and I hurried to follow him, and he took my hand about halfway across.
I smiled up at him. “You really don’t have to come. I’m sure you have better things to do with your weekend.”
The tension left him, and he squeezed my hand. “I can’t think of anything more important.”
My heart soared. I might have swooned if we weren’t in such a rush to follow Niall. He was a man on a mission, and I didn't want to make him angrier than I already had. Somehow, without even speaking to him, I’d become his enemy. It wasn’t my fault Mr. Haddon, Mrs. Brooks, and the headmaster had all told him to help me. I hadn’t asked him for anything. That didn’t matter to him.
I couldn’t blame him for hating or resenting me. If some random student showed up at my old high school with zero understanding of my world and people kept pushing them on me to help, I’d be annoyed. But I wouldn’t take it out on that innocent person. It wasn’t their fault they didn’t know, or that their family had kept the truth of who they were from them for seventeen years.
Eyes followed us as we hurried along the path toward the library. If people weren’t already talking about me, they would be soon.
That was why it didn’t surprise me when Hannah, Daniel, Malik, and Carter showed up ten minutes after Niall claimed a table deep in the library as far away from everyone else as possible. Not that many other students were in here. It was a warm, sunny summer day, and none of us had much homework yet.
Well, besides me.
“What are you guys doing here?” Niall deadpanned.
