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Right?
Everything I knew about school and the rights and wrongs were constantly opposed when it came to the rules around here. If I got in trouble, then at least it was worth it.
We made it across campus with only a few students giving us looks, but I assured June they were probably more put off by me than her. She laughed it off, but the smiling made her groan.
“Karelis?” My name spoken by the most chill-worthy velvet voice from behind me. I looked over my shoulder, but my priority was June and getting her out of sight and to the nurse.
“It’s Casimir,” June whispered as though I should’ve gotten on my knees in his presence.
“Hey, Cas,” I said, but my steps never faltered.
“Where are you going?” When I didn’t immediately answer, he fell into a sprint and caught up with us. When he saw June’s face, he growled a bit. “To the nurse? I’ll come with you.”
The nurse took June right in and said I could wait outside. She nodded to Cas. Of course everyone knew him. I mean, he looked to be chiseled from the gods, so of course, she knew him.
He sat next to me and before I could say a word, took my jaw in his hand and turned my head this way and that. He stopped when I faced the left and while I felt my jaw throb with the pain of the punch, it was nothing I hadn’t felt before. The guards at the Light Kingdom weren’t always kind. “Who did this to you?” His words came out in a snarl but I knew the anger wasn’t pointed at me.
“Bullies. The answer is always bullies. They say high school is only four years but clearly that isn’t enough for some people.”
He huffed out a laugh but his smile was absent. What a shame. I needed his smile in that moment. My heart fluttered ashis hand stayed on my jaw but instead of removing it, he let the width of it slide down my neck and land right above my breasts. “You can take care of yourself, but I don’t like to see this.”
“Doesn’t feel great, either.” Some students passed and giggled, probably because Cas was close to fondling me in public.
“Do I need to take care of it, Karelis? I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“No. But thank you. I take care of myself.”
Another snarl. “You don’t have to anymore.”
Chapter Four
Casimir
When I returned to the suite, I found Adan and Blaze lounging with sandwiches and cans of energy drinks. “I missed you both at dinner. Considering we had that stomach-challenging chili-mac casserole thing that has been appearing lately, you made the right choice.”
Adan waved a not-peanut-butter sandwich over his ever-present laptop. “I bribed a cook for roast beef and cheddar with horseradish mayo.”
“Don’t tease. I only ate a couple of bites and some canned corn before deciding I preferred hunger.” In general, the food here was decent—but when it was bad, it was awful. “So eat away, friends, and don’t feel bad about leaving me out.”
Blaze looked up from his tablet and grinned. “Good. Then I guess we can eat the sandwich we got you with mustard instead of horseradish, as you prefer.”
My mouth watered. “Are there pickles?”
Adan picked up a brown bag beside him and said, “Catch.”
I caught. Of course, when I unrolled the top, it held not only the sandwich on sourdough bread but a pickle spear and a small container of potato salad. I hummed in pleasure, cutting it off when my friends laughed. “Sorry. I’m just hungry and with our stash low, I wasn’t sure if I’d get much of anything tonight.”
“Well, don’t let us keep you from eating.” Blaze took another bite of his and spoke around it. “Did you at least get to sit with anyone special?”
The happiness from the sandwich faded for the moment, and I set it down beside me. “No because the person you refer to is in the nurse’s office. At least I think she and June are still there.”
Adan shoved his laptop aside and leapt to his feet. “Then why are you here instead of there? Why didn’t you come and get us?”
Blaze asked the important question. “Are they okay?”
“They are a little shaken up and bruised. Some of the girls in this school seem to have gotten good at bullying, and Karelis rescued her. She took a hit or two in the process.”
“I want their names.” Adan’s eyes gleamed. “This cannot continue.”
