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24
Harper
I still don’t trustLiam, but he really does get to work helping me research our project. It’s an odd dichotomy. As if I’m seeing both the public face he wears and the private person he might really be. There’s hope for him, but not enough that I’m willing to spend more time with him than necessary.
After two hours of research, my stomach rumbles. It’s our usual dinner time and I’m ready for a break. “Pick it back up tomorrow?” I suggest.
Liam closes the book he’s reading and then lifts his arms in the air to stretch. “I’m serious about doing my best work at night. How about we come back later?”
“Not tonight,” I say. I’m determined to patch things up with Sadie tonight and I know she’ll be home.
“Alright, tomorrow. Can I walk you to dinner?” he asks.
“Sure,” I say.
We put away the books but I keep the angel classification book he offered. I’m very curious to learn about the different kinds of angels. I’ve heard of the different types of demons though my classes, but there’s never any lessons about me.
All I know is that Adrian is hoarding all the other books that might be helpful and there is no way I’ll ask him for anything. Not after the way he left things between us.
As it is, I’m not sure how I’ll handle seeing him in class tomorrow. I had a blissful break from him and now I have to deal with the fallout of whatever the fuck that mess was.
Liam leads the way down the raised walkway and I keep a nervous eye on the edge. I’m glad he didn’t tell me about the student who died before I crossed the bridge.
After returning the key, the two of us head to the hallway. There’s a group gathered around the ranks and my stomach twists into knots. Last time there was a group of students in the main hall, there was a dead body.
I don’t wait for Liam before pushing my way to the front. The floor under the stairs is blissfully body free. My shoulders fall in relief and I look around to see what the commotion is about.
Everyone’s eyes are on the rank boards.
I glance up and see that Liam has been knocked from the top spot. He’s all the way down to number three, two students I didn’t recognize now held the first two places. I dropped to number six.
“Thank the gods,” Liam says.
I turn to see him standing next to me. “You don’t want to be first place?”
“Well, of course I do, but I’m not in a hurry. There’s time. There’s next semester even,” he says.
I look back at the ranks and swallow hard. I wish I was happy that I dropped but I had started to get used to the idea of defending my place.
But he was right, there was still time. “We better do well on that project.”
“That won’t help us,” he says. “It’s not based on academics.”
My brow furrows. “I thought nobody knew what it was based on?”
“Think about it,” he says. “What got you the boost?”
I consider for a moment. “Magic.”
“Magic,” he agrees. “If you want to move up, you cast. If you want to move down, botch some spells or ruin a potion.”
My face heats. I’d ruined a potion earlier today. “You’re right.” I smile, feeling a sense of control that I hadn’t been able to grasp before. “You’re totally right.”
If it’s about magic, then I can be more strategic.
“Thank you!” I give Liam a kiss on the cheek and then push my way out of the group of students. Once I’m back in my hallway, it sinks in that I kissed Liam Drake.
I have no idea why I did that.
