snaked my arm through Parvani's and steered her around to the side of the building, away from her English class.
"If you've come to thank me for setting you up with Aidan yesterday," Parvani said in her clipped British accent, "you have a funny way of showing it."
"Thank you." I was grateful. " But we have a problem."
Parvani's dark eyes widened behind her designer frames. "Is it Teen Wytche?"
"No. I mean yes, it is part of the problem, but not in the way you may think."
"What's up?"
"I think Aidan knows about the grimoire and the love spell. Did you say anything to him?"
Parvani pushed her glasses farther up her nose. "Of course not!" She lowered her voice. "I would never say anything. Do you think I'd risk Zhù or Jordan finding out?"
I assessed her with what Evie calls my gunslinger squint. Parvani had almost poisoned Jordan with her wrongful love spell, and had attracted Zhù with the free-will love spell I had designed. Maybe I had jumped to the wrong conclusion. " Okay. Maybe you didn't say anything, but someone must have."
"Evie is the only other person who knows, and she would never say a word. If it were up to her, the grimoire would be buried in a graveyard or something."
I released Parvani's arm. The gold bracelets on her right arm dropped below her wrist with a tinny clatter. "Aidan put out feelers. For now, let's assume he suspects something but he doesn't know for sure."
"I don't know what to tell you." Parvani glanced toward her class. The bell would ring any second, making both of us tardy.
"Just keep your eyes and ears open."
Parvani nodded. "Absolutely."
We took off in opposite directions. I speed-walked to World History and Geography, where my chances of learning anything were just about zero.
Chapter Fifteen
Meadow had lassoed me after Bio and dropped hints about the two of us dating. By the time I'd ditched her and reached the auditorium, Mr. Peters was already addressing the class. For once, the kids sat in the auditorium seats instead of gathering on stage. Salem had holed up in her usual seat toward the back.
"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Cooper."
"Sorry, sir." I kept my chin tucked and slipped past him. Most of the makeup Kali had applied to my bruises this morning had worn off during Gym. So far, none of my teachers had noticed. It didn't look like we'd be under the bright stage lights today. Still, I held my breath until I reached the side aisle, headed for Salem.
"An amendment to your writing assignment," Mr. Peters announced. "Final papers and performance of scenes are still due by Wednesday the twenty-sixth. But your first draft is due on the seventeenth. I have corrected this online, in case any of you forget, and so your parents can be fully informed." He swiped his finger across his electronic pad. "Pair up and get to work, people!"
Salem sat three seats from the aisle with her backpack on the fourth seat. She'd hunkered down, her tiny frame folded sideways in the seat, with her feet tucked under her.
I caught her eye. "Long time no see."
"Indeed." Snarkiness or wariness edged her voice — I wasn't sure which. I dropped my messenger bag onto the empty seat between us. Before my butt hit the aisle seat, a whoosh of energy knocked me sideways. I knew from her hurt expression she had raised an invisible, take-no-prisoners energy shield
Guess I won't have to worry about touching her.
"How was Bio?" Frost scissored her words.
I shrugged. "Okay. But I didn't have a chance to think about Bianca and the love potion. You?"
Salem shook her head. "Didn't give it a thought."
I pulled my dog-eared notebook from my bag. The thing had lasted through two high schools and nine subjects. There were five blank pages left. One more item on my Need-It-Yesterday list. Good thing June wanted to hire me. Fixing her broken stair was the only job on my horizon until the Crystal Faire. And at this rate, I wouldn 't have anything to sell and Papo would pulverize me.
Thoughts of the
"If you've come to thank me for setting you up with Aidan yesterday," Parvani said in her clipped British accent, "you have a funny way of showing it."
"Thank you." I was grateful. " But we have a problem."
Parvani's dark eyes widened behind her designer frames. "Is it Teen Wytche?"
"No. I mean yes, it is part of the problem, but not in the way you may think."
"What's up?"
"I think Aidan knows about the grimoire and the love spell. Did you say anything to him?"
Parvani pushed her glasses farther up her nose. "Of course not!" She lowered her voice. "I would never say anything. Do you think I'd risk Zhù or Jordan finding out?"
I assessed her with what Evie calls my gunslinger squint. Parvani had almost poisoned Jordan with her wrongful love spell, and had attracted Zhù with the free-will love spell I had designed. Maybe I had jumped to the wrong conclusion. " Okay. Maybe you didn't say anything, but someone must have."
"Evie is the only other person who knows, and she would never say a word. If it were up to her, the grimoire would be buried in a graveyard or something."
I released Parvani's arm. The gold bracelets on her right arm dropped below her wrist with a tinny clatter. "Aidan put out feelers. For now, let's assume he suspects something but he doesn't know for sure."
"I don't know what to tell you." Parvani glanced toward her class. The bell would ring any second, making both of us tardy.
"Just keep your eyes and ears open."
Parvani nodded. "Absolutely."
We took off in opposite directions. I speed-walked to World History and Geography, where my chances of learning anything were just about zero.
Chapter Fifteen
Meadow had lassoed me after Bio and dropped hints about the two of us dating. By the time I'd ditched her and reached the auditorium, Mr. Peters was already addressing the class. For once, the kids sat in the auditorium seats instead of gathering on stage. Salem had holed up in her usual seat toward the back.
"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Cooper."
"Sorry, sir." I kept my chin tucked and slipped past him. Most of the makeup Kali had applied to my bruises this morning had worn off during Gym. So far, none of my teachers had noticed. It didn't look like we'd be under the bright stage lights today. Still, I held my breath until I reached the side aisle, headed for Salem.
"An amendment to your writing assignment," Mr. Peters announced. "Final papers and performance of scenes are still due by Wednesday the twenty-sixth. But your first draft is due on the seventeenth. I have corrected this online, in case any of you forget, and so your parents can be fully informed." He swiped his finger across his electronic pad. "Pair up and get to work, people!"
Salem sat three seats from the aisle with her backpack on the fourth seat. She'd hunkered down, her tiny frame folded sideways in the seat, with her feet tucked under her.
I caught her eye. "Long time no see."
"Indeed." Snarkiness or wariness edged her voice — I wasn't sure which. I dropped my messenger bag onto the empty seat between us. Before my butt hit the aisle seat, a whoosh of energy knocked me sideways. I knew from her hurt expression she had raised an invisible, take-no-prisoners energy shield
Guess I won't have to worry about touching her.
"How was Bio?" Frost scissored her words.
I shrugged. "Okay. But I didn't have a chance to think about Bianca and the love potion. You?"
Salem shook her head. "Didn't give it a thought."
I pulled my dog-eared notebook from my bag. The thing had lasted through two high schools and nine subjects. There were five blank pages left. One more item on my Need-It-Yesterday list. Good thing June wanted to hire me. Fixing her broken stair was the only job on my horizon until the Crystal Faire. And at this rate, I wouldn 't have anything to sell and Papo would pulverize me.
Thoughts of the
Similar Books
