“I think you’re trying to be sexy,” River said, though his usual sneer was gone. “But it’s not working.”
“I don’t think you believe that,” I said. “And since when do you care what I wear? Why do you look at me at all? Wejustmet.”
Although it didn’t feel that way. I felt like I’d known River a long time.
“I–” River cut himself off, clenching his jaw hard like he had to physically stop himself from speaking. “Whatever. It’s like a train wreck, I can’t look away.”
“Sure,” I said slowly. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“It only fuels my nightmares,” River said.
I snorted. “Same.”
He sneered. “You don’t know anything about nightmares.”
“Yeah, I do,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You’re not the only person in the world to have suffered, River.”
River’s glare softened just slightly, and he looked a little confused.
“Whatever,” he said, then pulled back. “Stay away from me.”
“You stay away from me!” I snapped. “You got me that fucking detention!”
River snorted. “Is that the reason for the love note? Hoping he lets you off the hook?”
“Oh, my God. Look, I barely know you. We’ve seen each other like three times, and you’re always pissed at me. What the hell did I do to you?” I hissed.
River moved, and I backed into the wall again. This time, his expression was different, and my affinity itching in my palms confirmed it.
“You’re a Telepath,” River said, and I blinked. He wasn’t wrong…but…what? “I’m only going to tell you this once: getoutof my head.”
“I’m not in your head, River.” I replied honestly.
“Stop,” he growled. “I know you are. Get out, or I’ll…”
He trailed off as I shook my head. “I’m not in there, River. I’d never go in there unless you wanted me to.”
River’s face changed again, his expression appearing confused, and then it hardened.
“Stoplying to me. I know it’s you. You’re fucking with me.”
“No, I’m not,” I snapped. “Trust me, River, if I was in there, you wouldn’t fucking know.”
River looked confused again, then he dropped his gaze and took a step back. Just as I opened my mouth to say something rude, River flinched, and my affinity reacted, pulling me a few feet away.
River’s fist slammed into the fire alarm where my head had just been.
I gasped as a piercing alarm blared. I slapped my hands over my sensitive ears just as every light in the hall flipped on at once. The overhead sprinklers turned on, and I gasped again as I was soaked with freezing cold water.
I stumbled, falling to my knees while my affinity cushioned my fall, then scrambled to get back to my feet.
My hands were shaking, and I was torn between teleporting the fuck out of here or losing whatever was left of my hearing. I focused onkeeping my ears covered as I staggered to the end of the hall, the door leading outside seeming to shrink like it was at the end of a tunnel.
“What’s your problem?” River’s voice filtered past the alarm and my hands, and I only shook my head.
He was completely dry, using his water affinity to keep the water from soaking him.
I slipped, crashing down to my knees again. I squeezed my hands into fists as I trembled, fighting every urge to teleport. I couldnotfucking do that in front of someone like River. Especially not after he’d just been accusing me of being in his head and messing with him.
