Veryinteresting.
So, I lean into Oliver, just a little. Just enough to test Logan’s reaction.
The chandeliers above us flare, flames dancing higher and brighter, like someone turned up a dimmer switch. The lightcasts dramatic shadows, making our little trio impossible to miss.
Logan stands abruptly, his face all sharp angles and barely controlled... something. He takes one step toward us, then another, and I can’t breathe, can’t think beyond the fact that Logan Ashford is about to?—
He stops.
It’s jarring, like watching a film skip frames. One second, he’s moving toward us with purpose. The next he’s turning away, his movements too sharp, too sudden. He drops back into his seat like nothing happened, but his shoulders are rigid, his hands clenched, and pretty much everyone around us is staring.
“What on earth was that?” Evie mutters.
“I have no idea,” I say, but my skin prickles with awareness, since I have a pretty good idea what set him off.
“Forget him.” Oliver pulls me closer and steers us toward the first-year table. “I’ve got the intel you need for the Forge party tonight. It’s at the Drowned Tower. Midnight.”
“The Drowned Tower?” Evie’s eyes widen. “But that’s?—“
“Partially flooded at high tide, probably haunted, and definitely off-limits?” Oliver grins. “That’s what makes it perfect.”
“You’re insane.”
“You love it.” He releases my shoulders, but not before giving me an extra squeeze. “Jade, you’re coming, right? And before you say anything, there’s only one correct answer—yes. I can’t have you missing your first Forge Night.”
The way he looks at me—interested, uncomplicated, and, most importantly,available—should be exactly what I want.
But my traitorous eyes drift back to the fourth-year table.
Logan’s not looking at us anymore. He’s bent toward Miles, who’s shoving a notebook into his bag like it contains statesecrets. Miles glances our way, catches me watching, and says something that makes Logan’s jaw tighten further.
“Jade?” Oliver’s voice is softer now. “The Drowned Tower? Midnight?”
Yanking my focus away from Logan and Miles, I return it to Oliver, who’s watching me with hope in his eyes. “I’ll be there,” I say, forcing excitement into my tone.
“Perfect.” His smile could power the entire academy. “Ladies, I’ll see you tonight. Jade...” He winks. “Save me a dance?”
He saunters off to the third-year table before I can reply, where Avery brightens at his approach.
“He’s totally into you,” Evie says as we find seats at our usual spots in social Siberia.
“He’s nice.” I reach for bread, needing something to do with my hands.
“Nice? Jade, my brother doesn’t do ‘nice.’ He does interested. And he’s very interested.” She pauses. “Unless you’re hung up on?—“
“I’m not hung up on anyone.” The words come out too fast, too defensive.
Evie gives me a look that says she’s not buying it, but she mercifully drops the subject. “The Drowned Tower is ambitious for the first Forge Night. You know it’s literally in the ocean, right? Connected to the island by this ancient stone bridge that goes underwater at high tide?”
“Of course it is.” I roll my eyes and tear my bread in half. “Because nothing at this school can just be normal.”
“Where’s the fun in normal?” She grins. “Besides, racing the tide to get back adds to the excitement. Nothing like potentially drowning to make a party memorable.”
I laugh despite myself. “My parents would be so proud. From Ivy League rejections to a magical drowning party in two weeks.”
“It’s called character development.”
The chandeliers above us dim back to normal levels, and I can’t help one last glance at the fourth-year table. Logan’s not looking, but his posture still screams tension.
