He’s somehow never late, even though he comes straight from work.
I narrow my eyes at Poe though. “Don’t make me regret telling you that.”
I don’t even know why I did.
Since I don’t live with them anymore, we try to catch up as much as we can during lunch and any other free time that we get. And since Reed Roman Jackson is such a big topic, all our conversations circle around him, and since I’m an idiot, I let it slip one day that he calls me Fae.
And well, since then they haven’t let it go.
Poe sticks her tongue out at me and I do the same in return.
While Salem, our doomed-in-love turned happy-in-love friend, sighs. “I’m so jealous. Like, it’s so cute I wanna die. You know what? I’m going to make Arrow write me another poem next time he calls. Just to make up for all this cuteness.”
Arrow and Salem are still going strong. Not that I ever doubted that they would.
He’s crazy about her. Every visitation weekend, he makes sure to fly over from California, where he lives to visit Salem. The rest of the time, they talk on the phone on Saturdays, email each other. Even write love letters.
I don’t know what she’s complaining about because her thing is beyond cute.
I raise my eyebrows at Salem. “Makehim?”
She raises hers back, smiling slyly. “Yeah. I can make him do things.”
Poe jumps in. “What kind of things?”
Salem shrugs. “Things your virgin ears won’t be able to hear without blushing.”
“I don’t blush. Ever.” She throws us a coy smile then. “And who says I’m a virgin?”
“Poe, you are a virgin, okay?” I tell her, rolling my eyes. “We know that. So stop trying to be all mysterious.”
“Fine. I’m a virgin.” She sticks her tongue out at me again and I do the same. “And I hate you. I hate both of you for having sex before me. I want to have sex too. And you know why I haven’t had sex yet?”
“We know,” Salem says.
“You do?”
“Yes,” I reply. “It’s because of your tweed-jacket-with-elbow-patches-wearing guardian. Who sent you here.”
As expected, Poe’s face scrunches up with fury. “Exactly. Everything wrong in my life is because of him. Everything. Ugh. I can’t wait to kill him and dance on his grave and then have sex with the first guy I meet.” She turns to Salem then. “Until then you’re gonna have to tell me everything. So I can live vicariously through you.”
As Poe harasses Salem to give up all the dirty details, I turn to Wyn, who I realize hasn’t spoken a word in all of this. And the reason for that is that she’s staring at something with a slight frown.
Wyn has always been the quietest of us all but these days she’s been quieter than usual. And I hate that I don’t share a room with her or I’d prod for every single detail during our midnight chats.
I miss her so much. Her and her dream man stories.
Anyway, when I follow her gaze, I see nothing that’s worth much attention though.
There’s a group of girls, wearing mustard-colored sweaters and blazers, sitting on the concrete benches under the late February sun before the light goes out in the winter sky.
Oh, and there’s a group of teachers right behind them that includes my brother, Conrad. Who’s been the new soccer coach since last November. Since I sit out soccer games because of my condition, I haven’t had much of a chance to be coached by my legendary soccer coach brother. But he does check in with me a couple of times during the day, including lunch, when he brings me all the fried stuff that I’ve been craving ever since I got my appetite back.
Ugh, and right by my brother stands our history teacher, Miss Halsey, who has made no secret that she’s in love with him and would do anything to have him.
Even now, she’s almost draped on his arm, looking up at Con like he’s the most amazing man she’s ever met.
I mean, he is — he’s the best man and brother ever — but I hate that Miss Halsey thinks so too. I never liked her before and I don’t like her now.
