“Oh, Fates.” He groaned. “That wassobad.”
“You know it was good,” I said smugly, sipping my tea again. “I’m charminganddeceptive. I’ve got this class down.”
“More the second one than the first,” he muttered.
“Alright, it’s getting late,” Lorian announced, yawning as he stretched his arms above his head. “We have class in the morning, so I’m going to bed.”
“But there are several of you who haven’t fleshed out your personas,” Dimitri said, stress bleeding into his voice.
“I think we’ll be okay,” Koa told him, giving him an understanding look. “I think it’s good that you’re looking after the class, but some grades come down to the individual agent rather than the squad as a whole. This is one of them.”
Dimitri shrugged, but he didn’t argue.
“What are the girls doing?” Aura asked, smiling at Eleanor and I. “We can do our nails or something.”
“I’m in!” Eleanor beamed, her lips curving into an excited smile.
“Sorry,” Zuko answered for me. “Rune’s mine tonight.”
“Yours?” Slater choked. “What did I miss?”
“Behave.”I pushed Zuko’s shoulder slightly before grinning at the girls. “I’m in, too.”
Tibby had a good point when he told me that I needed to make friends, and I already knew he didn’t mean men. He meant otherwomen. I had to at least make an effort to do that.
“Yay!” Eleanor and Aura jumped to their feet.
“We’ll get everything ready,” Aura tells me. “My room!”
“I’ll be right there if Zuko can be a good boy and bepatient.”
Zuko’s eyes darkened. “Oh, no, pretty little poison. I’ll be the one praisingyou.Not the other way around.”
Heat unfurled in my gut, and I had to take a deep breath.
“You can call me a good boy, venom baby,” Slater whined, turning his red eyes into a pleading gaze that pulled at my heartstrings. “Come visit me instead.”
“I—”
“Your priorities are fucked,” Dimitri grumbled, getting up with his notes and storming into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.
Hawk jumped at the sound, and he looked at us with a slight frown. “Uh, are you good?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I raised a brow at him.
He shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“If you need anything, you know you can come to me, right?” Koa asked, a blush rising over his cheeks. “I mean, if I can help with something.”
“Thanks, Koa.” I smiled at him as he nodded and got up to go to his room.
“Night, man.” Raze patted Zuko on his shoulder.
“Night,” Zuko told him before grabbing my hand and squeezing slightly. “I’ll be waiting for you in my room.”
“Have fun, venom baby,” Slater whispered, leaning in and kissing my cheek. “But remember that I’m serious about you—us. I know you like Zuko, but I know you like me, too.”
“I do,” I confessed, my heart twisting slightly. “Maybe I’ll visit you tomorrow?”
