It only took a day of stony-faced ignoring for the jokes in the cafeteria line to disappear. As well as the teasing. As for Justice, any time I caught him looking, his expression furrowed before he turned away.
And Rage … he lived up to his nickname. Whatever angst I’d hoped the picture would clear up, apparently it had done the opposite.
Well, fine. Screw them all! I was done.
Even my time with Kaja and the Harvest Clan sisters waned. Not that I blamed them. They probably needed time to heal after such a horrific trauma, almost losing their sister. I respected that, but I suddenly felt so alone. I worked, went to class, worked, and then went home to draw the covers over my head until morning.
I also focused on what I could do. Besides, far more important than a moody, distrustful werewolf,or four, was the mid-year exam that determined my future, the day after the Samhain ball. One way or another, I’d win the respect of my teachers and the other students—for me and my clan. My studies took on renewed purpose. I buried myself in my books. Every. Single. Day.
“Are you excited for Samhain tomorrow?” Kaja said, sliding onto the bench across from me in the cafeteria. Dinner was officially over, and I’d loaded my plate to the top, so hungry I couldn’t wait to dig in.
Grinning at me from across the table, she practically bounced with energy. “Well? Are you?”
I pulled the hair-net off and shot it into the garbage. Tomorrow was Saturday, which meant the Samhain ball, and also, most likely, almost certainly, running into my mate. Something that no longer excited me. “Not really.”
After a long guzzle of water, I bit into my burger, nearly groaning as the flavors hit my tongue. “But-this-is-so-good.”
The words slurred together around my mouthful of food, and I swallowed and opened my eyes, only to flinch away from my BFF’s proximity.
Kaja glared at me, not even six inches from my nose.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning back on the bench. I shoved cold tater tots into my mouth and chewed, waiting for her to spill the tea, but when she said nothing, I went back to the main course.
She shook her head and pointed at my burger.
I glanced down to see what she meant. But the burger looked fine to me—more than fine, really. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Not the burger.” She rolled her eyes until they nearly disappeared and then gave me a flat stare. “You.”
“What did I do?” Besides me not inserting myself in her life every single waking moment, not much had changed.
She drummed her fingers against the Formica tabletop. “Just eat your burger, Nai. Then we can talk.”
Her tone was light, but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Did I do something wrong? Lately, it felt like I couldn’t do anything right. The loneliness that had been eating away at me the past few days ramped up a notch. I quickly ate every bite on my plate before sighing with contentment. “That was a good burger.”
“Yes, all three of them.” She snorted and jerked her head toward the door.
The cafeteria was empty, save Kalama, but I wasn’t about to argue our departure.
We stepped out into the cool air of autumn, and I chuckled. “All right, tell me what’s up. I can deal now.”
“That’s just it,” Kaja muttered, her expression tight. “I don’t know what’s up. You just don’t seem likeyouanymore. You’re a ghost, always studying, always busy. Ever since that night … you don’t come over anymore.”
“Wait a minute. What do you mean,that night?” I tried to buy time while my brain assessed the situation. Was she mad? Hurt? How bad did I screw up? I’d just been trying to give them space.
“That night … you know, the one where you saved my life by binding yourself to a dark mage with a blood debtfor a year.” The longer she spoke, the more her shoulders drooped. Finally, she offered me a small smile. “That one. You pulled away.”
I cocked my head to the side and shook it. “You thinkI’vepulled away? I thought no one wanted me around. Rage and the Midnight boys hate me because they think my uncle killed their dad. You almost died, so you probably want time with family. Nolan is demon-spawn, and I’m … coping. Sort of.”
She frowned and reached for my hand. “Nai, you used to come over all the time, and now? Only in the morning, and just enough time for Nell to cover your marks.” She shook her head and swallowed hard. “Do you … are you mad at me? I’ve been giving you space because I thought you were mad about the blood debt. That you regret it.”
I shook my head, shocked she’d misunderstood, and tears blurred my vision. “No. Not at all. I could never regret saving you.” I pulled her in for a sideways hug. “You’re my BFF. You do know that the second F is for ‘forever,’ right?”
She sniffed, and the sound pulled at all the strings of my heart.
“We … I-I thought … I was afraid you’d resent me.”
I chuckled, not because her pain was funny but because the whole misunderstanding was so crazy. Relief poured through me as I came to terms with my lame coping skills. I’d blocked everyone out because I was hurt, but maybe it was better to get it all out in the open.
