Laurel stared at her locker, not wanting to admit that half of her anger was at herself. She wanted David to trust her, to know that she wasn’t going to let Tamani steal her away. But David had every reason to be suspicious of Tamani—and how could she ask David to trust her when she wasn’t even sure she trusted herself?
“I should have called sooner,” David said, pulling Laurel from her thoughts.
“I should have replied to your email,” Laurel admitted. “I was going to. I kinda wimped out.”
“So . . . are we okay?” David asked hesitantly.
This was the moment—the moment to tell him everything. To admit that she was in the wrong as much as he was. She opened her mouth, and—
“Hi, Laurel.”
Laurel and David both turned to look at Tamani as he delivered his morning greeting. Laurel looked up at David again, and lost her nerve.
“Yeah, we’re okay,” she said quietly.
David released a sigh and wrapped his arms around her. “Thanks,” he said softly. “I really am sorry.”
“I know,” Laurel said, guilt smoldering in her stomach.
After a pause he added, “So, we didn’t get to do SAT stuff this weekend. How about this week?”
Laurel sighed, wishing with all her heart right then that she hadn’t agreed to retake them. “Can’t we study for something else? I don’t even know why you’re bothering with them. You scored more than seven hundred on every section last time.”
“Yeah, but that was ages ago. I really think I can do better this time.” He stopped. “Plus I want to be supportive of you.”
Laurel pursed her lips. She didn’t particularly enjoy being reminded that her scores from last spring weren’t great. Thus actually preparing this time.
“Anyway,” David rushed on, “we always study together and I wanted to make sure we could still do that.”
“Absolutely,” Laurel said, laying a hand on his arm. “I’m not going to stop doing things with you just because you’re a jerk.” Laurel smiled to let him know she was kidding and, after a tiny hesitation, he laughed.
“So, after school?”
“Sure.”
“Okay.” He hesitated and then chanced a quick kiss. “I love you,” he said.
“I know,” Laurel replied, then wondered where that response had come from.
“I’ll walk you to class.”
As Laurel shouldered her backpack she caught sight of Tamani leaning against Yuki’s locker, smiling and chatting with her. As if sensing her watching him, Tamani looked over and met her eyes for the smallest of instants before turning right back to Yuki and smiling again.
Laurel didn’t realize she had stopped walking until she felt David’s fingers pulling her forward. She quickly caught up. “Well, well, well,” she said quietly.
“What?” David asked.
“Tamani’s really making . . . progress with Yuki.”
David turned a little and looked across the hall where Tamani and Yuki were still chatting, Yuki clearly hanging on Tamani’s every word. David shrugged. “Wasn’t that the plan?”
“Sort of,” Laurel said, wondering why Tamani’s friendliness bothered her so much. Was it because he had succeeded in befriending Yuki after Laurel had failed? “I guess I thought he was trying to convince her to be my friend.”
After kissing David distractedly, Laurel walked into her Government class, took her regular seat, and waited for Tamani to come and sit beside her. She could feel a headache coming on. Great. Just the thing to round out her morning.
Tamani came running in and slid into his seat just as the final bell rang. He was wearing a pair of black leather gloves with the fingers all cut off at the first knuckle.
“What are those?” Laurel said, wrinkling her nose. “Fingerless gloves went out of style before . . . mullets. You look like a dork.”
“Better a dork than a freak with glitter coming out of his hands,” Tamani hissed darkly. “As far as these kids know, they’re all the rage in Scotland.”
Laurel felt bad for not realizing; after all, it was being around her blossom that brought pollen to his hands. “Oh. What are you doing with Yuki? I thought you were supposed to be getting us together, not hooking up with her,” she whispered as Mrs. Harms called attendance.
“I am not ‘hooking up’ with her,” Tamani hissed.
“Could have fooled me,” Laurel muttered.
Tamani shrugged. “I have a job to do here,” he whispered. “I do what it takes.”
“Including taking advantage of a clueless fae?”
“I’m not taking advantage of her,” Tamani whispered back, a little heat creeping into his tone. “I’m just being friendly. And if it turns out she’s completely innocent in all this, then she’ll have someone who can answer all the questions she has about herself.” After a long pause he added, “It worked pretty well with you.”
“Didn’t work that well,” Laurel said caustically. “I’m not exactly your girlfriend, am I?” She turned back to the front of her class before Tamani could answer and raised her hand. “I have a massive headache; can I run to my locker real quick?” Laurel asked the teacher. Laurel didn’t want to think about Tamani or David right now. It just made her feel worse about everything.
Stupid boys.
“Dendroid,” David said, looking up from his SAT prep book.
“I should have called sooner,” David said, pulling Laurel from her thoughts.
“I should have replied to your email,” Laurel admitted. “I was going to. I kinda wimped out.”
“So . . . are we okay?” David asked hesitantly.
This was the moment—the moment to tell him everything. To admit that she was in the wrong as much as he was. She opened her mouth, and—
“Hi, Laurel.”
Laurel and David both turned to look at Tamani as he delivered his morning greeting. Laurel looked up at David again, and lost her nerve.
“Yeah, we’re okay,” she said quietly.
David released a sigh and wrapped his arms around her. “Thanks,” he said softly. “I really am sorry.”
“I know,” Laurel said, guilt smoldering in her stomach.
After a pause he added, “So, we didn’t get to do SAT stuff this weekend. How about this week?”
Laurel sighed, wishing with all her heart right then that she hadn’t agreed to retake them. “Can’t we study for something else? I don’t even know why you’re bothering with them. You scored more than seven hundred on every section last time.”
“Yeah, but that was ages ago. I really think I can do better this time.” He stopped. “Plus I want to be supportive of you.”
Laurel pursed her lips. She didn’t particularly enjoy being reminded that her scores from last spring weren’t great. Thus actually preparing this time.
“Anyway,” David rushed on, “we always study together and I wanted to make sure we could still do that.”
“Absolutely,” Laurel said, laying a hand on his arm. “I’m not going to stop doing things with you just because you’re a jerk.” Laurel smiled to let him know she was kidding and, after a tiny hesitation, he laughed.
“So, after school?”
“Sure.”
“Okay.” He hesitated and then chanced a quick kiss. “I love you,” he said.
“I know,” Laurel replied, then wondered where that response had come from.
“I’ll walk you to class.”
As Laurel shouldered her backpack she caught sight of Tamani leaning against Yuki’s locker, smiling and chatting with her. As if sensing her watching him, Tamani looked over and met her eyes for the smallest of instants before turning right back to Yuki and smiling again.
Laurel didn’t realize she had stopped walking until she felt David’s fingers pulling her forward. She quickly caught up. “Well, well, well,” she said quietly.
“What?” David asked.
“Tamani’s really making . . . progress with Yuki.”
David turned a little and looked across the hall where Tamani and Yuki were still chatting, Yuki clearly hanging on Tamani’s every word. David shrugged. “Wasn’t that the plan?”
“Sort of,” Laurel said, wondering why Tamani’s friendliness bothered her so much. Was it because he had succeeded in befriending Yuki after Laurel had failed? “I guess I thought he was trying to convince her to be my friend.”
After kissing David distractedly, Laurel walked into her Government class, took her regular seat, and waited for Tamani to come and sit beside her. She could feel a headache coming on. Great. Just the thing to round out her morning.
Tamani came running in and slid into his seat just as the final bell rang. He was wearing a pair of black leather gloves with the fingers all cut off at the first knuckle.
“What are those?” Laurel said, wrinkling her nose. “Fingerless gloves went out of style before . . . mullets. You look like a dork.”
“Better a dork than a freak with glitter coming out of his hands,” Tamani hissed darkly. “As far as these kids know, they’re all the rage in Scotland.”
Laurel felt bad for not realizing; after all, it was being around her blossom that brought pollen to his hands. “Oh. What are you doing with Yuki? I thought you were supposed to be getting us together, not hooking up with her,” she whispered as Mrs. Harms called attendance.
“I am not ‘hooking up’ with her,” Tamani hissed.
“Could have fooled me,” Laurel muttered.
Tamani shrugged. “I have a job to do here,” he whispered. “I do what it takes.”
“Including taking advantage of a clueless fae?”
“I’m not taking advantage of her,” Tamani whispered back, a little heat creeping into his tone. “I’m just being friendly. And if it turns out she’s completely innocent in all this, then she’ll have someone who can answer all the questions she has about herself.” After a long pause he added, “It worked pretty well with you.”
“Didn’t work that well,” Laurel said caustically. “I’m not exactly your girlfriend, am I?” She turned back to the front of her class before Tamani could answer and raised her hand. “I have a massive headache; can I run to my locker real quick?” Laurel asked the teacher. Laurel didn’t want to think about Tamani or David right now. It just made her feel worse about everything.
Stupid boys.
“Dendroid,” David said, looking up from his SAT prep book.
