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“Good. Next time, listen to your boyfriend!” She gives me a little shove. “He knows what he’s talking about.”

“If he ever talks to me again, I’ll be sure to pay attention.”

“You think he’s still mad?” she asks.

“You don’t?” I sigh. “He’s avoided me the whole break. I’ve never seen him this mad.”

“He probably just needed the time to cool off. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you today.”

I lift a brow.

“He will.” She drags her luggage over to her bed and starts unpacking.

“Tell me about the guy from the Atlantic.” I plop down at my vanity and stare at my dull skin—the effects of worry and not taking care of myself for a week—and fix it with makeup just in case Bash actually is happy to see me.

Halen sighs dramatically. “His name is Frost, and it’s perfect. He’s got these intense eyes, like he could freeze someone if he really wanted.” She talks about him so fast I can hardly keep up. I try though, because if this ends up being someone important I’ll have to remember all of this.

Once my makeup is done, I move on to my hair and ask Halen a few more questions about Frost. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her so excited about anything.

“Is he going to come to Valora? I’d love to meet him.”

Silence.

I glance around my vanity and meet her gaze. “What is it? You don’t want me meeting him?”

“It’s not that.” She plays with a curl. “He can’t leave the Atlantic.”

“Why not?”

“Well, it would appear we both go after the same type of guy.”

“Meaning?” I arch a brow.

“He’s gotten into some trouble—not enough to lose his ability to shift into human form, but enough that he’s restricted to the one ocean.”

“Sounds pretty serious to me. What’d he do?”

“He was involved with a gang for a short time. That’s behind him now. Won’t go near those thugs for anything. If he keeps that up, the restriction could be lifted.”

“Maybe I could talk to my parents.”

She gives me the saddest look ever. Then I realize I just vocalized several things I haven’t told anyone yet—the fact that my mom is with Tiberias and the even bigger surprise about him being my father. Halen probably thinks I’ve forgotten about killing my dad and about my mom being banished. She must think I’m a total idiot.

“I mean Tiberias,” I say quickly. “He’s been so supportive of me since he returned. It’s like he’s more than an uncle to me.”

Her expression softens a little. “I appreciate the offer, but I doubt he could do much. I don’t know how much you ever knew about the underwater laws, but no king from the Pacific has any pull over anything in the other oceans. It’s just the way it is.”

“Everyone loves him,” I point out. “He might know someone who owes him a favor or something. I’m just saying it might be worth looking into.”

Halen shrugs. “I’m sure King Tiberias is too busy to worry himself over my love life.” She glances at the time. “We’d better get to the dining hall. I don’t want to miss breakfast.”

“Me neither.” I grab my bag and make sure my new class schedule is in there. The only one I remember off the top of my head is my weapons class. Now it’s the first one of the day instead of last. At least getting sweaty isn’t an issue in the water.

Halen and I talk with others as we make our way to the dining hall. I’m glad for the distraction, because I don’t want to think about anything to do with my parents or Bash. The thought of him makes my stomach flip-flop. It’ll kill me if I get to the table and he’s still angry with me. Not that I could blame him. I’d be mad at me too.

When we get there, Bahari is the only one from the band seated.

“No Bash?” I ask.