Page 11 of Evergreen Academy (Society of Magical Botanists #1)

Chapter Ten

“ T ell me everything,” Maci said, pulling me aside into an empty classroom before Biology.

I’d rehearsed what I was going to say to Maci the previous night, and the words flowed out of me now.

“There’s not too much to say because students are required to sign NDAs, but I can tell you that they do scientific research there. Mostly involving plants.”

I let out a deep breath, upset about the lie in the first part of my answer, but I felt that it would help me prevent future lies.

If I was under a nondisclosure agreement, Maci wouldn’t constantly ask about my time there.

And with the way Professor East had looked at me and the emerald ring on my finger, I couldn’t help but feel I was operating on some sort of magical NDA anyway.

I could see the disappointment in Maci’s face. “An NDA? Bummer. But I guess that makes sense, seeing how they maintained their secrecy all this time. Isn’t there anything you can tell me? Did they say why they selected you?”

My stomach churned. Yeah, they selected me because they think I have magical plant affinities . I cleared my throat. “Not exactly. I still think it might have something to do with my drawing skills.”

“So do they have classes, or is it more like research labs where you pop in, or what?”

I bit my lip, trying to determine how to avoid giving away more than I should. This was going to be as hard as I’d imagined. “They have classes, but I can’t say much more about them.” The honest truth was, at this point, I didn’t know much more about them.

“Well, if you’re ever able to tell me more, please do . The suspense is killing me.”

I laughed and agreed then tried to change the subject in the last few minutes before class started. “How were the movies with Jace this weekend?” Maci and Jace had been on and off for the past year, and I was never sure if a new weekend was going to bring news of a breakup.

Maci made a little lovestruck sighing sound. “So much fun. You should join us next time! We could invite Mitchell too.”

I cringed. “Maci, I’ve already told you, I’m not interested in Mitchell.”

“All right, fine. But I’m going to find someone to fix you up with by the end of the semester. There’s got to be someone worthy of your attention here at SCC.”

“Something tells me I’m not going to have time for guys this year. ”

“Never say never. You know I’m a firm believer in ‘work hard, play hard.’”

I was saved from responding as students began to spill into the biology class next door, and Maci and I followed them in.

“To be continued,” she whispered, eyeing me meaningfully.

Biology passed in a blur. Maci was chatting with me constantly during the lab—during which time we were dissecting lily flowers—and I tried my best to give appropriate responses, but my mind was on my upcoming afternoon at Evergreen Academy.

Psychology would have been the same, except once I took my seat, someone settled into the usually empty one to my left.

“This seat taken? I don’t like sitting so far in the back.” The voice was smooth and friendly. I turned my head to see a guy with sandy-blond hair and a casual smile.

“All yours,” I said, suddenly feeling flustered. Had this guy been sitting behind me for the past two weeks? He was undeniably cute.

I forced myself to focus on the conversation. My mind must have been all twisted up due to Maci’s prodding about my nonexistent love life. I glanced at the front of the room. Professor Tara was still in the process of setting up her laptop.

“I’m Alex,” he said.

“Briar. But everyone calls me B.”

“Nice to meet you.” Alex’s voice and slight smile were smooth, and I tried to match his ease. “Do you live on campus?”

“No, I’m local, so I live at home. You?”

“With some friends off campus.”

“Where are you from?”

“Southern California.”

I raised my eyebrows, intrigued. Maybe he knew people at the art school I wanted to attend down there. “And you came all the way up here for school?”

“Yep. Wanted something a little slower paced. Besides, who doesn’t want to go to college in a town called Weed?”

“It’s named after a person.” I laughed. I’d grown up with our quirky town name, so I often forgot how unusual it was to nonlocals.

Professor Tara began to speak then, so our conversation ended, but I couldn’t help feeling aware of Alex’s presence a foot away for the entire class. Now, instead of academies for magical botanists, I was distracted for a whole other reason.

Alex picked up the conversation at the end of class.

“So, do anything fun last weekend?” he asked.

“I mostly worked and did homework.”

“Where do you work?”

“Vera’s Café.”

His eyes widened. “Home of the world-famous lavender scone?”

I laughed. “You’ve heard of it?”

“Oh yeah. Part of unofficial orientation at SCC is sharing the best places to eat. Vera’s is number one for baked goods. I’ve heard her scones sell out in minutes.”

“Good to know. I’ll pass that along to Aunt Vera.”

He angled himself toward me then. “You’re related to Vera? This is perfect. You can text me when she’s making a fresh batch of scones, and I’ll come get them before they sell out. I’ll be a hero with my friends.” We were walking out of the building now .

“I’ll text you, huh?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

He reached out a hand. “Can I have your phone?”

With a nervous simmer in my belly, I fished my phone out of my bag and handed it to him.

He typed a few clicks. “There. I just texted myself. Now we have each other’s numbers.”

“For the scones,” I said, voice conspiratorial.

“For the scones,” he said with a grin, walking backward easily as he moved away from me.

I turned around and let out a breath as I walked back to the science building. This week was full of surprises.