Page 48 of Evergreen Academy (Society of Magical Botanists #1)

Chapter Forty-Six

W hen I got home that evening, exhausted from the aftereffects of the Scopolia poisoning, Bryce was pulling up to collect Aunt Vera for a Valentine’s Day dinner. He climbed the stairs to the apartment, arms full of two large bouquets of flowers.

“For you,” he said, giving my aunt a kiss, “and for you.” He handed the second bouquet to me, and I grinned.

“Ahhh, shucks,” I said teasingly. “You know you don’t have to keep buttering me up, Bryce. I’ve accepted that you’re not going anywhere. Don’t be afraid to keep the flowers coming, though,” I added quickly.

Aunt Vera gathered both of our bouquets and took them to the sink, then began to fill two vases with water. Bryce followed her, stopped at the poinsettia plant, and felt its velvety flowers.

“Yours is still blooming? Mine died, like, a month ago.”

Aunt Vera glanced at the plant over her shoulder. “I’ve never had one live this long. It must be happy right there. ”

I swallowed. When I’d extended the longevity of the blooms, I hadn’t thought about when the blooming would end. Was this poinsettia going to bloom indefinitely? If so, I’d have to sneak it out of the house and find it a place at the academy.

“So, where are you two going for dinner?” I asked loudly, drawing their attention from the poinsettia.

“Delilah’s,” Bryce answered.

“Fancy.” I nodded approvingly, but my mind jumped to the last time I was there. It was the restaurant Callan had taken me to on Halloween, where we’d snuck in the kitchen and he’d whipped out a Michelin-star-worthy meal.

“One of you should order the Mediterranean veggie pasta. It’s delicious.”

My aunt, who had just finished arranging our flowers in the vases, raised her eyebrows at me. “When did you eat there?”

I blinked, realizing my mistake. “Oh, I went there last fall with some friends.”

“Look at you, growing up and stuff. Going to fancy restaurants without me.” She kissed my forehead and then walked past, grabbing her red leather jacket and slipping it over her black dress. She looked stunning, her dark hair curled and lips touched with a deep-red stain.

“Have fun. Feel free to stay out late,” I called after them as they left. It was our inside joke whenever they went on a real date.

“Just late enough that you’ll still be up to eat the dessert we bring back for you,” Aunt Vera said with a smile.

I watched them leave from the balcony, giving a little wave and then sighing quietly as I returned to the house. I was thrilled that after years of raising me, my aunt had finally found love.

Her twin sister became a mom at the young age of twenty, and I always thought Aunt Vera swung the other way because of it. While my dad helped support us financially, he and my mom never married, and he lived in a different state, never taking to parenting.

In many ways, my aunt helped my mom raise me since birth before she took over in full six years ago. The deep lines of exhaustion and grief that had sunk into her beautiful face for years finally lightened, and since Bryce had been in the picture, she was glowing.

Maci came over shortly after they left to work on an essay for an English class we were both taking this semester. We hadn’t spent much time together outside of class since the day we’d gone snowboarding with Alex, Callan, and Nevah.

I tried to tell myself the distance was because we were both busy and not because I was getting so much more involved with my life at Evergreen Academy.

But perhaps it was both. We’d known that our relationship would change as we started college and that we would be going our separate ways to our four-year schools.

When I’d talked to Aunt Vera about it, she’d said that being able to maintain friendships as they evolved in form and frequency was a sign of maturity, and I hoped that was true.

Still, the distance had me opening up to Maci more than I had in a while.

“How has everything been with you lately? I know we haven’t had much time to hang out outside of English class. Have I missed any major life changes? ”

Maci sat up from where she’d been sprawled in front of her laptop on my bed. “Actually, there is.” Her brown eyes shone brightly. “You know how Alex came with us snowboarding in January? Well, we’ve hung out a couple times since. I’m starting to wonder if this is going somewhere.”

“So you and Jace are officially over?”

She nodded. “Yep.”

“Do you and Alex have similar interests?” For some reason, his comment about me majoring in art came into my head again. Maci was future focused, wanting to secure a career that would bring stability and financial security. From Alex’s comment, it sounded like he had similar ideals.

“I mean, yeah. He’s really smart and committed to school, like I am. He’s planning to transfer to a four-year. We’re even both interested in majoring in business administration.”

I frowned. “I thought Alex told me he planned to major in engineering.”

“Well, you know how it is your first two years in college. Plans can change.”

I nodded, accepting her explanation tentatively. “True. Well, that’s good, then, Maci. I’m really happy for you.”

She smiled and then said, “And what about you? Are you still hanging out with hot tutor? I was squealing inside when he came snowboarding with us. That wasn’t his girlfriend with him, was it? She was gorgeous.”

I sorted through Maci’s questions. “Yes, we’re still hanging out, but it’s just tutoring. And no, she’s not his girlfriend, but I agree. She is gorgeous.”

“You’re into him, though, right?”

I let out a breath and fell back beside her on the bed. I hadn’t admitted it to myself, but here, talking with my best friend of forever, it felt safe to voice. “I think I kind of am.”

Maci sat bolt upright on the bed. “So are you going to ask him out?”

“No!” It came out of my mouth without question.

“He’s not the kind of guy you just ask out.

Besides, he’s my tutor. No need to complicate that relationship.

” I thought about the awkwardness of our conversation about Nevah.

The last thing I needed was for Callan to get uncomfortable around me and stop tutoring me.

I couldn’t imagine how badly I’d be struggling at both SCC and Evergreen Academy without his support.

“Well, just remember that we’re only here for another year and few months. So either you enjoy it now, or you might never be able to.”

“What about everything you just said about having similar interests and aligned futures?” I raised an eyebrow playfully, and Maci laughed.

“Do as I say, not as I do. But seriously, you deserve it.”

“Callan’s fun to daydream about, but nothing’s going to happen.

” I gave a little wistful sigh for Maci’s sake.

She couldn’t understand the complex family dynamics he dealt with, the pressures of being a founder’s descendant.

I didn’t fully understand it myself, and Callan had only allowed me to see snippets of that side of himself on occasion.

I was still learning basic Floracantus and hadn’t even known I was a magical botanist until last fall. I wasn’t even approaching the caliber of person Callan was going to end up with one day. We were, quite literally, from different worlds.

“If you insist,” she said lightly, but a smile played on her lips.