Page 9 of How to Flirt with a Witch

The prof gets organized at the front, firing up a slide deck. We’re reviewing the unit today before Wednesday’s midterm. I have yet to get the class notes I missed last week—my entire focus has been on trying to determine what Lucy had and who Doctor Zacharias is.

I hesitate with my fingers on the keyboard, then turn down my screen’s brightness and open the browser again. In the search bar, I type,

dr zacharias vancouver veterinarian

The results list many Doctor Zacharias’s, and I pick up where I left off yesterday, clicking through them one by one. A frustrating wave of hope and disappointment rolls through me with each click, each failed attempt to find her annoyingly gorgeous face.

I try another search.

dr zacharias infectious diseases

The results give me more doctors who aren’t her.

After searching all week, I might have to conclude that she doesn’t exist online. Butwhy? Wouldn’t a doctor be listedsomewhere?

Dark possibilities swirl through my mind. Can she be trusted? Is Lucy really safe with her?

A part of me knows I’m spiraling. I should focus on studying and trust the professionals. But what if I’m missing something crucial? What if I regret not figuring this out and my inaction leads to something terrible—for Lucy, for myself, for anyone else in the world who’s been exposed to whatever this is?

A coat rustles and a plastic chair creaks as someone sits next to me. I close the browser window.

I look over, and our gazes catch. He’s a lanky white guy with a crew cut and soft blue eyes, wearing a zip-up hoodie open over a green polo shirt.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey.”

Silence.

Last night, Hazel asked if I struck up a conversation with anybody yet. I told her defensively that I said hi to my roommate, who showed up for the first time in a week to swap her wardrobe before heading back to her boyfriend’s place.

Ugh, Hazel’s right. I need to make friends who live on the same side of the country as me. I thought a kitten would fix the loneliness of moving to a new city, and look how that played out.

My phone lights up, and I lean over to check, but it’s an email from my calculus professor reminding us of this week’s midterm.

The guy beside me points to my background, an angelic picture of Lucy. “Aww.”

Okay, that’s my cue. It’s time.

“Her name’s Lucy.” My face heats up as the threat of a conversation becomes a reality. “I just got her.”

“I take it you don’t live in a dorm?” He casts me a lopsided smile. “Unless you have a secret about how you smuggled in a pet.”

“I’m renting off-campus.” A decision that was probably not great for making new friends. “You?”

“I’m in Totem.” He leans back, slinging an arm over the back of the empty seat on his other side before bringing it down again. He’s projecting confidence, but it doesn’t quite fit. Maybe he spent his high school years shy and nerdy, and now that he’s in university, he’s trying to start fresh with a Cool Guy persona. “Ever come on campus to party?”

“Sometimes,” I lie. Not once have I partied since being here.

“Well, if you ever want to come out, we’re always doing something. My roommate and I throw good parties.” He says this with the pride of a kid showing you what he drew.

I return his smile. “Thanks.”

Wow, thatwaseasy. I can’t wait to tell Hazel I got invited to a party.

The prof starts talking, and the guy opens his laptop to take notes.

“I’m so behind,” he murmurs. “I was too hungover this weekend to study. Beer pong tourney.”