Page 13

13

T HE TEXT CAME THE NEXT morning.

You’re 2 for 2.

Val is fine. Her boyfriend’s car is not.

Let me know when you decide what to do.

I didn’t decide on Sunday. I didn’t text Al either. Instead I threw myself into my homework and caught up on all the reading and assignments I had missed. I even checked over upcoming coursework and added notes to both the calendar on my phone and the one on my desk, because I was nothing if not great at avoiding the larger issues by focusing on minutiae.

And I didn’t want to think about how my last two glimpses had been correct, because that meant the first one probably was too, and I couldn’t allow my brain to spiral down that road.

Monday morning dawned, with a slight nip in the air signaling an early fall. Al didn’t meet me at our corner, so I couldn’t show off my new, sparkly bike. And I couldn’t unload everything that had built up in my chest over the weekend. Which was probably a good thing.

When Al didn’t sit next to me in lit class, instead choosing a seat at the back of the class next to their witch friend Lex, I received the message loud and clear. I sat hunched over my notes, denim jacket tucked tight around me, gamer gloves on because I didn’t have Al’s intimidating glare to ward off any unwanted conversations. I half-heartedly listened to the teacher while I did everything in my power not to look over my shoulder.

By second block, my back and neck muscles were stiff from tension.

“Are you okay?” Kaci asked softly.

I turned in my seat. Her hair was braided into two long pigtails that draped over her shoulders, the reddish blond stark against the deep blue of her blouse. Her green eyes were a little hazy and there were circles beneath, as if she’d had a few restless nights, but she smiled gently. And I appreciated it because it was the first time that day someone had regarded me with something other than curiosity, fear, or like I was an exhibit in a zoo.

“Yeah. I’m fine. How are you? You weren’t here Friday.”

Her hands fluttered over her journal, her long, delicate fingers tapping against the paper. “I’m fine. I had a bad day.”

“Ah, well—I hope you’re feeling better.”

Her smile blossomed like a flower. “I am. Do you like your bike? I helped choose it.”

That was strangely sweet. “I love it,” I said. “But I don’t know if I’m going to become part of the Psychic Guild. That’s all up in the air.”

“That’s fine. We can still be friends.”

And wasn’t that a knife to the gut. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

Kaci grabbed her pen and made a note in her journal, then nodded. “Okay.”

By lunch, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I could go hide in the lab room and hope Mateo was there, but Kaci was in school, so he probably wouldn’t be. The other option was to suck it up, go to the cafeteria, and hash it out with Al. Or maybe I could just skip. Avoiding everything did feel like the safest choice, but I didn’t have a chance, because once I was a few feet from the door of the cafeteria, Javi looped his arm through mine.

“Hello there, Cam,” he said as he guided me toward the entrance. Well, “guided” was a loose term. He basically dragged me into the senior lunch line. His hand clutched the crook of my elbow hard, with his fingers bunching the fabric of my jacket.

“Um… hi?”

“What would you like for lunch?”

“I don’t think I’m allowed in this line…,” I said, trailing off as Javi grabbed a tray and slapped it down on the metal rail.

“Of course you are. Danny is a senior,” he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. And oh, Danny was right there. “He usually buys mine and Teo’s, so we’re just adding you.”

“Oh.”

Danny sighed but nodded.

Javi grabbed a few items. “Chicken nuggets and fries for Teo. Oh, a salad with extra bacon bits and no cucumbers for Kaci. Pizza for me. Danny?”

“Salad.”

“Salad for Danny. And for you, Cam?”

“Uh. Nuggets are fine.”

“And nuggets and fries for Cam. Soda?”

This was awkward and bizarre. Was this meant to be a gift from the werewolf family? Was this their way of, for lack of a better word, courting the potential clairvoyant?

“Sure.”

Once the tray was laden and paid for, Danny picked it up and trailed after Javi.

“So, look,” Javi said, his hands on my shoulder as he pushed me onto a stool at a long table. “We know Al is your best friend, so we’re aware that the witches have the upper hand here. So don’t feel like you have to abandon a friendship to ally with us werewolves.”

Huh. If he only knew.

“But?” I asked, because there sounded like one was needed.

“But we are worried about your safety. Al can only glare so much, and they weren’t able to stop Dennis the other day.”

Irritation pricked along my spine, and it wasn’t from the fabric of Javi’s shirt brushing along the back of my neck as he stood behind me.

“So we’ve decided, as representatives of the local combined werewolf families, to make sure you’re not made uncomfortable by unwanted advances.”

“Like right now?” I blurted out.

Javi threw back his head and laughed. “Nice. No wonder Teo likes you.”

My skin flushed so rapidly that I went lightheaded. Mateo liked me? As how? A friend? Of course, as a friend. He had Kaci. He couldn’t like me as anything else. I should just be happy that Mateo had mentioned me to his brothers. That he’d even noticed me.

“Javi,” Danny said, his voice low, a warning. Danny placed my chicken nuggets in front of him. “Tact. Please.”

Javi waved off his brother’s concerns. “Anyway, so Teo is going to sit with you at lunch from now on. And where Teo goes, so does Kaci. Their BFF vibe is just like yours and Al’s.”

My whole body went rigid as my internal panic ramped into hereby uncharted territory. Javi obviously felt it, as he let go of my shoulders immediately.

“Whoa. You okay?”

“Fine,” I croaked as Danny set the extra bacon salad at the empty spot across from me. And the other chicken nuggets next to it. “BFFs?”

“Kaci and Teo have been best friends since they were babies. Literally. Like they met in day care and have been inseparable since. Kaci is like the little sister we never had.”

Huh. Okay. Worldview significantly altered. But that didn’t quite mean that Kaci and Mateo weren’t dating. Did it?

“Oh, is it embarrass-Mateo time?” Kaci asked as she joined the group, sliding into the seat across from me.

Mateo grumbled, dropping his backpack at his feet as he sat next to her, pulling his food closer. He was devastating today in his jeans and gray shirt, with a maroon jacket casually hanging off his broad shoulders and his long, loose curls artfully styled. He was the opposite of Javi, who looked like he had rolled out of bed, wild hair and all, and come to school in his T-shirt and flannel pajama pants.

“It’s always embarrass-Teo time!” Javi said with a cackle.

Mateo frowned and shot Javi an annoyed look. “Mateo,” he corrected.

Javi sighed dramatically. “Oh, right. You’re all grown up and now only your favorite cousin is allowed to call you that.”

Mateo squinted at his brother. “Do you even have this lunch period?”

“Technically, no. But—”

“Go to class, Javi,” Danny said, his tone brooking no argument. “And leave our brother alone.”

Javi snagged his slice of pizza, took a huge bite, and chewed obnoxiously. “Yes, big brother. I’m going now. Geez.”

Danny rolled his eyes and swore under his breath. I looked to Mateo, who pointed at Danny with a see-I-told-you-so expression.

I hid my mouth behind my hand and chuckled.

“See you after school, Mateo.” Danny rubbed his palm over Mateo’s hair, sending the soft waves everywhere. Then he grabbed his own salad and headed to a table filled with upperclassmen.

“Wow,” I said, stunned. “That was a lot. They are a lot.”

Mateo huffed. “My brothers tend to not understand that they overwhelm people. We don’t have to sit with you if you would rather we didn’t.”

And oh, Mateo was so kind. It was unfair that someone so ridiculously attractive was also considerate. “No! It’s okay. It’s fine. Kaci and I just talked about becoming friends this morning.”

She smiled dreamily. “We did. It was nice.” Her gaze drifted to the side, where Dennis sat alone, and she frowned. “That ghost again.” She shook her head, her pigtails swaying. “I don’t like that one.”

“Then don’t look,” Mateo said, settling his hand over hers. “It’s okay.”

She nodded and looked down at her food. “Oh,” she said, brightening. “Extra bacon bits.”

And wow. The whiplash was unsettling. It didn’t seem to bother Mateo. He merely squeezed her fingers and let go to eat his own lunch.

“Is this where we’re sitting?” Gemma slammed her tray on the table and unceremoniously plopped into the seat on my right, across from Mateo. She was a flurry of pink and rainbows and energy. She dropped her massive backpack with a thud and sighed in relief, rolling her shoulders. “Wow, trying to get through the underclassman lunch line sucks.” She nodded toward Kaci and Mateo. “Hi, I’m Gemma. I’m Cam’s paranormal advisor. You may know me from my wildly popular ClickClack account, Situation Paranormal. I also run a website and offer other services.” Gemma reached into the small pocket at the front of her purple-checked flannel shirt and pulled out her card. She thrust her arm across the table at the pair, the glittery cardstock jutting out between her fingers.

Mateo and Kaci shared a glance. Mateo gently took the card.

“Your account is only wildly popular because you posted a video of Cam,” Kaci said. She wasn’t cruel—I didn’t think she had the ability—but her tone was surprisingly stern, bordering on accusatory.

“I know. And I’ve apologized.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “Gemma and I talked it out.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Mateo said, tucking the card away.

“You’re a werewolf,” she said, her large eyes staring at Mateo. “I would love to pick your brain about what it’s like to grow up in a werewolf family without the ability to control your shift. It’s so interesting. Most werewolves learn to manage their abilities between ages ten and thirteen, but you’re fifteen—almost sixteen.”

Mateo’s mouth dropped open. Pink bled into his cheeks and into his ears, which began to lengthen under Gemma’s scrutiny. He ducked his head, grabbed his beanie from his jacket pocket, and tugged it on.

I elbowed Gemma hard in the side. “Gemma,” I admonished in a harsh whisper.

“Ow. What?” she asked, rubbing her ribs. “That was unnecessary.”

“So was sharing that deeply personal piece of information with everyone.”

“How do you even know that about Mateo?” Kaci asked. Her lips were pressed into a thin, annoyed line.

“I have connections. Just like I know you see ghosts but can’t interact with them. Most mediums can at least hear ghosts, or ghosts can signal to the medium in some way, but you can’t breach the dimensional barrier. You can only see them. And you can’t turn it off, which means you basically see them all the time.”

Kaci stiffened. “I’m working on it.”

“Gemma,” I said, voice sharp. “You’re being rude.”

“I’m just pointing out that the three of you have the same issues. You have no idea how to control your power, and they can’t either. It’s fine. You’re peas in a pod. Birds of a feather. A matching set. And I didn’t even mention that Al can’t—”

“Al can’t what?”

I twisted around in my seat so fast, my preciously balanced nuggets tumbled onto the table. “Al!”

“Is this seat taken?” they asked, gesturing to the one on my left.

“No. It’s not. It’s all yours.”

Al placed their tray down carefully. They eased into the seat, thoughtfully assessing the group of teens gathered together. “I’m Al,” they said to the others. “And apparently I can’t do something.”

Al leveled a glare at Gemma, who shrank in her seat. “Um…”

“It’s fine. It’s nothing. We were all just getting to know one another.” I scrambled to gather my wayward nuggets back into their little basket with my sad, limp fries.

“Great. I can’t wait to get to know you too.”

Another voice. A new person joined our lunch crew, sinking into the seat next to Kaci. He had green eyes, bright red hair, and wore a sweatshirt with the school’s cross-country team logo across the front, and… wait a minute.

“Reese,” Mateo greeted him stiffly.

“Lopez.”

My mouth flapped open. I pointed at him. “You’re the sprite who started the fight in the hallway.”

Reese turned up his nose. “I didn’t start anything. It was Nate.” His gaze cut to Mateo. “Who is part of Mateo’s pack.”

Mateo’s eyes narrowed. “?‘Family.’ Not ‘pack.’ We’re not animals.”

“Fine. Family. But don’t think I haven’t noticed that we have one member of the Psychic Guild, another from the Shady Hallow Coven, and one from the Lopez werewolf family. I am not allowing the Sprite Alliance to be excluded from whatever this is.”

“Lunch?” I offered.

He scoffed. “Right. Lunch.”

“All we’re missing is a faery,” Gemma breathed, as if all her unicorn dreams had come true. “But no faery children attend this school, since the local grove is located in the East Shady Hallow school district.” Her brow furrowed. “Aw, shucks. I could’ve had a paranormal bingo of friends.”

My whole body wilted. I rubbed my brow. This was great . “Please don’t go befriending a faery,” I muttered.

“Oh, I won’t. Not yet, anyway. Not until we’ve solved your problems,” she said with a sharp nod. “Which, by the way—still working on that video. But I should have a solution by tonight.”

“Great. Thanks.”

The rest of the half hour passed in total anxious silence. The ambient noise of the rest of the students in the cafeteria only seemed to enhance the oppressive atmosphere of our table. A raucous laugh behind me, an excited yell somewhere off in a corner, rapid-fire chatter in another direction—all indicating that those around us were having a normal, fun lunch hour, while our vibe was so strained, we were like a stretched rubber band ready to snap back or break.

Mateo wouldn’t look at Reese. Kaci frowned, her gaze drifting toward Dennis and the ghost she didn’t want to look at, for some reason. Gemma pulled out a small tablet and tapped away at something—probably an article for her website. “The Top Ten Best Ways to Ruin Free Time,” or “How to Lose Friends and Annoy People.” Al kept their head down and silently ate their lunch. Reese grinned the entire time, chewing obnoxiously, as if the whole situation were hilarious and not the most awkward meal in history.

And I… well, I tugged off my gamer gloves and methodically ate my chicken nuggets, trying not to imagine what microbes were clinging to the breading since the nuggets had touched the table. But whatever. It was better than vibrating out of my seat because Al was next to me and Mateo sat across from me. And because I was the center of a paranormal gathering that might erupt at any moment.

Finally, after an eternity, the bell rang.

“Well, this was fun!” I said, jumping from the table. “But I have to go back to history and learn about the paranormal revolutions in medieval Europe.”

I picked up my garbage and made a beeline for the trash can and then the door.

“Cam. Wait!”

Al jogged to catch up with me. I slowed my walk, and they joined me until we were outside the cafeteria door. Not wanting an audience for this conversation, I turned down a nearby hall, ducking out of the stream of other students heading back to class. Only a few students followed us, heading to their lockers; otherwise the hall was quiet, save for the spinning of locks and the slam of metal doors.

“Hey,” I said, hands in my pockets.

“Hi.”

“So that was the worst lunch in history.”

They smiled, a small upward nudge at the corners of their mouth. “It was pretty awkward. I don’t know how you befriended Gemma James.”

“Purely accidentally.”

“And what was up with Reese and Mateo?”

I rubbed the toe of my shoe against the linoleum. “I have no clue. Definitely some bad feels exist between those two. But I don’t know why.”

They cleared their throat. “Speaking of bad feels. What is going on with us?”

I looked up from my study of the floor. “I don’t know. Why didn’t you explain to me about the whole…” I flapped my hands uselessly. “The whole needing-to-ally-with-one-of-the-factions thing? I had to learn that from Gemma.”

Al grimaced. “You have to understand. I’m in a weird position. My loyalty is to the coven first. And our friendship wasn’t really a problem when…” They trailed off.

“When I was just human.”

They scratched the back of their neck. “Yeah. You were a distraction then, but now you’re… well… Now it’s complicated.”

“Wow.” Hurt surged beneath my ribs, like I’d been stabbed. “Um… okay. I don’t understand how that’s a problem. Kaci is a medium and Mateo is a werewolf, and they’re best friends. Why can’t we still be?”

Al looked away.

“I don’t get it, Al. Wouldn’t your coven want you to be close to me to entice me? Or is there some kind of witch rule against it?”

Al’s jaw clenched. “It’s not that.”

“What is it, then?” A new, horrible thought wiggled its way into my brain. That Al was pulling away not because of the whole clairvoyant thing, but because of just… me. “Are you ditching me for Lex? Is that it?”

Al’s brown eyes flashed. “You ditched me Friday to hang out with Mateo.”

“How do you even know that?”

“Lex told me she saw you two in the honors science lab.”

My stomach churned, and it wasn’t the questionable nuggets. “I didn’t ditch you. I was overwhelmed and happened to wander into the lab while Mateo was there. That was not planned.”

“Fine. Then what was today?”

“What was today? Do you think I had any hand in that?” I swung my arm out to gesture toward the cafeteria. “Mateo showed up because his brothers made him, and Kaci followed. Gemma is a whirlwind of chaos and does what she wants. And Reese was there for the giggles, if you didn’t pick that up.”

Al crossed their arms over their Hexes hoodie. The one we’d waited hours in line for because we both had to have the merch. My first real concert, and Al and I had done it all by ourselves. And it had been the best day, a bright spot in a summer of turmoil and loss and sadness. I can’t believe Al was giving up on us… on me.

“Look,” I said, swallowing my pride and my discomfort, “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to balance all this stuff. I am new to this world, and it’s confusing. Not to mention that Aiden is gone. I can’t even imagine my parents’ reaction when they find out. Our friendship is the only constant I have right now. I don’t think I can do this without you on my side, Al.”

Al bit their lower lip. “And I don’t think I can be on your side, Cam. I can’t handle all of this with you, not when I need to focus on myself. I’m a witch, and my coven needs me. It’s my family .”

They didn’t say “and you’re not,” but it was heavily implied. My throat went tight with clogged tears. The inevitable end of Cam and Al, of Al and Cam, was happening right then in the pristine hallway of Central Shady Hallow High. I’d thought sharing a new school would bring us closer, but it had only served to break us apart.

“Okay. I get it.” I’d wanted it to come out biting, but my voice trembled more than it cut. I wanted to be mad, to yell, but I couldn’t.

“I’m so sorry, Cam.”

My heart sank. “I’m sorry too.”

Al blew out a breath, their cheeks puffing, and they placed their hands on their hips. “The last verified clairvoyant was aligned with a coven. We have access to their records. If you really need help, you could always ally with my coven.”

I stiffened. “Seriously?” And there was the ice I couldn’t find in the beginning.

“What?”

“You’re using our friendship as a bargaining chip? Really?”

And suddenly I was on the wrong end of one of Al’s impressive glares. “That’s not what I said. But glad to know our friendship isn’t special enough to warrant allying with my coven.”

Ugh. How dare Al turn things around on me. “That’s not what I said either. You know what? Kaci offered to be my friend in spite of the Psychic Guild, not because of it.”

Al dropped their crossed arms. “Wow. You’re comparing me to Kaci? Kaci, who you’ve known for two whole weeks?”

“No, I—”

“You just did!”

“Well, of you, Kaci, Mateo, and Reese, you’re the only one who had the nerve to even bring up allying with your faction. They haven’t even mentioned it.”

“Oh, they’re thinking it. Why else would they sit with you?”

I clenched my fists at my sides. Anger stoked hot in my middle. It was the truth. And it stung. “Really? You know that after one interaction?”

“You’re the one who is suddenly BFFs with them after one lunch period,” they shot back. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“I can’t with this. Where is this all coming from? You’ve been weird since the first day of school.”

“And you’ve been so clingy since Aiden left. I can’t even wave to a friend without you spiraling!”

I took a step back, their words hitting me like a slap. I swallowed. Luckily, the bell rang overhead, signaling we were both late to class. “Okay. Sure. Yeah.”

“Cam—”

“I can’t promise I’ll ally with your coven,” I said quickly, cutting off whatever platitude they were about to offer. “I don’t even know if I’ll ally with anyone. I need help and guidance, and I have to find someone who can provide that. Other than Gemma. You need to do what’s best for you. And I’m going to do what’s best for me.”

Their expression hardened. “Fine. But don’t come crying when the others reveal their true colors.”

“I won’t.” I scrubbed the sleeve of my hoodie over my eyes, wiping away the water that had collected in my lashes. “So, what now?”

A tear tracked over Al’s cheek. “I don’t know.”

“So this is us embracing our futures, huh?” I wrapped my arms around my body. “A friendship breakup.”

“Yeah. I guess it is.”

“Okay. Well. I have to go.”

I didn’t want to leave. My feet were stuck. It was my second tardy already in the school year. One more and I’d be written up, but I didn’t care. Because once I walked away, that was it. Al and I would no longer be friends. I wouldn’t be able to hang out at their house and eat all the junk food that I wasn’t allowed to at mine. There would be no more lazy days of listening to music together in the wee hours of the morning and secretly buying concert tickets with scraped-together birthday money. There would be no more gossiping about the people we liked at school. Like my crush on Mateo and Al’s crush over the summer on the pretty lifeguard at the new pool. There would be no more meetups at the movie theater to watch the newest summer flick, and no more messages via Lenore.

Al had been my whole childhood, and I’d never needed to question whether they would be part of my future. For the first time since the other fight in the hallway, I wanted to use my stupid ability, reach out, and touch Al’s warm brown skin to see if this would really break us, or if by some stroke of luck we would still be friends down the line.

But I didn’t. I curled my fingers into my palm.

“Reynolds. Wilson. Why aren’t you in class?”

It was Mr. Cutshall, the vice principal.

“Cam was helping me find my contact. It fell out.”

His stern expression softened. “Well, get to class, then. You’re both tardy.”

“Going, sir,” Al said, brushing past me. “See you around, Cam.”

“See you around, Al,” I echoed.

Mr. Cutshall huffed and gestured for me to be on my way.

I left the hallway, dragging my feet.