Page 33 of Monster's Melody

Predictably, the moment everyone reappeared in the pool, either by sheer force of will or because they were deposited there by magic, Puddlemoan started yelling.

Pacing back and forth, he detailed everything we’d done wrong and ripped into us for our lack of creativity in solving the day’s challenges.

“And how pathetic that not one of you managed to outwit a bunch of water sprites!”

None of us said anything.Back when we were new at the Academy, we might have argued back, pointing out that sprites were mischievous, but not cruel, which limited our abilities to fight back.

It was actually illegal to harm any sprite, no matter what mischief they got up to.

We might also have pointed out that we were all exhausted after fighting a water dragonanda sea serpent, but we’d all learned back on day one that arguing would only make things worse.

As in, swim twenty-five laps worse.

So no one said anything.

We just let Puddlemoan rant and shout, though we did groan when he ended with the assurance that our next obstacles wouldn’t be anywhere near as easy as today’s.

Finally released with a sharp, “Go on.Get out of here!”We made a beeline for the locker rooms.

Inside, I warmed up with a hot shower, then got dressed and headed out.

I stumbled to a halt when I saw Vorzak waiting for me outside the girls’ locker room.“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”He fell into step beside me.“First, I wanted to thank you for your help today.I never would have survived without the shell you gave me.”

“You’re welcome.You need to be better prepared next time.”I started up the stairs.

“I know.That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.It’s obvious I’m missing out on some basic knowledge for this class, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to tutor me, catch me up on what I missed.”

Shit.

I stopped halfway up the staircase.Vorzak stopped as well and students began streaming around us.

This was quite the dilemma.

Avoiding Vorzak this year was obviously a complete impossibility, what with him being in two of my classesandrepeatedlyshowing up wherever I was.

Butwillinglyspending time with him, whether to go on a wine hunt or to tutor him, was going to make guarding my heart even harder than it already was.

I started walking up the stairs again.

Spending time with him posed significant risks.

To my heart.

And to my sanity.

Still, I couldn’t help but remember Jasmine and Mikaela’s insistence that Vorzak was into me.

If they were right, was I truly going to throw away my chance at what I’d been desperately wanting for two and a half years?

I scowled as I remembered how he’d ignored me for those same years.

Okay, yes, I was going to do everything I couldnotto fall for him again.

But I also wasn’t willing to sit back and let something happen to him in Extreme Water Sports Ed simply because he didn’t have the necessary tools for survival.

“Fine,” I said abruptly as we walked through the foyer.“I’ll tutor you, but not in the water.This is strictly need-to-know information.”