Page 143 of Pixie Problems

Then I said, as calmly as I could, "Torian, the court isn't going anywhere. None of us are. The jesters also won't stop. The more pissed you get, the more amusing it is for them, and you're not fighting back. Just tell them to fuck off already!"

"Can't," Wilder said. "That's walking into a trap to make him break his promise."

"And if he does?" I asked.

"Literally can't," Aspen reminded me.

"Kinda why promises are such a big deal," Hawke added.

I grumbled under my breath. "Well, canItell them off?"

Keir waved that away. "It would only feed the trolls, Rain."

"What?" Wilder asked, his head snapping around. "There are trolls here now?"

"Wrong trolls," Aspen fake-whispered. "This kind is metaphorical."

And that was all it took to lighten the mood. Keir looked surprised enough that even Torian chuckled. I laughed. Aspen was grinning at her friend. Hawke shoved a hand over his mouth, and Wilder ducked his head to groan, clearly realizing his mistake. Still, it was things like that which reminded me not all of my friends had grown up in America. They might fake it well, but every so often, something slipped out.

But just when things were finally nice again, the jesters had to screw it up.

"Hey, freak!" a guy yelled our way. "I heard the only reason you're not melting down right now is because Hawke's babysitting your ass." He grinned maliciously. "Guess you need a real fae to hold your monster shit together, huh?"

"Don't!"

The scream didn't come from one of us. It was a girl's voice from the other side of the room. In unison, we all turned to see who'd just stood up for Torian, and it was the last person I'd ever expected. Standing by her chair, looking like she'd just shoved to her feet, Nevaeh was gaping at the jesters.

"Don't you get it?" she all but wailed. "He'll make you pay for what you've said!"

She looked frantic. Not just in the moment, but as if she'd been through the wringer a few times. The girl who'd been so beautiful and popular last semester was now little more than a shell of herself. Yes, she wasstill beautiful, but she wasn't doing her makeup anymore. Her uniform was the standard thing, with no accents or flares to make her stand out. Even her long, beautiful, dark hair was just hanging limp, but the jesters didn't seem to be worried about their former friend at all.

"Torian?" the asshole who'd started it all replied. "The fucking kid's a wreck. Bracken made it clear he's on the verge of shattering."

"What?" I asked quietly, looking between Aspen and the guys for some hint of what that meant.

"I will never shatter," Torian growled, but his words were too soft for the jesters to hear.

Yet Nevaeh didn't care about their excuses. "Yousawhim strip me! What makes you think you're safe? And it was on the Solstice!"

The guy scoffed at her. "Guess that proves the point, huh? Summer is clearly stronger. If that monster could rip your power out on your strongest day?" He chuckled rudely. "You're not shit, Nevaeh. I told Harper she should've left you high and dry, but no... You got lucky because of a fluke of marriage. Well, Harper's gone, and we don't give a shit what happens to your Winter ass!"

"Cold freaks can all die for all I care," a girl snapped at her. I was pretty sure it was one of those who'd been helping Harper pick on me. The same ones who'd recently called Nevaeh a friend.

"Damn," Keir mumbled. "Those fuckers are equal opportunity assholes."

"No shit," Torian agreed.

"Bet your magic tasted like yellow snow!" a guy called to Nevaeh. Then he turned towards us. "Hey, Torian? Was it the frigid bitch or the taste of piss that got you off?"

"Fucking..." Torian growled, but Hawke caught his shoulder, holding the guy in place.

"Let it go," he warned.

The pair looked at each other. Neither was happy, but when their eyes met, there was some unspoken agreement being made. Hawke canted his head. Torian blinked his eyes slowly, like he couldn't take much more.

And yet the jesters were enjoying the attention too much. With everyone in the cafeteria watching the drama unfold before us, the entire table of jesters had puffed up. The girls were all grinning at the guys beside them. The boys were nudging each other in the sort of way to encourage a little more.

One of the younger guys gave in first. "Hey Torian! The MadQueen should've exterminatedyourkind, just like she did all the Winter fuckers back home!"