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Chapter Forty-One

RAIN

S adly, the rumors didn't stop after I confronted that boy in class.

Instead, they got worse. Over the weekend, a group of college guys did the fae equivalent of spitballs in the atrium.

Instead of blowing or flicking gross wads of paper at Torian, they dropped sap-covered leaves into his hair.

Even worse, there was nowhere in the atrium he was safe from the torment.

Aspen grumbled about Summer idiots, but not even she could stop it.

The spell wasn't the sort of thing that could be blocked, and there were too many leaves for Keir to shield them all.

Needless to say, it didn't take us long before we headed up to Wilder's room, where we hung out for the rest of the weekend.

But spending time together like that made the tension between Torian and Keir obvious.

It felt like they kept trying to one-up each other.

If Keir was nice to Aspen, then Torian had to be nicer.

If Wilder laughed at Torian's joke, Keir tried to tell another.

In truth, it was exhausting, but I didn't blame Keir for it. He should've called Torian's ass out.

Monday, in my detention class, I asked him why he didn't. That made Hawke laugh and turn away. Keir just sighed. Right when I was sure I wouldn't get an answer, he proved he was an even better person than I'd thought.

"Everyone is giving Torian shit, Rain. Of course he's pissed. Wouldn't you be? So if he wants to scream at me? Fine. I can take it, and it won't make things worse."

Famous last words.

Because when I made it to the cafeteria on Tuesday, the jesters were at it again.

Sadly, their group wasn't made up of only Advanced Placement kids either.

Nope, it felt like more and more of the college-aged students had been converging on their table.

Well, tables. I was pretty sure they now occupied two, just based on the people talking between groups.

"Idiots," I grumbled as I shuffled along to pick my meal.

"Court," Jack muttered, shaking his head.

I huffed something like a laugh, because I was pretty sure Jack was saying they weren't as cool as our friends.

I could've been wrong, but my bird was starting to get his tone right, making meanings a little more clear.

Then, with a crow on my shoulder, a meal in my hands, and friends waiting, I headed for where I usually sat.

"Rain!" a guy at the jester's table called out. "Hey, c'mere."

"Huh?" I gave him a look like he was insane. "Why?"

"Just figured the Morrigan should meet some Summer folks." He jerked his chin at me in the creepy way guys always seemed to think was sexy. "I saved you a place."

Caw! Jack bellowed. Caw, caw, caw!

Which made me tilt my head - since I couldn't shrug with him sitting on me. "Gonna guess that's a no. Sorry!" Then I turned and hurried to my usual place.

"What was that?" Keir asked as I got close.

"If you'd been with her, you could've stopped it," Torian grumbled.

"Enough!" I begged, sliding into my seat. "Guys, please? Can I just have a good day for once?"

Jack hopped off my shoulder, claiming an empty chair for his perch. His beak was whipping between Torian and Keir, those dark eyes sparkling. I couldn't tell if it was annoyance, worry, or simply his intelligence.

"What, you want to sit with them or something?" Torian asked me, disdain dripping from every word.

"Tor..." Hawke said gently. "You know she doesn't."

"She isn't required to be stuck with us," Torian shot back. It sounded like that wasn't actually directed at me.

Pulling in a deep breath, I reminded myself how much it had sucked when Harper had come at me. Then I let it out, thinking about the day Aspen had followed me outside to offer an orange. Such a little thing, but it had made all the weight of those words vanish for a few minutes.

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, can I tell 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 was still 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. "You saw him 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 Mad Queen should've exterminated your kind, just like she did all the Winter fuckers back home!"

Hawke's head snapped around. "Faerie isn't your home, half-breed."

The kid chuckled. "Oh, and now the peasant's mad too."

"Stop!" Nevaeh insisted. "Guys, you know what happened to us on the Solstice!"

But the girl who'd been flirting with Hawke shoved to her feet. "Shut the fuck up! Jeez, Nevaeh. Act like you have some fucking dignity or I'll seal your mouth shut for you."

"You'll have to come through me first!" Poppy Hawthorne announced as she jumped up, putting herself between Camila and Nevaeh.

"Easy," Camila grumbled. "Hey, Hawke. This is why you should suck up to some Summer nobility, you fucking peasant loser."

Then she flung out her hand. A whip of wind lashed across the cafeteria, blowing over drinks and lifting hair as it passed. Poppy stood her ground, though. When the wave hit, the girl only smiled, but a milky shield appeared around her, deflecting the wave of air.

But Nevaeh had shifted, looking like she was aiming for Poppy's side. It was just enough to put her outside the shield, and I had a feeling the conjuration was directed at her. The moment the blast hit, Nevaeh's feet slipped out from under her, she yelped, and then landed hard on her ass.

"Want me now, Hawke?" Camila asked snidely. "You clearly like power, and since that human bitch won't fuck you… Good thing I'm down for slumming it with the staff."

"No, no, no," Poppy was saying as she turned to check on Nevaeh.

My head was whipping between all of them, surprised I wasn't somehow in the center of this.

I was also looking for a teacher and debating whether I should text my dad.

Crap, this was out of control! The lunch ladies had vanished.

Students were trying to subtly move out of the line of fire, and yet no one was yelling - or doing anything to draw attention to themselves.

Then Poppy looked back, her eyes landing on Camila. "This does not make our season stronger!"

"Oh, shut up, Miss Goody Two-shoes!" a guy snapped. "Stop acting like a damned human."

"Least she's not acting like a monster ," Camila taunted.

"You fucking bitch," Hawke snarled, turning in his chair and lunging forward.

There was no pause. He didn't stop to think before his conjuration.

Hawke was trying to charge the bitch while he cast his magic, and for me, time felt like it slowed.

Every single detail grew crystal clear. My mind calmed.

I could see him pulling power. No, it wasn't visible, but the set of his body made me sure of it.

So I pushed. I didn't have time to think about the form or the function of my magic, only the ultimate goal. I wanted to stop this, to stop all of them - and the shadows raced to obey.

A flick of his wrist allowed Hawke to send a rush of the deepest green magic I'd ever seen.

The darkness pouring out of me sprang forward, tumbling into the shape of a rabbit as it flew.

Dark tendrils trailed after it, leaving swirls in the air.

And from the other side of the room, Poppy yanked.

The chairs eight jesters were sitting on suddenly slid out from under their asses right as Hawke's magic slammed into mine.

The zap of the collision was loud, reminding me of feedback in a microphone.

The flare of light was not what I'd expected, nor was the group of students sitting on their asses, and yet Hawke didn't seem to care at all that I'd stopped his spell.

He still stormed forward, ready to use his fists if he had to.

"Hawke!" I begged.

By the time my ass made it out of the chair, Keir was beside me.

The pair of us grabbed him - one on each side - and pulled him back.

With everything he had, Hawke resisted, and the guy was not weak!

He pulled, he snarled curses under his breath in what had to be Faeril, and between those words, he even ground his teeth together.

"Hawke!" I begged, shifting around so I was in front of him. "Stop. Hey, it's fine. I won't let them throw magic, ok?"

"Court!" Jack crowed from the back of the chair I'd left.

And that allowed Hawke to finally shrug off his blind rage, but his eyes were still on Camila.

"I hope you get to meet the Mad Queen! I hope she does to you what she did to me.

I hope you get off on pain, because it's the only fucking thing that bitch wants!

You think this is funny? You think she's something to aspire to? You have no fucking clue! "

"C'mon, man," Keir begged. "Let it go."

But Hawke was still glaring, almost like he couldn't pull his eyes away, so I grabbed his face and turned it towards me.

"Fuck her. Fuck all of them." I raised my voice, aware of the stillness in the cafeteria.

"If I'm supposed to reset the balance, then all these assholes are doing is proving Summer needs to come down a few notches! "

Immediately, a wave of whispers flared up, but I'd said the right thing. Hawke blinked. When his eyes opened again, they were fixed on me, and not in that predatory stare.

"C'mon," I said gently. "I think you need to get out of here."

"You got him?" Keir asked.

I just held Hawke's eyes and nodded. "Yeah. I'm not scared of him."

"Get me out of here," he begged.

"I got Torian," Keir said. "Go, Rain. Just go."

That was all I needed to hear. Wrapping an arm around Hawke, I turned him towards the door, not surprised at all when people shifted out of our way. I just wasn't sure who they were intimidated by, him or me. I also didn't really care.

But when Hawke pushed the door open, I lifted my arm, feeling like I was missing part of myself. Barely a second later, Jack's talons closed on my wrist as he settled into place, with me once again.