Page 42 of Shattered Stars

“I didn’t even know we could graduate early,” I mumble, my insides a mixture of emotions I can’t understand.

“You can if you’ve gained enough credits,” Trent says. “Didn’t your old roommate graduate early?” he asks Winnie.

“Yes,” Winnie says. “But it’s extremely rare. Most of us mere mortals struggle in at least one or two subjects and need the full three years to gain enough points.”

I roll my eyes at my friend. As if Winnie struggles in any of her subjects?

I grab her sleeve and tug her out of Trent’s grasp.

“Winnifred Wence, how many points are you away from graduating? You’re not about to break out of here and leave me on my own, are you?”

“Are you?” Trent says, sounding alarmed.

“No!” Winnie says. “Even if I did have enough credits – which I’m not saying I do – I’m in no hurry to go back home.” Both Trent and I smile at her. “My sisters drive me mad.”

“Hey,” I say, wagging my finger at her. “And you’d miss me, right? And maybe him too?” I jab my finger towards Trent.

“Pip’s the one keeping me here,” she says and Trent hooks his arm around her neck and lands a fat kiss on her cheek.

She giggles, but it quickly dies on her lips as the gymnasium doors crash open and Coach comes storming through looking like a rhinoceros in a bad mood.

“What are you ladies doing out here gossiping? Go get changed. We’re doing killer circuits today.”

Everybody groans until Coach glowers at us and then we’re all battling to get through to the changing room.

Inside, several of the bouncing bunnies are clearly too devastated to find the energy or will power to change into their kits. Instead, they perch on the bench wailing about how much they’re going to miss Spencer and how the academy won’t be the same without him.

Summer is pacing up and down so quickly I’m surprised she’s not wearing a groove in the floor and everyone else is avoiding her eyeline.

Winnie and I retreat to the corner, opening our locker doors and continuing our conversation behind them as we strip out of our uniform, Winnie giving my new sports bra an approving nod.

“It all seems pretty sudden, don’t you think?” I whisper to her. “All his friends seem genuinely shocked. Dan looked like he’d seen an actual ghost.”

“I guess it’s never really happened before. Saskia left last term because of her family situation and one other boy the yearbefore that for similar reasons. But I’ve never known someone graduate early and volunteer straight into the forces.”

“He likes to be different,” I huff.

Winnie shrugs. “He always seemed to be living his best life here. Star of the dueling team – it’s every boy’s wet dream.” She pauses to pull her top over her head, dragging it down her body as she says next, “They’re saying he’s leaving tomorrow?”

“So soon!” A sick feeling swims through my stomach and Winnie eyes me carefully.

“You’d think someone like Spencer would milk it for all it’s worth. A leaving party – heck a leaving parade.” Winnie shrieks and her hand flies to her mouth. “He’s going to miss the ball!”

“I doubt he cares.”

“Did you notice Tristan wasn’t there either?”

“Wasn’t he?” I say innocently, willing my face not to blush.

“You don’t suppose he’s leaving too?”

That sick feeling in my stomach becomes much worse and I force bile down my throat. Winnie continues with the inspection of my face and I force a cool smile. “We can only hope!”

Spencer and Tristan are both missing from gym class and Coach’s bad mood only seems to worsen. He has us all doing a circuit course so vicious, one girl actually faints and another boy collapses with severe cramp and has to be hauled off to the infirmary.

By the time we’re back in the locker room, I’m incapable of uttering a single word, let alone an entire sentence, but it doesn’t stop the bouncing bunnies from gossiping among themselves. It’s clear there’s another rumor flying round. One Trent fills us in on when we meet up with him on the path outside the gymnasium.

“Spencer’s going to fight one last fight down at the Warehouse tonight – before he leaves.”