Page 86 of Shattered Stars

I wrangle my frown into a more neutral expression. I can’t be dealing with Summer’s bullshit right now, but I’m not interested in getting into an argument with her either. I just want to get away, to the sanctuary of my room.

“Making Pig Girl believe you actually want to take her to the ball,” she continues. “She must have been peeing her pants with excitement. It’s going to be so funny when she realizes you weren’t serious.”

“I was serious,” I say quietly, but Summer just laughs again.

“We’re actually thinking we won’t do dates for the ball. It feels kind of wrong without Spencer here. We thought we’d go as a big group – all the dueling team and cheerleading squad together. We’ll look so awesome that way – especially when we make our entrance.”

“I’m going to be going with Rhianna Blackwaters,” I say coolly, even though she hasn’t agreed to go with me. She will though. I’ll find a way to convince her. It’s only a matter of time.

“But that’s just a joke,” Summer says, her voice ever so strained, her smile faltering ever so slightly.

“It’s not.”

Summer jabs a finger into my chest, and lowers her voice and all of a sudden all those friends are pretending to look elsewhere, starting up conversations among themselves.

“Are you fucking out of your mind, Tristan Kennedy? You’re seriously asking thatgirland not me,” she hisses. “You’re captain of the dueling team. I’m head cheerleader. We’re meant to go together!”

“I don’t care.”

I look down at her with a blank expression and she scowls up at me. Then she looks around her. “Can we talk about this somewhere private? We could go to my room? Or the common room?”

“No.”

“You don’t know what she’s like, what she’s really like. You should have seen what she did to me today, Tristan Kennedy, firing cr–”

I grab her by the arm and yank her through the nearest door. It happens to be the girls’ bathroom and the few stragglers in there stare at us in horror. One actually screams.

“Scram!” I bark and they scurry away like frightened little mice. I slam the bathroom door behind me and stalk towards Summer. “Out with it, Summer.”

She tosses her hair. “Coach sent the two of us on a sprint in gym class today and Rhianna Blackwaters attacked me under the trees.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s a little bitch.”

I lose all ability to keep cool. Thunder crashes across my face. I don’t know if she’s faking it or not, but Summer actually looks frightened. Good, maybe she’ll leave Rhi the hell alone.

“Why did she attack you, Summer?”

“Because she hates me. She’s jealous of me. She knows about us.”

“Us?” I scoff. “There’s no us.”

“Tristan,” she whines, crocodile tears pooling in her eyes. I can’t be dealing with any of this.

“What happened?”

Summer sniffs, and looks up at me with big innocent eyes I’m sure she’s been perfecting all her life. “She blasted crimson magic at me, Tristan. Right at me.Crimsonmagic! She’s dangerous. Who knows what she might do next. If her magicactually hit me …” She sniffs again. “She needs to be locked away.”

There’s a ringing in my ears and every hair on my body stands up on end.

“Who have you told about this, Summer?”

The innocence melts away, and she smiles at me now. The smile of someone who thinks they’ve won.

“No one … yet. I suppose you’re going to tell me I shouldn’t tell anyone.” I glare at her. Wary. “Well, I won’t if you agree to stop all this stupid nonsense about taking her to the ball. It’s not a good idea, Tristan. She might hurt you.”

I think of the aching pain already resident in my body. Rhianna Blackwaters has already hurt me more than Summer could ever understand.