"Not that I'm aware of," James said. "But—"
"Stop worrying," I said with a shrug. "That's my job."
"Your paranoia has rubbed off on me."
We descended into silence again, and as the seconds ticked by and he didn't drop my hand, my pulse sped up. Was he holding on because because he needed comfort or because he wanted comfort from me specifically?
These thoughts were idiotic, especially in light of what James was worried about.
"I'm gonna miss you," he said quietly.
"Stop it." I rolled my eyes to keep the shock off my face. "It's not like the tear's gonna close for—"
He yanked our clasped hands and suddenly I was in his arms. I froze, because if I moved, I might wake up. James rested his cheek on my forehead and released a loud breath.
"I'm taking it as a good sign that you haven't blown me into the water."
I chuckled and relaxed just a little. "I might, still."
"You won't."
I lifted my head to look at him. "You know me so well?"
He didn't respond, but his eyes danced as they looked into mine. I waited for the nervous voice, the one that would tell me this was a terrible idea and I should back away while I still had the chance. But even it was silent in the face of James' sincere eyes and the sound of the tear crackling before us.
"Lexie, I…"
"What's the big deal?" I whispered, but only because I had no air. "You kissed me in New York, remember?"
"Oh yeah."
His lips brushed mine. Unlike in New York, which had been shocking and over quickly, this kiss lingered. I savored the experience, from the way his lips felt against mine, to the way his scent filled my brain, to the way my magic moved against his. And it was unique—our own special connection. I relaxed into his arms, and my magic moved against his, earning me a breathy chuckle.
"I've never made out with another Warrior before," he said against my lips. "What are you doing?"
"I have no idea."
He recaptured my lips, and this time, his tongue slid between my lips. I was sure I was doing it all wrong, but he didn't seem to care. His magic pushed against mine, and mine pushed back, until not-uncomfortable feelings started stirring in my stomach.
I broke the kiss first, these new feelings taking me down a path I wasn't sure I wanted to go yet. I licked my lips and regretted it, as they tasted like him still.
"I'm glad I got to do that before…"
I finally looked at him. His lips were red, as were his cheeks, but there was a bittersweet look about him.
"You're gonna be allowed back," I replied with just a hint of exasperation.
"But just in case I'm not…I'm glad." His eyes pierced mine as he spoke, his voice rough and full of emotion. "I, James Riley, request induction into the New Salem Warrior's Guild."
Just like that, he released me and stood, facing the tear. He didn't look back as he walked through it, leaving me with the ghost of his lips on mine.
James didn't show up at school the next day, sending my already frayed nerves into overdrive. I'd spent most of the night dreaming about all the horrible things that could've gone wrong (as well as spending more than a little time thinking about all the new feelings he'd stirred up). So as first period turned to second and he didn't show, then lunch and he didn't show, and then the day was over and he'd missed the entire day…
There was probably a logical explanation for it, but the anxious voice in my mind had taken all his fears and wound them up into a knot of panic in my stomach. I fidgeted and chewed my thumb. I barely paid attention in class. I even half-considered going to the tear and finding him myself, before the rational half of my brain reminded me what a stupid idea that was.
By the end of the day, I was exhausted from worrying and on the verge of tears. I wanted a nap, I wanted to—
I stopped, dropping my backpack. James sat under the oak tree in front of my house, napping in the early afternoon shade. As I approached, he cracked open an eye then let out a large yawn.
"Took you long enough," he said, checking the time on his phone. "You're late."
"Didn't realize we had an appointment," I replied, unable to keep the smile off my face. "So…?"
"I'm in the Guild," he said, pushing himself to stand slowly. "And Gavon says he wants me to continue learning over here." He shrugged. "Who am I to argue with my Guildmaster?"
I laughed, both in happiness that I'd have James for a few more months and that he'd resisted the urge to claim the title from Gavon. But I didn't run to him like I wanted to. Marie's voice sang in the back of my mind, egging me on to kiss him, but I remained where I was. I wasn't completely sure where we stood on that.
"I'm glad you're back. Things have been boring without you."
"Yeah. And you know, Gavon even mentioned he might want me to attend college." His happy smile turned into a smirk as he drew closer. "Tells me he can magically enroll me in a certain school—"
I shot him an icy glare. "Don't you dare."
"What, you don't want me to show you up in every class at Georgetown?"
"Like you could handle Georgetown. Please."
Despite my smile, I was panicking. Not because James was back or going to cheat his way into Georgetown. But because if Gavon allowed him to be in my life permanently…
"So…about what happened before I left…" he said, as if reading my mind. "I'm sorry if—"
"No, no…I understand." I chewed my lip, desperate to get off this conversation before my heart broke any more.
"I hope I didn't freak you out."
"N-No way…"
"So you wanna do it again?"
Something loud cracked in my mind, and I lost the ability to speak. Finally, I forced out, "You mean, like…as friends?"
His face flushed. "No, as…not friends?"
"O…oh."
"It's okay if you don't want to, but…"
"N-no!" What is happening? "I mean, I just…I don't…"
"You're inexperienced, I know."
My awkwardness evaporated and I glared at him. "You ass."
Instead of responding, he transported himself right in front of me. Before I could yell at him for using magic without checking, he took my cheeks in his hands and kissed me.
Full-lipped, open-mouthed, hands-on-face kissed me. Shock froze me at first, but it melted away. Somewhere between his tongue and his magic and his hands, I accepted this strange new reality. It was obvious how James convinced so many girls to date him (Gah, don't think about that right now), he was an expert kisser. Whereas I was—
"You kiss like you wield magic," he said with a shake of his head. "You think too much."
"Thanks for the—"
He kissed me again, this time soft, sweet, quick. "I've got to get back home."
"Do you?"
"You aren't gonna let me through that barrier, are you?"
My eyes grew wide and I used magic to smack him in the shoulder. "Pig."
He chuckled, but then sobered a little. "Look, let's just…not think too hard about this right now. I like what's happening." He turned his head in confusion. "Do you?"
Knowing I was going to sound like an idiot, I replied, "I guess I'm still a little confused what's happening."
"I like you."
"Oh."
"It's okay, I know you like me, too," he replied, with a self-satisfied smirk.
"And how do you know that?" I asked, still scrambling to find my footing in this conversation.
"I can read you like a book. See you at school tomorrow." He bent his head once more to kiss me before disappearing in a puff of green smoke, leaving me standing beneath the oak tree confused, exhilarated, and a little bit excited.
Twenty-Three
I awoke the next morning, plagued by questions about how James might act or what he meant by "I like you" or if I'd just imagined the whole thing. But when I met James by my locker, he erased all of my questions with a simple kiss.
"So, I didn't
get a chance to tell you about my match the other day," he said, turning to his locker to switch out his books.
I was still stunned by the impromptu kiss, so I let him describe in vivid detail every moment of his match. And as he went on and on, I was fairly sure embellishing the number of times he got the better of Gavon (and leaving out a few instances of the opposite), I supposed that's how it would be. Our regular joking with the added bonus of making out every so often.
Of course, there was one big question that had to be asked.
"So…you aren't going to tell Gavon, right?"
"Are you kidding me?" James snorted. "The only way this works is if I forget you're in any way related to him."
Ugh, why do I like him again? I pursed my lips. "The only way it works for me is if I forget you belong to an evil gang."
Something like admiration crossed his face, and my pulse skipped a beat. "Anyway, he's not the one I'm really worried about. Cyrus didn't look too happy when I declined his request to challenge Gavon."
I closed my locker. "Let him come."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, you said I could kick his ass, right?"
"I mean, sure, but you shouldn't go looking for a fight. He'd still do some serious damage. And, of course, there's that pact. You can't go causing trouble, either."
"I know, I know."
"What's all this newfound confidence from?" he asked. "I thought Cyrus made you piss your pants."
"Crude," I said. But it was true. Over the past few weeks, I'd began feeling more in control over my life. Marie was speaking with me again, Nicole and I were on rocky, but decent terms. James and I were…well, the kiss had said a lot. And magically, I'd finally gained a baseline understanding that I'd been missing.
"I guess spending time with me rubbed off on you," he said.
"Everything isn't always about you," I replied, elbowing him.
So he kissed me.
I still wasn't used to that.
Nor was I used to the death glare I received from Callista, who muttered something about me being a liar.
During first period, I let my mind wander back to James, and this time, I didn't fight it. So this was what it was like to be on the other side of things. To be the girl that James doted on.
But there would be more than just hand-holding and stolen kisses. I was most looking forward to our next bout in the sparring ring, and what that might result in.
Slow down, Lexie, you've barely started dating the guy.
Besides not wanting to rush with someone so unpredictable, there was the other, larger problem. Despite what I'd said about Cyrus, I was a little worried about what he might do if he found out James and I had moved beyond friends.
James, on the other hand, seemed confident enough that neither Gavon nor Cyrus made a habit of spending a lot of time spying on us, because he kissed me three times before lunch.
Then again, he might've just been drunk on newfound freedom. Occasionally, I spotted him using magic while taking notes, and when I admonished him about it at the end of the day, he just threw an arm around me and pointed to the glazed looks of our classmates who were just trying to get through the last few weeks of high school.
"They aren't even on this planet," he said. "Speaking of…you and I are due for another adventure."
"Oh, are we?"
"I promise I won't get you arrested this time," he said with that dazzling smile of his.
"So Gavon has no control over you anymore?" I asked while pondering what kind of adventures we could get into. A moonlight stroll in Paris came to mind. "That's it, huh?"
"That's it. It's in case I decided I wanted to overthrow him. It would be hard for me to beat him if he could ground me."
"True…" I chewed my lip. "But then why does Gavon have control over me? I'm not in the Clan or a Guild."
"Parents always retain some control, especially if they're powerful like Gavon is. That's why it's always been tradition for Warriors to go with a different master. That way, once the apprenticeship ends, so does the control."
"Hm." I wasn't sure I liked that. "So are you still living at his mansion or what?"
"At the moment, yes," he said. "It won't surprise you that there aren't a lot of available properties in New Salem. Gavon could evict a lesser magical, but he won't do that."
"He could evict Cyrus," I suggested. "I'd bring the papers for him.
"Look at you," James said. "All confident. I like it."
I flushed at his compliment. I supposed that wouldn't change overnight. "So do you think you'll just live with Gavon for a while?"
"That sounds awful," he said with a blanch. "Besides, if I'm going to college with you…"
"Don't say that," I snapped. "I worked really hard to get into Georgetown, and that you could just magic your way into it—"
"Lexie," he said, stopping me. "I'm just kidding."
"Still though," I said, furrowing my brow. "I don't know what I'll do if I don't get in."
"You will," he said with almost infuriating certainty. His faith did nothing to dissolve the worry in the pit of my stomach. "C'mon, let's go to your place and check."
I nodded, grabbing my backpack and following him to a secluded spot behind the gym where we transported to another secluded spot near my apartment complex.
"You could, you know, let me inside the barrier," James said as we crossed the parking lot.
"I could," I said, without elaborating.
"You still don't trust me, do you? After all we've been through together."
"I…" I trusted him a lot, actually. I'd even stopped wearing my charmed stone after he'd helped me find Marie. But the barrier felt like the last defense, the one thing that reminded me of who he was and why I'd been hesitant to trust him at first. If I allowed him into my house, that meant I no longer held the small nugget of fear about him. And I wasn't sure I was there yet.
Instead of answering him, I scurried into the building, making a beeline for the mailboxes. I opened the small door and my heart skipped a beat.
There was a large white envelope in there.
I swallowed and pulled it out, feeling faint at the Georgetown logo emblazoned on the top. I absentmindedly stuck the rest of the mail back in the box and stumbled back out to where James was waiting for me.
"What's wrong with you?" James asked.
"It's my college admissions decision," I said quietly.
"Oh, did you get in?"
"I don't know yet." I looked down at the potentially life-changing envelope in my hand. "Maybe?"
"You should open it."
All of my doubts came roaring back. Had I completed my application correctly? Were there typos? Had I not volunteered enough, had I—
James ripped the envelope out of my hand and before I could stop him, tore it open and began reading. The smile on his face told me everything I needed to know.
"No way!" I screamed, backing up three steps.
"You got in," he said, handing me the paper. All I got to was "Congratulations" and I nearly lost it. I buried my head in my hands, laughing and crying, and feeling like I could fly to the moon and back. I'd done it. I'd gotten into Georgetown.
"Did you really think you wouldn't?" James asked, but he looked genuinely happy for me, and my heart melted a little.
"I had my doubts, yeah," I said, reading over the paper again. "I can't believe this. I'm going to Georgetown."
And that was when I saw the second page, and my heart stopped. "Oh…yeah. That."
"What?"
I showed him the amount of the first deposit to retain my place in the graduating class.
"Ouch," James said, horrified. "That's… Why do you want to go there if it's that much money?"
"Pride," I said, unashamed and undeterred. "That's all right. I'll…figure something out. Loans and scholarships. There has to be information about scholarships in here."
But there wasn't—not even an insert about how to apply for them.
"That's�
��odd."
"Hey, don't let it bother you," James said, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "If worse comes to worse, you can always—"
"Not asking him."
"Fine, but he's an option."
"This makes no sense," I said. "Why wouldn't they put financial aid information in the packet?"
"Well…why don't you go ask them? I said I wanted to go on another adventure."
I chewed my lip. "Right now?"
"Yeah. Better to know than to worry, right?" James held out his hand. "Let's go."
The summer before, I'd gone to the university to take a tour and solidify my decision to apply there. Now, as then, I was entranced by the tall spires, the architecture, the beautiful campus—the bustling city, the shops and markets in the city outside the university. Everything about this neighborhood was alive and different from anything I'd known in Florida. This was the place for me, where I would truly find myself.
And as the reality of my financial situation sank in, I could feel my well-laid plans slipping away.
James was equally entranced, although he was less impressed by the university itself ("It looks like a prison"). He took in the sights and sounds as readily as I did. If, by some miracle, I resolved this little financial issue, and he magically enrolled himself into the school, I decided it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. After all, I could see myself traveling around the city, hand-in-hand with him…
I stopped myself before I got too far ahead. Before I could get to happily ever after, I needed to pay for it.
We found the admissions office after asking several people for directions, and I signed in to meet with an advisor. The office was stale and uninviting and it renewed the nervousness in the pit of my stomach. The sheer mountain of money I had to come up with was staggering, even for one semester. I had money in the bank, but it was a fraction of what Georgetown would cost.
More concerning was the lack of scholarship information in the letter itself. I was, by all accounts, a needy student. My guardian made absolutely nothing, we lived in a tiny apartment. I was exactly the kind of student that aid was meant for.
So why hadn't any been in there?
"Stop worrying," James repeated again and again. But it was easy for him to say. He didn't have his entire future riding on the line. But when I began chewing my thumb, he reached over and took it from my mouth, much the same as I had before his induction match.
Magic and Mayhem Page 18
