"See you later," Cheon said when we reached the classroom. "I have student council before first period."
She squeezed my hand briefly—so quick most people wouldn't notice—before heading down a side corridor.
Mera and I entered the classroom together. Conversation died for a moment before resuming at a lower volume. I spotted Aurora immediately, sitting next to Nolan near the front. Her back stiffened slightly when she saw me, but she didn't turn around.
"Your blonde girlfriend with the gold-eyeliner's nervous," Mera whispered.
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Yet."
I took my usual seat in the back row. Mera slid into the desk beside mine, propping her feet up on the empty chair in front.
Noel wasn't in the room yet. Probably avoiding me after yesterday's drain incident. She'd felt it—that rush of connection, the intimacy of energy flowing between us. It had scared her. Good. Fear meant respect.
