Iâd planned.
âOnly two wrong. Very good!â He smiles, brushing his fingers against the stain on his shirt, wondering if heâll ever see
her
again. âWould you like to see the correct answers?â
Uh, not really,
I think, eager to be out of there as soon as I can, and not just so I can get to the lunch table and see Damen, but in case his fantasy decides to pick up where I forced it to leave off.
But knowing that the normal thing would be to appear at least somewhat interested, I take a deep breath and smile and nod as though Iâd like nothing more. And when he hands me the answer key, I just go through the motions, saying, âOh, look at that, I got the wrong date.â And, âOf course! How could I not know that?
Duh!
â
But he just nods, mostly because his thoughts are already back on the blondeâaka:
The only woman in the entire universe who he is absolutely forbidden to date!
Wondering if sheâll be there tomorrowâsame time and place.
And even though the idea of teachers in lust pretty much grosses me out in a general sense, this particular teacherâs being in lust over someone whoâs practically
like a parent to me
âjust will not do.
But then I remember how just a few months ago I had a vision of Sabine dating some cute guy in her building. And since Munoz works
here,
and Sabine works
there,
I figure thereâs really no threat of my two worlds colliding. But just in case Iâm wrong, I still manage to say, âUm, it was a fluke.â
He looks at me, brows merged, trying to make sense of my words.
And even though I know Iâve gone too far, even though I know Iâm about to say something as far from normal as you can get, I really donât feel I have much of a choice. I cannot have my history teacher dating my aunt. I canât tolerate it. I just canât.
So I motion toward the stain on his shirt when I add, âYou know,
her,
Miss Iced Venti Chai Latte?â I nod, seeing the alarmed look on his face. âI doubt sheâll be back. She doesnât really go all that often.â
Then before I can say anything else that will not only dash his dreams but confirm the full extent of my freakdom, I sling my bag over my shoulder and run for the door, shrugging off the last of Mr. Munozâs lingering energy as I make my way toward the lunchtable where Damen is waitingâeager to be with him again after three very long hours apart.
But when I get there, itâs not quite the homecoming I expected. Thereâs a new guy sitting beside him, right in my usual place, and heâs soaking up so much attention, Damen barely notices me.
I lean against the edge of the table, watching as they all break into laughter at something the new guy said. And not wanting to interrupt or come off as rude, I take the seat across from Damen rather than right beside him in my usual place.
âOmigod, you are
so
funny!â Haven says, leaning forward and briefly touching the new guyâs hand. Smiling in a way that makes it clear her new boyfriend, Josh, her self-proclaimed soul mate, has been temporarily forgotten. âToo bad you missed it, Ever, heâs
so
hysterical Miles even forgot to obsess on his zit!â
âThanks for the reminder.â Miles scowls, his finger seeking the spot on his chinâonly itâs no longer there.
His eyes go wide, looking to each of us for confirmation that his mammoth-sized zit, the bane of this morningâs existence, really is gone. And I canât help but wonder if its sudden disappearance is because of me, because of when I touched it this morning, back in the parking lot. Which would mean I really do have magical healing abilities.
But just after I think it, the new guy says, âTold you itâd work. Stuffâs brilliant. Keep the rest in case it returns.â
And I narrow my gaze, wondering how he couldâve had enough time to intervene on Milesâs