“He never loved me,” she sobbed. “He used me to get close to you. This is all your fault.”
Of course it was.
“Katy.” Vanessa walked up and nodded at the blubbering Barbie mess in my arms. “Let me.”
I nodded and gently pushed Jess to Vanessa. “Don’t give him the satisfaction, Jess. Don’t give either of them the satisfaction. You’re better than them.” Ness glanced over her shoulder, snagging my gaze with hers. Her expression softened as she nodded once. I returned the gesture.
She whipped her head back around, sending her dark waves swinging. “He’s not worth it. Neither of them are worth it, Jess. Come on.” They weaved around the destruction and walked out. I sat there on my knees, grateful they were gone and a bit baffled that I now sat alone in a demilitarized zone of dining hall debris.
Lulu popped in with Stace. The professor regarded me while Lulu got to work using air to clean up. “Are you okay?”
“Jess tried to kill me. Ness led her away, and I’m sure they’re about to reinstate the Katy Reed hate club. On top of all that, she blames me for Spencer.”
“For which part?”
“All of it.” I shrugged it off. It sucked, but I’d come to expect epic levels of suckage when it came to Bitch Barbie and her ice queen BFF. I stood and brushed dining debris off my butt. “I still consider it a win. She didn’t die, and she didn’t kill anyone.”
“A win,” she repeated, but then she stiffened as my guys, all dressed in their proper school uniforms, literally popped into the dining hall. Even Leo teleported in without Clay forcing him.
Clay walked in a circle, his hands in the front pockets of his gray slacks, pushing the yellow blazer behind his arms. He’d tidied up his beard and tamed some of that wild hair, but it was still a tousled mess on the top—just the way I liked it. He whistled as he scanned the destroyed dining hall. Splintered tables. Upended chairs. The smashed coffee station now sitting on top of the salad bar. “I think it looks better.”
Leo stepped around a partial table, careful to not impale himself on the metal leg sticking up at an angle. He caught his slacks on it anyway. His crazy blond curls fell onto his face as he dropped his head to assess the damage, his trim shoulders falling beneath his blue blazer. “I ripped my pants.”
“Jess really did a number in here.” Rob, in his red blazer that matched how red he got when his temper spiked, regarded me, his dark gaze swirling with concern. He’d shaved enough so his ten o’clock shadow was once again a five o’clock shadow. “You okay?”
I nodded and gave myself a quick once-over to confirm. “Doesn’t look like I lost anything. I still have all my necessary parts. Head, shoulders, knees, and toes.” And now I had that stupid kids’ song stuck in my head. I held up my hands and wiggled my fingers. “All ten digits accounted for.”
“Katy.” Bryan took my hand. I stared up at him, loving how the green blazer always brought the green out in his hazel eyes. He didn’t smile, instead studying me intently as he worked his jaw—something I’d noticed he’d been doing a lot of lately. “That was an amazing and selfless thing you did.”
Heated embarrassment slapped my cheeks. I wasn’t amazing. I wasn’t selfless. Everything I did, I did to better my world. It just so happened Jess—in all her annoying and bouncy Bitch Barbie glory—was still a part of that world.
And I couldn’t imagine a world without her in it. God, what was happening to me?
Stace stepped up next to me, her hands folded in front of her. The guys all waved and welcomed her. She smiled warmly, accepting their greetings. She then regarded me and thinned her lips. “You know better than to teleport into unknown situations.”
Great. Another lecture. Heat hit my cheeks again for another reason. “Sorry, Professor.”
“Hey, wanna get some food?” Clay asked before looking around. “Maybe not here.”
“Let’s grab takeout and hang out at the cabin.” I swept my hair behind my ear as I glanced at Stace, remembering her rule. “If that’s okay?”
“Take the rest of the day off. I’m canceling Arts & Crafts today, all things considered.”
“What about Primary?” Clay thrust out his lower lip.
“You can miss one day of GG’s dad jokes.” I reached for him to grasp his wrist and teleport to the cabin when we were literally pulled apart by air. “Clay?”
“Montana!” He launched at me, flying through the air, his arms out to catch me.
And must have landed on the floor as I teleported out against my will.
23
I immediately recognized where I’d landed and tensed. I was back in the warehouse I’d followed Spencer to and found him in a mini summit with Alec and his shadow, Jules. Well, fuck a bunch of dark fuckers. This was the last place I wanted to be, especially alone. I stilled, holding my breath to listen for any little noise to tell me I had company. The shuffle of a shoe against concrete caught my attention, and I spun around. I curled my lip at the sight of the exotic perfume model with the buttery accent. “Spencer.”
“Hello, Katy.” He stepped into the square light created from the overhead skylight and assessed me with unkind blue eyes, a hard jaw, and a cool expression. He looked so foreign dressed in something other than Clearwater’s uniform, the baggy, long-sleeved dark shirt doing nothing for his tall, fit frame, the black jeans square and unflattering. For someone who looked as good as he did, he had zero fashion sense. “How’s the hand treating you?”
I answered him
