Duncan and I burst out of the old library like we'd seen a ghost—because, in a way, we had. Students filled the hallway on their way to lunch, and a few raised their eyebrows at our dramatic entrance.
"Well, well, well." Kallee Kincaid, cheer squad captain and part-time vulture, smirked at us from the center of her minions. "What do we have here?"
Her tone was sugar and venom, and I instantly figured out two things:
She had her claws out for Duncan.
I'd just walked into a war I never asked for.
I tried to push past her. "What do you want, Kallee? I need lunch."
She blocked me, smirk still plastered on her lip-glossed face. Behind me, Duncan leaned against a locker, arms crossed, pale but clearly entertained. Traitor. You don't survive a haunted library together just to abandon your comrade to the wolves. Especially not after said comrade stuck by you through your whole piglet phase.
"What were you two up to?" Kallee drawled, circling me. "Having some private time?"
I shoved past her. "Not your business."
"Freak," she shouted after me. "Keep your dirty mitts off what's mine!"
My inner voice begged me to keep walking. Naturally, I ignored it.
I spun back around. "And what, exactly, of yours did I touch? Because last I checked, I don't recall putting my dirty mitts on anything that belongs to you."
Her eyes flicked to Duncan. His face reddened. Finally, he stepped in. "Kallee, knock it off. Mira and I were working on a research project. We were checking for signs of haunting in the old library."
He almost redeemed himself with that. Almost.
Kallee's face twisted like she'd bitten into a lemon. I smiled sweetly. "Careful, Kallee. You don't want your face to get stuck like that."
Duncan snorted. Rage bloomed across her face.
"Since when do you hang out with losers like her?" she snapped at him.
"Since I realized she's not a loser," he said coolly. "And that I like nerds better than mean girls."
The crowd loved it. "Triple C!" they chanted.
I rolled my eyes.
Kallee shoved me hard. I stumbled, and would've hit the floor if Duncan hadn't caught me. He grabbed my hand, steadying me. "Let's go get lunch." His voice cut sharp through the noise. "Show's over."
Like magic, the crowd dispersed. Perks of being Mr. Popular.
As he tugged me down the hall, I tried to figure him out. Maybe he wasn't so bad. Maybe he picked on me because he liked me. Or maybe I was just trauma-bonded to him thanks to the library incident. Or maybe I'd officially lost my mind.
My dating history wasn't much help: one guy dumped me on Valentine's Day, the other was cheating with two girls at once. I was hardly an expert in the male species.
Still, I couldn't ignore the whispers as we walked hand-in-hand toward the cafeteria.
"Duncan stood up for Mira!"
"Triple C and Duncan? Thought they hated each other."
"That didn't look like hate."
For once, the attention didn't feel like mockery. My heart glowed even as my head screamed about red flags.
"Thanks," I told him. "I really didn't want to get expelled for decking bitch face Barbie."
"She would've deserved it," he muttered. "She's convinced I'm her boyfriend ever since one date. Biggest mistake of my life."
"Didn't go well?"
"She treated it like a photo shoot." He grimaced. "She even brought a selfie stick."
I snorted. "Yeah, that tracks."
"She'll probably explode one day. No mess, though—she's full of nothing but air and glitter."
"What's wrong with glitter?" I teased.
"In moderation."
We reached the cafeteria. His friends waved him over, and he finally released my hand.
"So… you want to meet up? Talk about what happened in there?" he asked.
"Good idea. I'll grab the book—we left it behind."
"You want to go back in?" He shivered. "No way. Be careful, Mira. Whatever that was—it wasn't just bad. It was malicious."
"I'll be careful."
He punched his number into my phone. I thanked him again and floated off toward the lunch line, glowing from the positive attention. For once, I wasn't just the freak with cursed magic.
After lunch, I'd swing by and grab the book. Quick in-and-out.
What could possibly go wrong?