Pressing my back to the brick wall, I sucked it up. The proverbial “it” included my tears, my breath, and my pride. Hiding around the corner to listen in on what people were saying about me was a new low. Especially since that group involved David.

“Are you going with anyone to the Spring Fling?” A girl I didn’t recognize asked. 

That wasn’t what she was really asking. 

I could hear the subtext a mile away. She might as well have asked, “Who are you escorting to the Spring Fling and if there’s no one, can it pretty pretty please be me?” 

David and I took all different classes. Ran in different circles. David ate the crust on his sandwiches and I still cut mine off. It tasted like cardboard and it was so dry. I never understood why anyone would volunteer to eat them. David just didn’t care. Didn’t put more effort into anything if it wasn’t necessary. 

“I’m going.”

If one looked up the definition of curt, they’d find David and his speaking skills. 

“Oh.” 

The conversation seemed to be dying off, which gave me the most horrible sensation of hope. I cursed, wishing to punish myself and not in the sexy way. More like in the I-never-deserved-David’s-friendship-kind of way. That was it. I was going to hurl myself off the nearest cliff. 

“Are you going with a group?” She asked, which really meant “Are you going alone?” 

“No. I’ll probably go with the rest of the dueling team and Cal, of course.”

Of course, he said.

I smiled despite myself. 

“Cal? Is that short for Calvin…” the girl played with my name like she wasn’t sure if she liked the texture of it or not. “Where do I know him? Is he the one with blue hair?”

“Some days.”

“Oh! He’s the one that still doesn’t have a Familiar!” 

I flinched. That hurt. So that was what the vibrant Calvin Keys was known for? Crazy hair and a lack of magical talent. Actually, those two things weren’t mutually exclusive. Every day, I woke up with different colored hair. Usually, it was based on my mood since it came from a failed empath spell that was meant to help me read other people’s emotions, but all it did was let everyone else know what was going on with me. Who needed mood rings? I had enchanted hair. Today, because of my nerves, I had uncomfortably vibrant green hair. 

The girl laughed, “Don’t most witches find their Familiar by now?” 

I could answer that too. Most witches conjured their Familiar by eighteen. I was twenty-four and violently alone. 

“Actually,” David spoke up, jolting me out of my pity party. I could hear the sternness in his voice, forced out through a polite smile. He always talked to his aunt and uncle’s coworkers with this voice. Not rude, but not overtly friendly either. This tone usually took most conversations off life support. “I think all the animals are fighting over Cal. They all go mad when he’s around. If he chose one, he’d likely break too many hearts.” 

David stuck up for me. The way David always stuck up for me. 

Even though I didn’t deserve it. 

“I’m waiting for him now. He should be here soon.”

“Oh, okay. Well, then maybe I’ll see you at the dance.”

“Since we’ll both be there, I’m guessing it’s possible. Sorry in advance if I miss you.” 

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to pull the last few ropes of my sanity together. I waited a few more beats, thinking it was still too close to my name getting dropped to appear casually. It’d be way too much of a coincidence. But then, it felt like I was waiting too long, like I was on the verge of standing David up. 

Rolling my shoulders back, I plastered a smile on my lips and turned the corner. “David! There you are! How’s it going?”

Yes. The essence of casual that was Calvin Keys. 

Before David could look me in the eyes, I chucked a dress shirt over his beautiful face. “Here’s your shirt. I’m sorry it took so long, but I sewed the button back on. Really sewed it. No magic. I don’t trust magical fabrication.” 

“Cal—”

Continuing to walk, I wouldn’t let David speak. Then, I’d have to turn around and give David my full attention, which was the last thing I wanted in this moment. I wanted peace of mind. I wanted my parents to come home early so we could talk about my future. I wanted to go to Gretchen’s party tonight to get wasted surrounded by people and forget my last name. Forget my hair, my failures, and my lack of Familiar. Forget every horrible mistake.