“What is with you?” said Chris.

“Don’t worry,” said Quinn. “I already know he’s an ass.”

“Love you, too,” said Gabriel.

But Nick grinned. “You can tell us apart?”

“Please. When you’re talking, there’s no challenge.” She punched the back of Gabriel’s seat again.

He glared at her in the rearview mirror. “What are you, six years old?”

“Oh, you don’t like that? What about this?” She licked her finger and stuck it in his ear.

He smacked her hand away. He’d never punched a girl, but she might be the first.

Becca laughed. “Quinn has two brothers.”

“I know all the ways to irritate a boy,” Quinn said.

Gabriel snorted. “I don’t doubt that one bit.”

CHAPTER 2

The day started with U.S. History and English, two classes Gabriel couldn’t give a crap about. He kept thinking about Becca’s father, how they were going to sit in the food court and have a conversation with the guy.

Now her father wanted to help. Yeah, right.

The Homecoming dance wasn’t the first time the Guide had nearly killed them. Gabriel could still remember the explosion that had taken out the bridge two blocks from school and almost killed Gabriel. The fire hadn’t hurt him, but concrete didn’t make for a soft landing.

And then there was the way the Guide had attacked them on the soccer field. The way he’d taken Nick, broken leg and all.

The way Gabriel hadn’t been able to stop him.

His pencil snapped in his hand.

The fluorescent lights flickered and buzzed, making the teacher pause in her lecture and glance up.

Gabriel took a deep breath. He needed to get a handle on his temper before he set the whole school on fire.

Chris and Nick were lucky. Chris could carry a bottle of water with him and be close to his element. And Nick hell, air was everywhere. He’d have a harder time getting away from it.

Even Michael spent his days playing in the dirt, perfect for an Earth Elemental.

Natural energy was all around. But it was weak. Controlled.

Filtered sunlight, electrical wiring contained behind layers of rubber and plastic. All it did was make him crave more and Gabriel couldn’t exactly walk around with a candle.

Third period: Trigonometry. Gabriel felt his shoulders tighten as he walked through the doorway. Mr. Riley, their wiry teacher, wasn’t at his desk yet, but Gabriel dropped his homework in the basket and made his way to the third seat in his row. He usually spent this hour riding a line of tension to make sure he didn’t get called on. This was a junior-level class, but luckily he sat next to that advanced sophomore chick who raised her hand for just about every question. Gabriel pulled his notebook out of his backpack, but he’d snapped his only pencil in English.

Not like it mattered. What was he going to do, doodle?

Taylor Morrissey, another senior stuck in here, sat on the desk in front of him, her feet on the chair. Blond hair swung over her shoulder and perfectly accented her chest. Her skirt was so short it flared around her on the desk and put Gabriel at eye level with just about everything.

He knew she’d be giving the same show to any guy around, but it was tough to look up from that. “Hey, Taylor.”

“You going out for basketball this week?”

“Don’t I always?” Sports were his one saving grace, the only reason he bothered to keep his grades up. Being active took the edge off, let him run down energy that looked for things to burn in other ways.

Taylor leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees and giving him a clear view down her shirt, too. “Me and the other girls are going to think up something special for the seniors this year.” She looked at him from under her lashes. “Any ideas?”

Usually, he could do this banter stuff all day. But he was already exhausted from plotting to destroy Becca’s father, and he didn’t feel like playing. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

She frowned a little, then flipped her hair. “Heather’s parents are going away this weekend, and we’re thinking of having a little party after the tryouts. They’ve got that hot tub, and it’s just getting cold enough to use the fire pit . . .”

Fire. The thought was more alluring than anything she was showing off. “Count me in,” he said.

Now she smiled, but it looked a little feral, the way a cat might smile at a trapped mouse. “Maybe you could—” She broke off and glanced sideways, her voice sharpening to a point.

“Do you mind?”

Gabriel glanced right. That sophomore jerked her eyes back to her paper, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”

“Ohmigod,” Taylor whispered, leaning in conspiratorially.

“She was totally staring at me. What a freaking lesbo.”

Sharp heels clicked into the classroom, a tall woman in a business suit bustling through the door to drop a briefcase on the desk. Dark hair was pulled into an honest-to-god bun, and it wasn’t doing her face any favors.

“Sorry, class,” she said. “I’m Ms. Anderson, and I’ll be filling in for Mr. Riley. This school is a maze ” Her eyes fell on Taylor, who was practically straddling the desk. “Maybe we could all take our seats?”

Taylor heaved a sigh and climbed off the desk, making a show of sliding into her chair.

Gabriel slouched in his own. At least they’d watch a movie or get a free period or something.