David turned on his heel and strode away without another word. But Tamani looked confused.

“I just didn’t want him pestering—”

Laurel grabbed the front of Tamani’s shirt and dragged him around the side of the building.

“Hey, if you wanted to sneak off with me you only had to ask,” Tamani said with a laugh. But his smile melted away when he saw Laurel’s face. “What’s the matter?” he asked earnestly.

“I’m not your girlfriend, Tam.”

“Well, obviously I can’t kiss you in front of Yuki, but—”

“No. I care about you. And I don’t regret what happened yesterday, but I don’t know what it means. I’m still trying to figure things out. Breaking up with David doesn’t make you my boyfriend by default.”

Tamani hesitated, then asked, “So I’m back to waiting again?”

“Kind of. Maybe. I don’t know! But no matter what, I’m not a weapon. I will not let you use me to get back at him.”

“He did. All the time,” Tamani said hotly.

“Yes,” Laurel agreed, “and then he got dumped. Is that what you want?”

Tamani finally started to look cowed.

“I don’t want a boyfriend right now, and if you want me to ever reconsider that, I expect you to behave.” She gave him the sternest glare she could and he looked away.

“So are you and David really over?” Tamani finally asked.

“I don’t know,” Laurel said. It was the only answer she could give. “For now, yes. I need some time. Some time to just be myself. By myself. And it’s for your sake too,” Laurel continued before Tamani could respond. “You don’t just stop loving someone in one day. It’s not that simple.”

“The best things in life rarely are.” Tamani sighed shakily as the warning bell sounded, startling Laurel.

“We should get to class. I really can’t be late.”

Tamani nodded. His smile was tight, but he seemed to be okay. As okay as he was going to get, under the circumstances. Impulsively, Laurel threw her arms around him and pressed herself against his chest. He didn’t try to kiss her, and she didn’t offer, but it was enough just to feel his arms around her. To know that somehow, everything would work out.

With one last squeeze Laurel turned back toward the front entrance and nearly dropped her backpack when she saw Shar approaching them through the parking lot, dressed in jeans and a loose T-shirt, his hair pulled into a simple ponytail that hung at the nape of his neck.

“What’s he doing here?”

“Oh,” Tamani said, as if only just remembering, “the vice principal wants to talk to me and my ‘uncle.’ About, um, yesterday.” Tamani shrugged.

Laurel raised an eyebrow as Shar got closer, his steely eyes taking everything in. “Well, despite the fact that this is a sight I would love to see, I have to go.” And with that, she pivoted toward the front doors, breaking into a jog as she tried to beat the final bell.

“Mr. Collins,” Vice Principal Roster said, opening a file and placing it on his desk before sitting in his squeaking chair.

Hate him, thought Tamani.

“Thank you for coming,” the vice principal said, looking up at Shar.

As Tamani had expected, Shar refused to sit at all. He just stood with his arms folded across his chest, looking down at the human with an unmistakable air of superiority. Tamani rarely saw him look any other way and contemplated briefly how often Shar must have looked at his companion, Ariana, that way, and what she’d done to break him of the habit. He had to cough to cover the chuckle that escaped his throat.

Shar’s eyes darted between Tamani and the principal. “Of course,” he said smoothly. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Tam was in a fight yesterday,” the vice principal said, looking sternly at Tamani.

Shar didn’t even blink. “My understanding is that Tam was assaulted and defended himself.”

Mr. Roster stuttered. “Um, yes, well, but there was a great deal of pushing before that, provoking an outburst from—”

“So because this other boy lacked self-control, my”—he hesitated—“nephew is to be punished?”

“Both boys were fully involved in the exchange of blows, and both boys will be punished, per our policy,” Mr. Roster said, his voice firm now. “As this is Tam’s first offense, of course we hope this incident won’t be repeated—”

“It won’t,” Shar said, raising an eyebrow at Tam. And indeed, Tamani had been taken to task about letting his temper get the better of him, particularly when it came to David, who with his knowledge of Avalon could make a lot of trouble for them if ever he felt so inclined. The tongue-lashing Tamani had gotten from his superior was far worse than anything this human administrator could hope to dole out.

“I’m happy to hear that. Now, Mr. Collins, I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss something else. You may not realize that your nephew is failing almost every class he is currently enrolled in. His attendance is abysmal, and he is, in general, disruptive to the classroom environment.”

Tamani knew that last part was a blatant lie. He was never a disruption. He never raised his hand to answer a question, either, but for the most part, he simply sat in his classes and listened for any sign that something had entered the school intent on harming Laurel. If you didn’t take his grades and occasional disappearances into account, he was a model pupil.