Academy of Blood and Magic

24🖤

I giggled as Eve threw a French fry at Jesse as we sat inside Culvers. This was what I needed. I felt better coming out here, hanging out with my friends, putting everything out of my mind. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt like myself and was able to relax.

Mostly relax.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw LeBlanc sitting a few tables away from us, eating a burger, pretending to read a newspaper as he watched us.

The whole time we'd been out, he'd been only a few feet away. I could tell he was irritated we were out but he did say I could go out as long as I wasn't trying to contact Brandon, which I wasn't. I was just going to the mall to hang out with my friends.

My parents and Daniel were thrilled that I was getting out to spend time with my friend group. They'd been so worried about me and I could tell going out with some friends took some weight off their shoulders. I felt slightly guilty for being unbearable to be around.

Eve and I had gone to the salon while Jesse and Emily went to the mall so I could have my hair touched up. My hair was now an even vibrant purple, pink, and blue and I loved it. It made me feel ten times better while Eve had a haircut.

Despite hanging out with my friends and trying to put everything else out of my head for a few hours, I still kept my phone on me in case Jo called with a new update. I never once forgot about what was happening to Brandon and kept my mind half on him and half on my friends.

As we ate, I noticed how close Eve and Jesse were sitting together, the way they kept glancing at each other. I leaned forward, watching their interactions intently. They glanced over at me.

"What?" Eve asked.

I remembered the night of homecoming, where Brandon and I had caught them making out in one of the empty classrooms and a huge grin spread across my face.

Eve frowned. "What? Why are you grinning like the constipated Joker?"

The comment took me completely by surprise and Jesse and Emily burst out laughing. "The constipated Joker?"

"That's what you look like right now."

I rolled my eyes but laughed as well. "I'm grinning at you two because it's pretty obvious you're dating."

Emily's jaw dropped and her eyes darted back and forth between them. "What?"

Eve grinned and shrugged. "We waited to tell you guys until we knew it was serious."

I let out a happy squeal that was so loud other customers turned their heads to look at our table and pumped my fists in the air in victory. "Yes! I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Jesse asked, confused.

I grinned and pointed at them. "I knew you two liked each other! I knew it!"

I looked over at Emily, expecting to see her glowing with excitement as well, but instead, there was devastation etched on her face.

"Em?" I touched her arm, alarmed. "Are you okay?"

She mumbled about having to use the bathroom and took off from our table, leaving the three of us to stare after her in confusion.

"What's -" Eve started to say then realization dawned on her face. "Oh no. . ."

It dawned on Jesse and me at the exact same time as well. He groaned and put his head in his hands as I muttered, "Oh shit, oh shit," over and over.

Emily liked Jesse, and we had no idea.

Eve stood. "I should go talk to her."

"No, I should. She may not want to see you right now."

Jesse threw his hands up in exasperation. "How the hell should I have known? I don't know Em like that -"

"We're not blaming you," I said hastily. "Or either of you. I think we need to give her a little space right now. I'll talk to her real quick."

Eve sat down. "Okay. . ." She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably.

I stood and walked to the girl's restroom, pausing by LeBlanc's table as I did.

"I'm just going inside the restroom," I whispered to him. "I'll be right back."

He nodded. "Try not to stay in there too long. I'm within earshot if anything happens."

"I doubt anything's going to happen in a restroom, LeBlanc."

"You never know, Lyric. A lot of abductions take place inside of a restroom. Now get going."

I rolled my eyes and walked inside the restroom. An older woman was in front of one of the sinks, applying lipsticks to her lips. One of the stall doors was closed and I could hear sniffling coming from one of the stalls.

The older woman glanced at the stall door and leaned towards me and whispered, "Is she your friend?"

I nodded.

She shook her head, a sympathetic expression crossing over her face. "The poor girl looked absolutely devastated. Do you want me to do anything? I can give her tissues or something."

I shook my head and gave the woman a kind smile. "No, thank you. I just need to talk to her."

The woman smiled back before grabbing her purse and walking out.

I tapped on Emily's stall door softly. "Em?"

She sniffed some more before saying, "I'm fine, I just. . .need a moment."

I waited a few minutes before she walked out, her eyes rimmed with red, tear stains on her cheeks.

She sighed and walked over to the mirror to wash her face off. "I'll be fine, it's just. . .I've liked Jesse for so long and was always too scared to tell him."

"Why didn't you tell me or Eve or Anita?"

She shrugged and looked away, her face turning red. "I guess I was embarrassed, and I thought it'd be weird, two people from our friend group dating."

"Not really. I mean, Brandon was technically in our friend group before we started dating."

"He became a part of our friend group after you two started dating. With Jesse, we'd known him for years and I always thought of how weird and awkward it would be if I asked him out and he turned me down, and if I told you all how weird it would also be, and it was obvious he liked Eve, and I knew I never stood a chance. It just. . .I knew he would never want to go out with me and I couldn't face the rejection."

She sighed, braced her hands on the edges of the sink, and stared at her reflection in the mirror long and hard. "Jesse probably knows I like him now, huh?"

I hesitated and that gave it away.

She groaned and leaned her head. "Great. Now it's really going to be awkward."

"I'm sure everything's going to be fine. We'll move past this."

"Are you sure?"

"Totally. It may be awkward and weird for a while, but we'll move past this. We've been friends for way too long to let this destroy our group."

Emily brushed her hair out of her face and looked at me. "I really hope so. I should be happy for them, but the news just took me by surprise and I guess I'm just really jealous of Eve. What should I tell them?"

"Tell them you're happy for them - even if you don't mean it - and this is something you can move past."

"I guess that'll work."

We walked out of the bathroom.

Emily was saying something else to me, but something out of the corner of my eye caught my complete attention. I swiveled my head around and saw the hooded figure standing in the corner by one of the tables.