𝔉𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔦𝔫𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔰𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔦𝔰𝔢

5.

Rheynara's pov

Avery Hawthorn was even more talkative than Liam and Sloan combined, and that was something. When we walked down the corridor together, the other cadets gave her surprised or disgusted – depending on how you interpret it – looks, which the blonde accepted with a smile on her face. Of course, it crossed my mind that the girl was just crazy, but I wasn't going to judge her. Just like she didn't do it to me.

"And anyway, you were great today at the battle brief. I really don't know how you do it!" Hawthor seemed genuinely delighted with my wordplay with Devera, but I shrugged her off.

We were just entering the room where all the trainings take place and I am sorry to note that the vast majority of people are already present. As soon as I opened the door, all eyes went in our direction. Most of them immediately looked away when they realized who had entered the room, but there were also those who were perfidiously staring. Fortunately, Professor Emetterio did not comment on our slight delay, which was probably due to the already ongoing sparring, which he had to supervise.

I took a seat against the wall, leaning against it and giving my throbbing head a moment of rest. Avery was still following me and stopped to my right, Liam appeared on my left, and his face was rather unlike him. I looked at him sideways, frowning. I also felt the curious eyes of my new acquaintance on me. Liam's gaze rested on her for a moment, then returned to me.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been?" he shouted at me in a whisper, at which I rolled my eyes.

"If you need to know, I've been to the bathroom."

" This long?!" He burst out a little louder, which made several people pay attention to us.

"Not that you can count down the time I spend on my physiological needs, but," I paused for a moment, turning half-way to Avery, "I met a new friend whose mouth wouldn't close. So it took us a while." Half truth, half lie, my favorite necessary weapon.

Liam, meanwhile, was looking at me as if I had grown a second head. "What?" I hissed at him.

"No, nothing," and at that moment I knew that he was going to make fun of me, "I'm just surprised that you made friends with someone," a wide smile twisted his lips, and his eyes even shone with happiness. Behind me, I also heard Avery's soft laughter.

"I don't understand what's so funny about it."

"Absolutely nothing, really," he straightened up a bit and grabbed my shoulders, to which I looked at him suspiciously, "I'm extremely proud of you, Rheyna." He couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. I sighed in exasperation and knocked his hands off.
When they both stopped laughing, they shook hands to introduce themselves and probably make some alliance to annoy me.

"Avery Hawthorn. I'm also on your squad."

"Liam Mairi. It's nice to meet a person who wasn't scared only by her existence," he laughed, pointing his head at me.