She glances my way, even going as far as meeting my eyes, but then looks away.
Great. No help from the staff then. She's going to act just like the mean girls because of my magic and there's nothing I can do about that. What a great feeling.
"At least he knows she didn't use a love spell on him." Ivy's mouth twists into a cruel smile and I try to let it fly over me. She isn't worth my trouble.
"I wouldn't do that anyway," I counter. "I don't need to trick someone into loving me." The words come out as more of a snap than I intend, but the amused smile on Caspian's face says I haven't gone too far.
"Are you implying I need to?" she asks.
"You're the one who said it." This confidence isn't like me. Or it is, but it's more like the me I used to be and not the me I've become since studying here. This place was supposed to better me, and yet the opposite seems to be happening.
Ivy looks like she wants to slap me, but doesn't dare to.
The teacher glares at us. "Are you causing trouble, Miss Black?"
I shake my head.
"I think you are."
"I..."
"Get out of my classroom, Miss Black, and don't come back until you're more prepared to learn."
I swallow the lump in my throat. Did she seriously just say that? I don't want to be the girl sent out of class.
"I mean it." She stares at me, the hostility seeping into every part of my being and eroding the confidence I gained from confronting Ivy.
Without saying a word, I grab my bag and storm towards the door, letting it slam shut behind me. The moment the lock clicked, the floodgates within me open, and the first sob escapes me. I don't mean to, but getting thrown out of class like that is humiliating. And it's only made worse by the fact the teachers here are supposed to help me get better not demotivate me completely.
I stumble down the corridor, glad that everyone's either in class, or off studying. No one's down here when they don't have to be. I turn a corner into a narrow alcove and sink down against the wall, letting the tears flow freely.
"Mona?"
I look up through my blurry eyes, only partly horrified to see Caspian standing there with a squirming kitten in his arms.
"You forgot him," he says, holding the kitten out towards me.
"Thanks?" I wipe my nose with my sleeve, aware that it probably looks awful, but not even caring. I'm beyond that.
"Do you have the stuff to look after him?" Caspian asks softly as I take the kitten from him.
It's fluffy. And soft. And it purrs when I touch it, as if it's happy to see me. Suddenly, my tears don't seem as important as they had moments before.
"No," I answer Caspian's question, realising I've waited a little longer than I should have. "I've never had a cat before," I admit.
"I grew up with one. I still miss her sometimes." He slides down the wall and sits next to me, before reaching over and petting the kitten.
"I'm sorry you couldn't bring her."
"That's okay, it seems like I'll have a cat I can visit now."
I chuff in amusement. "After my display in there, you're still interested in talking to me?"
"Maybe I just want you for your kitten."
Even I'm surprised when a smile cracks over my lips. "Thank you."
"For only being interested in your cat? Or for not making the obvious crude joke I could in this situation."