29
Raven
Makayla was waitingfor me outside the cafeteria and I hurried to meet her. I'd skipped breakfast this morning. Luka had joined me in a dream, and I didn't want to wake up.
My stomach grumbled at the smell of food. "I hope it's good today, I'm starving."
"Yeah, I wondered where you were during breakfast," she said. "Ben seemed to be looking for you too."
"Sorry, I overslept. Those magic sessions with Professor Halifax wear me out." I ignored the comment about Ben. The two of us managed to get quality time a few times a week at least. Yesterday, we'd skipped lunch together and met for a quickie in his room. Between him and Luka, I was getting quite the workout.
"How come you have to keep doing that now that your magic is back?" she asked.
"Just helping me catch up," I said. "I did miss quite a bit while my magic wasn't working."
"That's true," she said. "Hey, pizza day."
I grabbed a tray and pulled two plates of pizza slices onto it. The cafeteria made the bestpizza I'd ever had. After picking up a bowl of salad and a bottle of iced tea, I left the line and followed Makayla to our usual table.
Ben was sitting with us again, though the two of us never sat next to each other. He smiled at me quickly, then went back to his conversation with Jessica.
I was pretty sure all the shifters at the table had figured out what was going on between us, but they never said a word. I didn't know if he'd talked to them and asked them to keep quiet or if they were just following our lead. I wasn't sure I wanted to know. It was almost easier to feel like I had to hide it from them too. If I got used to being open about our relationship in front of them, I might slip in front of someone I shouldn't.
Just as I took my first bite, Luka slid onto the seat next to me. He planted a kiss on my cheek as he did every day. At this point, the fact that Luka and I were an item was old news around the school. Though, I knew Ben hated every second of Luka's affections. I felt bad about it, but I tried to make it up to Ben in our private time.
"Hey, I have something lined up for tonight. All of you should come," Luka said to the table.
"What is it?" I asked. "I still can't leave the main building."
"You won't have to leave." He lowered his tone, making everyone have to lean in to hear him. "But meet at the gym at midnight."
"Why?" Jamal asked.
"Or don't, your choice." He shrugged, then took a bite of his pizza. "Hey, did you all hear about Remi and Dolores?"
"What about them?" Jessica asked.
"I guess someone walked in on the two of them in a classroom last night and they were not studying," he said.
"I knew it," Jessica said. "I knew those two were sneaking around campus. Students always try to hide it, but their relationships come out into the public sooner or later."
My stomach churned and suddenly I wasn't as hungry as I was before. She was right. It was difficult to hide anything at this school.
"I'm sure there are lots of secrets at this school," Luka said. "That's what makes it so much juicier when one breaks."
The table broke into conversation about past rumors and secrets that had come out. Most of the stories were new to me and they helped take my mind off of Ben and me. I knew I didn't want to keep our relationship hidden forever, but until we had a better way of dealing with it, this was how it was.
The rest of the day flew by. Even gym was tolerable today. I'd gotten pretty good at running laps on days when Coach Miller ignored us while he lifted in the corner. He recruited some of the larger shifters to lift with him or spot him and seemed to be enjoying their sessions. I was happy to run around the circle with Violet.
"How are things with the demon?" she asked.
"Good," I said.
"Good, that's all I get?" she asked.
"How are things with you and Scarlett?" I asked.
"Let me tell you, the things that woman can do with her tongue. I mean, she's a handful and sometimes I wonder why I put up with her shit, but once we get naked, I stop thinking completely."