“None of you are special,” he says. “You’re all a waste of oxygen until I decide otherwise.”
He was looking at me again and I stared back, forcing myself not to break eye contact. I wish I was anywhere else right now, but I wasn’t. And Coach Miller was a bully. I couldn’t let him know how much he got to me.
“Go run some laps, all of you,” he said. “You can spend the entire class running like the cowards you are.”
My jaw tensed. Coach Miller was awful. He had no idea what we’d been through and I wouldn’t call myself or Luka a coward. But honestly, running laps for an hour is one of his lesser punishments so I jogged toward the track and considered myself lucky.
It could be so much worse.
“Hey, you okay?” Luka asked as he matched his pace to mine.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I’ll be happier when I no longer have gym class.”
He smirked.
“Pick up the pace, incubus, or you’ll be doing laps after dinner,” Coach Miller called.
“Go,” I said. “I’ll see you later.”
He blew a playful kiss and winked before taking off ahead of me.
“Hey, girl,” Violet said, taking Luka’s place. “I was pissed when I heard you were going to leave. You didn’t even say goodbye.”
“I wasn’t out yet,” I said. “And I never would have left without a goodbye. But lucky you, I’m here till the end of the term.”
“I’m selfishly glad you’re sticking around,” she said. “Scarlett might not be as thrilled.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” I said with a laugh.
Violet and I fell into a comfortable pace and a comfortable conversation. It made me feel a little better about everything I’d just been through. I mean, it was terrible, but at least I got some more time here to figure all this out with my friends before I was thrown into whatever the real world was for supernaturals.
Suddenly, someone ran into me, nearly knocking me over. “Hey!”
Delores was a few steps ahead of me now and she tossed her head back to look at me. “Watch where you’re going. Watch everything.”
“Is that a threat?” I asked, heat filling my chest. I never got even with her after her last stunt that sent me to the hospital. I figured letting it go was the best plan, but now I wasn’t so sure.
She smirked, then turned away from me and kept running. I shook my head. “I can’t stand her. What is her problem?”
“Besides the fact that you scooped up four of the most eligible bachelors in the school? No idea,” Violet said.
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” I said.
“Oh, I am,” she said. “And I applaud you for pulling off what might be the best boyfriend heist of all time.”
“That’s not making me feel better,” I said.
“Don’t you know? Vampires are terrible at making people feel good,” she said. “We live too long to sugar coat anything.”
“I suppose that’s not a bad thing. Especially in a place like this,” I said.
“You definitely want vampire friends,” she said. “We’re the only ones who will tell you to your face if you’re being an asshole.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” I said.
“Plus, we throw killer parties,” she said. “There’s a party tonight. You in?”
“Maybe,” I said.