what happened with Calla Dean? Coach Taylor says you had a run-in in the lunch line.”
Hunter felt his hands form fists. “I didn’t do anything.”
“She says—”
“She’s lying. I didn’t touch her.”
Ms. Vickers pursed her lips. “I asked you to stay away from her entirely. If I don’t think you can do that, you’re going to force me to suspend you.”
This was ridiculous. “I’m trying!”
“You didn’t make it through lunch. I’m not sure that qualifies as trying very hard.”
Hunter almost came out of his chair. His hands were ready to snap the plastic armrests clean off. “I didn’t—”
“Hey.” Gabriel’s voice was sharp.
Hunter rounded on him, ready to finish what he’d started in the cafeteria. “What?”
Gabriel didn’t flinch from his look. “Dial it back a notch.” He glanced up.
And then Hunter realized that the overhead light was buzzing more frantically, making loud clicks within the tube. The air in the room had to have dropped ten degrees.
He’d always been able to sense the elements, and control was a newer talent, but he’d never affected anything to this extent.
Hunter closed his eyes and took a slow breath. In through his nose, out through his mouth. Then another. His hands unclenched, and he dropped back into the chair.
“Very zen,” said Gabriel. “Should I light a candle?”
Hunter’s eyes snapped open. “Fuck you.”
“Gentlemen,” said Vickers.
Damn. Everyone was managing to burrow under his skin today.
“I’m sorry,” Hunter bit out. “I’ll stay away from Calla.”
“Three strikes and you’re out, Hunter.” She shivered and pulled a cardigan off the back of her chair, then forced her arms into the sleeves. “If we have this conversation again, you’ll be looking at a three-day suspension. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes shifted to Gabriel. “The same goes for you, Mr. Merrick.”
“Roger.” He mock-saluted her.
“Can the two of you make it to next period without fighting? Or should someone stay with me?”
Hunter shot out of his chair. “I’m good.”
Gabriel followed him into the hall. Hunter ignored him, though he wanted to slam him into the bank of lockers. The bell hadn’t rung yet, and the halls were still empty.
“Nice shirt,” said Gabriel.
“Go away.”
“What, you’re not still tracking me so you can report back to your keeper?”
Hunter ignored him and kept walking.
Gabriel kept after him. “Don’t like being called a traitor?”
“I’m not a traitor.”
“Did you turn on your dad, too? Is that what you feel so guilty ab—”
Hunter spun. Gabriel caught his wrist before he could throw a punch.
“Don’t be an idiot,” he snapped. “Do you want to get suspended?”
Hunter jerked free. “I want you to leave me alone.”
“Oh, it’s okay for you to follow me around—”
“I wasn’t following you around!” God, Hunter would pay good money for a handful of ibuprofen. “And you know what? Why don’t you cut the martyr act?”
Gabriel looked incredulous. “Me. The martyr act.”
“Yeah. You.” Hunter glared at him. “Like I screwed you over. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain—”
“All right.” Gabriel stopped walking. “Explain.”
Hunter took a breath—and had nothing to say.
“Yeah, whatever.” Gabriel moved away.
“Can you blame him?” called Hunter.
Gabriel hesitated, but didn’t turn. “Blame who?”
“Bill. Becca’s dad. Can you blame him for thinking you’d cause trouble? I didn’t drag you to that first fire.”
Gabriel laughed low, under his breath, but not like it was really funny. He turned and walked back to Hunter. “No, jackass. I blame you. Where’d you learn how to be a friend, anyway?”
Hunter stared at him. “What does that mean?”
“It means you need to pick a fucking side.”
Then the bell rang and people flooded the hallway, separating them until Hunter lost Gabriel in the sea of students.
CHAPTER 6
At the end of the school day, Kate burst into the afternoon sunlight with the other students.
Then she got a glimpse of the roadway in front of the school and sighed.
Silver was waiting for her, leaning up against his truck, one hand hooked into a pocket. The sun caught the lighter strands in his hair and turned them gold, and the black T-shirt he wore didn’t leave a whole lot to the imagination.
She wasn’t the only one appreciating it, if the number of giggling girls passing close to the truck were any indication. But Silver was only looking at Kate.
She sighed and pulled her sunglasses from her bag, slipping them onto her face along with a bored expression, before looking both ways to cross the street.
For a moment, she wished she’d asked Nick Merrick for a ride home, just to get under Silver’s skin, but at lunch she’d met Quinn.