Blazing Academy: Semester One (Academy For All Things Scorching #1) - Avery Song Page 0,72

silver. His hair had been like that all week, a sign that he hadn't been using an ounce of his flame. He was wearing circular black frames this evening, and he wasn't carrying his usual exhausted expression.

"Sadly," I admitted. "You look rejuvenated. Was your nap good?"

"It was really good," he admitted. "No nightmares."

"You experience nightmares?" I inquired.

"On a daily basis," he admitted, entering the room and closing the door until there was a slight crack. He walked over to where I was sitting on a comfy beanie chair, and I shuffled over and patted the space for him to sit next to me.

His grin was inviting as he sat next to me and relaxed back. "These beanies are so comfortable."

"They're nice when you're spending hours studying," I added. He agreed with a bob of his head. "You didn't have a nightmare today, then?" I went back to the previous topic.

"Nah. I think because classes were extra-long today, I just slept straight through."

Cyrus poked her head from the blanket I had laid on my feet to run over and sit in Westley's lap. He smirked and began to stroke her head, all while his eyes looked at the door. "Nightmares are a usual thing. They don't scare me like before."

"Did you have a nightmare the night after my ceremony?" I inquired. "You know. When the guys thought it would be intriguing to put us in the same bed?"

"Nah," he replied. "I slept really well."

"Maybe you need to sleep with someone around?" I suggested.

"I feel as though you're offering to be my cuddle buddy, Alice.”

The mention of it and reviewing what I'd been implying made me quickly defend myself, "I-I wasn't thinking like that. Uh...maybe I was, but it was subconscious thinking, not realistic thinking."

"Next time I'll try napping here while you study and see if that helps." His taunting grin was followed with a wink, and I gave up in trying to cover my flustered expression.

Returning his attention to the table before us, he reached for my notebook and began to flicker through the written pages.

"Are these all the notes for this week's class?" he inquired. "Seems a little too much."

"No. Those are the notes for the entire semester."

"You finished reading all the required material?" He seemed impressed as he took another slower look through my notebook.

"Yup. I went through each of the elemental types, made notes in detail, and I was able to get some extra books from the library to add to my research."

"I knew Professor Daily was praising you the other day after getting a glimpse of your past grade records, but wow. You really learn that quickly?"

"I love information, learning, and trying to improve myself in the knowledge department. It helps pass the time when all I do is go to school, come home and study, and sleep. It's not like I've ever had friends long enough to go to parties or simply hangout. At least with books, I can get lost, whether it's studying or to pass the time with a new fantasy adventure."

"You never went out to parties with friends?" Westley frowned at my statement, but I tried to remain positive as I smiled.

"I'm always transferring. If I stay at a school for more than six months, it's pretty much a miracle. It's not like my personality is the problem, but due to my long history of transferring due to flaming mishaps, people began to distance themselves before I could formally introduce myself. It was frustrating and, well, I've gotten so used to it, I never really tried to seek refuge in the possibility of making friends. When I enter a new school, I can already pick up on the signs that I won’t be here for long. I knew when I had to deal with Rick at my last school that I'd be out of there in a few weeks. Didn't expect it to be four days, but at least I tried."

"Are you seeing those same signs attending here?"

"No," I honestly replied. "To be fair, I've tried not to focus too much on the people around me. Before, I was so analytical with everything. I would analyze people's behaviors with every bit of detail I could grasp, not because they were exhibiting actions that deserved my attention, but because of how paranoid I was. Most schools follow the same curriculum, and whenever I started school, I'd work on going through everything we needed to learn for that term or even that year. That way,