Blazing Academy: Semester One (Academy For All Things Scorching #1) - Avery Song Page 0,86

I knew it wasn't something to rush about, but then again, from the gossip from my past schools, it was one of those looming ticking time bombs just waiting to happen.

With our relationship going at a smooth pace, I began to not worry about it and hope to go with the flow. We still held hands, sat together during lunch, and went on mini dates to walk around the block or get groceries, but dating Westley didn't feel like a hassle.

It was comforting to have someone who connected with you.

I had to admit, I was getting close to Keru and Gabriel as well. Not on a romantic level, but it was a lot easier to talk about anything bothering me both in school and outside of it.

Living with them was teaching me basic stuff I hadn't learned with my grandparents around. Compared to us having to go to a laundry mart in town, we had a washer and dryer in the dorm, one of those fancy, high tech ones you saw in commercials.

I'd also been learning how to cook various meals. Gabriel, being the teacher type, showed me step by step when we decided to make a meal after a long day of classes.

I was finally figuring out a balance in my schedule, and that alone was a blessing. No more worries about suddenly getting suspended or being made into a mockery for the school's entertainment.

Aside from Rick and his remaining horsemen comrades.

I'd been avoiding Rick as much as I could. I was grateful that we had completely different schedules, and even during our hour and a half lunch break, the guys always stuck around me so he wouldn't have the chance to waltz over and rain on my school parade.

The four horsemen of our semester were Eliza, Rick, Damon, and Madeline.

Eliza was Blazing Fire, and still gave me glares of death whenever she could. Damon was of Wind Flare, but I barely saw him around and on the off chance I did, he always had that mysterious, expressionless look on his face as he stared at me - or anyone, for that matter.

Madeline was of Holy Trinity and seemed to be besties with Eliza, and obvious Rick was of Dark Flame and was a gossip starter.

I never expected guys to start stuff around the school, but he'd put the icing on the cake because every week he'd be spreading some rumor about me.

Thanks to Clara, I officially knew all about the weekly gossip. After the evening up in the glass box, we'd gone back and thanked her for the amazing experience.

That opened the door for us to be friends, and she was one of the first girls to be a part of my circle. Her strong point was Holy Trinity, but she also carried Dark Flame, which was a rare combination due to their opposite elemental qualities.

She was eighteen and lived in a big city where magic was common. She'd gotten an invitation to Blazing because of her dual flame trait, and because her parents owned the mansion house up here as an investment, she figured getting some work experience was smart.

If I ever wanted a place to work, she'd be able to hook me up. It was a good option to have once I got used to school.

To be fair, I was still apprehensive about sharing my deeper thoughts with her. It felt like we were casual friends, and I was okay with that for now. With my past experiences, I didn't want to open myself to disappointment, but with the guys, it felt like they would remain by my side for a good while.

Watching the professors gather our papers with a swirl of their magic wands, the tests fluttered into the air, surrounded by a golden light as they piled up in the front.

I was in one of the first row students in the large testing auditorium, and we were gestured to exit to our left. Following suit, I caught onto Clara, who was two students ahead of me.

Once we reached the exit, she turned around, her eyes searching the crowd until they landed on me.

"Alice!" She proudly grinned and gave me a wave. It was a bit of encouragement to have someone to talk to while I waited for the guys, who were further down in the back rows.

"How was it?!" Clara questioned with enthusiasm. "I heard before the test that they made this year's test far harder. Some of those questions and spell requests were