"I.... I ... Was coming... To class" I stammer, suddenly idiotified.
But Viviette Tom's crisp gaze only sits at me very briefly. Her eyes divert to Jordan Files who is looking nonplussed and very much unruffled. I want to swath that blazing rude nonchalance away from his face.
"The fallen star" She snorts . "Without autographs to sign and paparazzi trailing your doorstep, I'm sure you have no reason to miss class. Which surprisingly you have missed. Thrice. In one week."
"Well I was out vacating in the Organelles " He shrugs listlessly "You should try it sometimes."
I open my mouth and clamp it shut again.
Viviette Tom smiles as if she's impressed by such outrageous cockiness. Minata has unfixed her glare from me and has softened her facial features to stare at Jordan. Longingly.
"I am very impressed to see that your notorious arrogance has not deserted you " Viviette Tom hisses "Hold on to it since even Fame has fled your touch."
"A very good advice that I will definitely take " Jordan smiles broadly.
"Well you missed a test today " Viviette shrugs . "If you do not want to flop the rest of your already hopeless life, you should at least take your studies seriously ".
"Another advice I should definitely discard " Jordan cocks an eyebrow "Since my life is already hopeless according to your stats ".
Well this was the height of it. He was definitely going to be fried. For real this time.
"I will give you a makeup test" I am surprised at the words Viviette Tom is saying. Why is she not marching his rude ass down to the Principal's office. "Thirty minutes only. "
Jordan says listlessly "You would be surprised at what I can do in thirty minutes."
"An E wouldn't surprise me at all" She rolls her eyes. "Of course college is already a myth to you. To my office, young man" Her eyes dart to me almost like an afterthought "And that includes you too, Night Carter. You can relief Minata of her burden now. Thank you so much, Miss Straus. "
Viviette Tom's heels clicks as she walks away while Jordan follows her in that irksome swaggerish bounce. I am stretching my hand to Minata Straus. She's gum glued on Jordan's departing back instead.
I tap her quietly even if I want to smash her beautiful face for no particular tangible reason. She has every right to be gum glued to Jordan. She is afterall his fated mate.
Now rejected mate, my mind twangs in a string of something that reeks suspiciously of relief. Sick relief . I am feeling bad for Minata Straus. She did not deserve the jarring heartbreak his rejection caused her. But what if Jordan had accepted her, wouldn't that make my life a much more complicated hot mess than it already is?
Fuck. What was happening to my morality.
"Scoot off, Night."Minata scowls, dumping the bundle of books into my palms. I nearly collapse from the weight.
She gives me a final glare and then stomps off furiously.
I trudge slowly to Viviette Tom's office.
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I am chewing on my fountain pen as if that would help jab my brain a bit. I was stuck on the second question. Rock stuck.
It wasn't really an unfamiliar question. The topic looked vaguely familiar. Maybe if I had had time to sneak a peak into my notebook before this emergency test, I would have aced this without a whim.
We were seated in Viviette Tom's office, a small rectangular room with a smooth mahogany table and an assortment of colorful items on a shelf. The window was wide open, letting in a stream of air that did nothing to soothe my clueless brain.
Jordan sat a couple of feet away, scribbling hurriedly into his sheets. I wondered what on earth he was writing. Nonsense no doubt. After all he had spent a full week on a self imposed holiday and missed three classes. What would he know about the definition of Arcane Psychometry which was a very recent topic She had elaborated on four days ago. And which surprisingly was nowhere to be found in my head.
Meanwhile Viviette Tom had wedged herself right between us supervising crisply.
I saw Jordan raise a hand.
"You need something, Mr Files?" Viviette asks .
"Yes, " Jordan stands up with a flourish"I need to submit."
"It's only the tenth minute," Her voice is flat "You should rack your brain a little bit more before giving up so easily."
"Is it still called giving up when you are done writing and there's no more questions to answer?"
Viviette snatches the sheet from his hand with an unbelieving scoff . She gestures him that he can leave now. He does a mock bow and saunters off while she adjust her glasses and looks at his paper.
"Good God" She exclaims in shock, re adjusting her glasses , her mouth wide open at the paper.
I know right, I stiffle a self satisfied smirk. Serves him right. That dumb head brute. An E definitely.
Viviette Tom's next words almost make me choke on my fountain pen "Goodness Gracious. A genius IQ beneath all that wisps of arrogance" She clicks her tongue "Well he definitely has every reason to gloat. "
I am trying not to overtly display my flaming curiosity as she picks up a pen. My eyes do not deceive me. On Jordan's sheet, Viviette Tom is scribbling an A.
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