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Then he walked out of the roouilt between his shoulder blades
He had never failed a test Ever
And now he’d done it twice
He couldn’t go to the cafeteria--not like he wanted to eat anything anyway He shifted his backpack and headed for the library
While he walked, he scrolled through the texts from Adam until he found the picture he’d sent himself
His eyes blurred, and he blinked moisture away God, he’d been such an idiot
His phone vibrated in his hand,his heart leap
Not Adaht?
Nick sighed
But what else did he have to do? He texted back quickly
Sure
By the end of the day, he was regretting it Tension washim surly and snappish Janette Morrits asked for a pencil in seventh period and he just about flung it in her face Teachers responded to his attitude with lectures to pay attention, to focus, that they expected le, every stupid use of the word gy or fag had his head whipping around
Maybe Hunter changed hisabouthe sat in the back of every roo he’d cut school
At the final bell, he stormed out the side door He didn’t want to ride home with his brothers He didn’t want to work a job with Michael
Cars were lined up illegally in the fire lane, parents who couldn’t be bothered to sit through the heavier traffic on the other side of school But trees lined the grounds beyond those vehicles, dense woods that led the way hoh the woods and clear his head
Maybe after three ether to spend a few hours slinging pavestone or planting bushes or whatever Michael needed help with
Heavy clouds swarround Orpower into his eleerous, but he didn’t care Wind whipped through his hair, feeding on his te the curb A notebook flipped open to spill papers across the quad Girls shrieked and scurried to catch them
Rain spit at his face, and Nick pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt It kept out the cold and his classmates, especially since not too
The hoodie didn’t keep out sound, however A car door slammed; then a voice called out as he slid between two sedans
"Windy out, huh, douche bag?"
The air brought the words right to him Nick stopped and lowered the hood Tyler stood by the curb, two cars up, leaning against his truck
What was he doing here? Nick gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists
He hated that his first thought was to wish Gabriel was here
Especially when Tyler moved away froh the sky overhead Wind blasted Nick in the face and pulled at his clothes He called forhis element to rip Tyler’s face clean off
Nick knew better than to fight hiive Gabriel a run for his money Nick couldn’t suffocate him, either, not with his senses so scattered The wind pulled his power in too ed for cold, and the next blast of as downright arctic
"Go away, Tyler," he said, keeping his voice low "You’re not supposed to be here"
Tyler laughed in his face "I’irl?"
Nick froze Was Tyler here for Quinn?
Then Nick thought of that second bruise on Quinn’s cheek, and he started forward Quinn was exactly the type of girl to fall in with someone like Tyler, someone who’d make promises to take care of her, but would then turn around and backhand her across the face He thought of Adaht "You leave her alone She has enough proble around with her"
Tyler shoved him back "Yeah, and what do you know about it?"
"I’ve seen enough You keep your hands off her"
"Jealous?" sneered Tyler "That’s funny" Then he hit Nick in the chest again, hard enough to knock hi his wind pick up fistfuls of twigs and rocks to pelt thes and rocks pelted Tyler’s truck, too
Nick had the satisfaction of seeing Tyler fall back a step, an arm raised to protect his eyes A rock hit his face and drew blood Then a sh force to tear his shirt--and the skin below it Nick caught the scent of blood on the wind
Tyler surged forward to grab Nick’s ar on fire"
Nick swung a fist and called for stronger wind, but Tyler ducked and caught his wrist They struggled, but Tyler had hiood thirty pounds He twisted Nick’s arive out
More thunder, an to sway
Tyler applied more pressure "Aw," he said "Is that painful?"
Yeah It was
"Fuck you," Nick gasped He reer, when Tyler had trapped hiym class, when he’d pinned him much like this to let Seth Rauy He hated his own fearNick’s cheeks, pelting hi to attack Tyler But then his gusts began to pull into a spiral, alainst his will The clouds overhead shifted In a minute, he’d have a tornado His poas always like this--no round Lively breeze one moment, massively destructive weather event the next
At least Gabriel’s fire needed so to burn Air was everywhere
He needed to rein this in before he leveled the school
Tyler set to play like that anyrip on Nick’s wrist
And then flah fabric to find skin, and Nick yelled, fighting like mad His sweatshirt was on fire, a fla anyone else could see The burn clouded his senses, eating into his ar alive