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What was ht I’d been prepared But now that he was in front ofabout lost hearts or mysterious wrist shackles or the fact that I’d just fainted minutes before

All I could focus on was the hate

FIVE

NOW

The Surface Mrs Stone’s classroom

My hand froze withwith a dart, about to throw it at a target The tip of the pencil pointed toward Cole

He caught my eye and smirked, then turned to Mrs Stone "Sorry I’m late Traffic"

Mrs Stone narrowed her eyes "Not a great precedent to set on the first day of class, Mr?"

"Black Neal Black"

I couldn’t move Mrs Stone nodded towardlike You know Nikki, I’ atat the seat next to me, on the opposite side from Jules With dread I noticed it was the only e my uncontrollable reaction to Cole, I wasn’t sure I would survive sitting by hirabbed the sides of my desk, as if I were about to pick it up and move it Like a crazy person

Cole walked over and noticed hoas grabbing my desk He raised an eyebrow "I think when Mrs Stone said to take our seats, she didn’t mean literally take our seats"

I released the desk

He plopped down in the chair and whispered, "What’s wrong? You kneas co"

I took a few deep breaths in and out "I know But I hate you"

He sure that out?"

I closed my eyes and leaned over my desk "It’s, like, painful" I made an O shape with my mouth and blew out some breaths, just like I’d seen women in labor do on television

Cole put his hand on my back "Breathe Just breathe Try not to die of hate"

Mrs Stone struck her ruler on the end of her table "If I ht and nodded as if to say Youto cover the structure of haiku, and just to y Specifically, Hercules Yes, the strong ht on the brain cells, heavy on the biceps"

Cole leaned over and said under his breath, "We all know someone like that, don’t we?"

I didn’t take my eyes off Mrs Stone

"But he was victiy: the inability to know good from evil Because of this, he committed many acts of violence Even murder Later in his life the curse was lifted" She paused dras you had done in your life at a tiht fro the curse placed a whole new curse on Hercules The curse of remorse" She pointed to what she had written on the board, about the twelve labors "We will divide up into teaned one of Hercules’s twelve labors Throughout the course, as we learn about the different writing styles, you rite about that particular labor in that particular style Now, choose your teammate"

Crap I turned to Jules, but Tara Bolton whipped around in her seat as if she’d heard a gunshot or soetic shrug

I turned behindplans with Shalese Glenn I desperately looked to the front of the room just as Cole pushed his desk next to ainst the tile floor

I threwmore than slow it down I didn’t want him anywhere near ether," I said, but he ignored me

"Everyone paired up?" Mrs Stone said "Good I’ll assign each tea nuned nule day

"As I said, your first writing style is the haiku" She spent the next twentythe forave us the rest of the class tiround huaveas ere together now

"I want noredcloser to h school"

"I want my heart"

"Do you want to write or shall I?" Cole said loudly, ignoring lanced at us, so I pulled out a notebook and started writing in it as if orking

"I wantAl"

He tilted his head forward in a challenging way "Giveelse"

Cole raised an eyebrow "You think I care about anything else?"

I looked down at the floor "Where isquestion"

I raised ht question?"

He paused dra to su?"

I froze withYou rabbed my wrist and pushed up my sleeve He studied my wrist for a moment before I yanked my hand away "The shackle," he said "It’s there"

"So?" I pulled my sleeve back down

He frowned, and when he spoke again his voice was soft "You’re getting weak, aren’t you?" It wasn’t a question It was a statement "Quickly, too"

"No," I said The word cah histhe transition Your body doesn’t kno to y sources yet"

I leaned closer "That’s ridiculous I fed off Jack twice last year" I tried not to think about all the times I’d tried to feed on him in the past teeks only to fail

"But you were human then"