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The crowd roars. Jasper isn’t popular, but no one can deny the perfect precision of that punch. Professor Howell hoists Jasper’s arm in the air. The cheers are deafening.
Howell calls a short break before the second round of fights. Only a couple of students leave the bleachers. Though the finalround of theQuartum Bellumis already assured, the Sophomores and Juniors are still intently interested to see whose fighter will triumph. The Freshmen and Seniors likewise seemed glued to the ring, eager to see who will have to fight Silas next and whether Jasper will be able to employ that sledgehammer punch against a different opponent.
Miles scales the side of the bleachers, squeezing into the gap between Anna and Zoe.
“Where have you been?” Zoe says, her cheeks flushing pink just from the sight of Miles.
“Thought you might be getting hungry,” he says, passing around a paper bag of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. They’re warm and soft, the chocolate chips still melty from the oven. I scarf my cookie down in two bites.
“A present from your friends in the kitchen?” Zoe laughs.
“I told you, they’ll trade their souls for the right baggie.” Miles grins.
“No milk?” Leo complains.
“Only for Zoe,” Miles fires back, pulling a chilled glass bottle out from under his shirt and ripping off the paper top.
“Zoe. I will pay you five hundred dollars for that milk,” Leo says, eyes fixed on the bottle. “I’ll do all your homework for a year. Please. I need it.”
“There’s plenty,” Zoe says, taking a sip and passing it along. “I’m happy to share.”
“And she doesn’t want your homework help,” Anna laughs. “It wouldn’t improve her grades.”
“I’ve been studying this year,” Leo says, pretending to be hurt.
“Not as much as Zoe.”
“Well if that’s the standard, then none of us study.”
“Except Ares,” Zoe amends.
I’m only half-listening to the conversation because I’m looking across the ring at the double rows of seats reserved for the teachers. Miss Robin sits at the edge of the second row, her red hair flaming in the sunshine and her lumpy, oversized cardigan ill-suited to the warm spring weather.
“Look at that,” I say to Zoe. “Miss Robin came.”
“It’s funny seeing her in sunlight,” Zoe says.
“Well, now you know for sure she’s not a vampire.”
“I bet she’s finally getting comfortable at the school,” Zoe says. “I’m glad—I’m sure it takes a while to get used to this place. And the other professors.”
“I like Miss Robin,” Miles says, taking the milk back from Leo and washing down his cookie. “She did me a solid the other day.”
“What did she do?” Anna asks.
I see a quick, amused glance pass between Miles and Zoe.
“She found my textbook in the lost and found,” Miles says.
Professor Howell climbs up into the ring, easily vaulting over the top rope though it’s chest-high on him.
“Ready for the second round?” he shouts up to the crowd.
The students roar their approval, not nearly satiated yet.
The fighters draw lots again, and this time there’s an audible gasp as Silas is paired up with Jasper Webb. Jasper barely had time to recover from his last fight, but he takes his position, looking cool and uncaring even in the face of Silas’s granite bulk. Jasper cracks his knuckles, the sharp popping audible all the way up in the stands.
The fighters raise their fists. Professor Howell rings the bell.
