Witchcraft Academy (The First Book)

The Sixteenth Chapter

"Listen, I understand how this might look," I confess to Harmony as she forcefully pulls me out of the gym, gripping my arm tightly. Memories of her dark past flood my mind, vivid and haunting. I recoil from her touch, unable to bear the weight of those images any longer. She and Melody have done a lot of fucked up things in the last three hundred years.

"You've been involved in multiple fights ever since your Neophyte year, and this is the second time you've punched Phoenix, Ember," she states, her fingers massaging the crease between her eyebrows wearily.

"I know, but this time she deserved it!" I protest vehemently. "She insulted Juniper, calling her a dyke, and blamed her for Taylor's death. Taylor was out searching for Juniper when the murder happened. You know Juniper, she would never defend herself."

Harmony lets out a tired sigh. "You can't save everyone. As a consequence, you'll be confined to your dormitory for the remainder of the week."

"What about my classes?" I inquire, faking concern. Deep down, I don't really care about attending classes, but anything is better than being stuck in the cramped confines of my dorm room all week.

"I'll have Juniper and Ethan bring you your meals and school assignments. Now, you better head back to your dorm," she says sternly, sending a shiver down my spine. Without another word, I hastily make my way back to my dorm, feeling the weight of the impending isolation.

Juniper is already up there, sitting in her bed looking grief-stricken. She jumps up when she sees me. "I'm so sorry Ember, I hope you didn't get into too much trouble because of me."

"Because of you? No. That bitch needed a fancy new nose job anyways, she should be thanking me." I joke. "And nobody talks about my best friend like that."

We embrace tightly and spend some quality time together, snuggled up on her cozy bed, enjoying a marathon of movies.

"So, guess what? I slept with Axel last night." She blurts out after the movie ends, avoiding eye contact with me.

"What? No way!" I exclaim, in disbelief. They've never shown any romantic interest in each other. They must have both been pretty wasted.

"We were both drunk and upset about you and Taylor, and it just happened. We promised to keep it a secret, but you're my best friend so I had to tell you," she confesses.

"Wow... I'm speechless," I mutter awkwardly, unsure of how to react.

"Are you angry?" she asks, her hazel eyes searching mine for a reaction.

"No... I have no reason to be mad," I reassure her. "I'm in love with Silas."

"Okay, I still felt you should know..." she trails off.

"So, how was it?" I inquire curiously. "Is he as good in bed as he claims to be?"

"I was pretty fucked up, and neither of us remembers much. Plus, I'm not a fan of dick, but from what I recall, it was good," she awkwardly responds.

The door swings open, and Ethan, Andrew, and Axel stroll in, casually tossing their backpacks onto the floor of our room.

"What's happening?" Juniper asks, a puzzled look on her face.

"Well, your ex-girlfriend passed away, and Ember is once again on dorm arrest. So, we brought junk food, movies, and popcorn," Ethan explains, emptying his bag.

"I brought alcohol and edibles," Axel proudly announces, displaying his bag.

"Of course you did." Andrew groans. "Why don't you people ever do anything sober?"

"I'm always sober, baby," Ethan says, giving him a goofy smile.

"Ugh, how are you still able to drink?" Juniper groans. "I have the worst hangover. But I'll definitely have an edible."

"I second that!" I chime in.

Axel grins and opens his bag, tossing both Juniper and me a chocolate brownie that's heavily infused with the aroma of marijuana, even through the plastic wrap.

We indulge in our chocolatey delights, savoring each bite of the brownies, while setting up the classic film 'Mr. And Mrs. Smith' on the minuscule box TV perched on Juniper's dresser. Andrew and Ethan snuggle up on Juniper's bed, while she reclines at the foot of it. Axel joins me on my bed, shoulder to shoulder, beaming at me with a silly grin and extending his flask. I roll my eyes at his antics, but accept it, taking a few hearty swigs of his cheap rum.

"Looks like you won't be sneaking out to see that guy this week," he whispers in my ear halfway through the movie.

"His name is Silas, and it's only for a week," I retort. "Besides, it's none of your business. Seems like you've been quite busy with your own fuck buddies lately."

He chuckles softly. "Are you jealous, my Snow Witch?"

"Hell no," I stubbornly reply, snatching the flask from his hand and taking another long gulp, until the dizziness starts to set in.

"I think you've had enough," Axel remarks, taking the flask away as the movie comes to an end.

"I haven't had enough," I slur, my words slurring. "And you're one to talk."

"For once, I agree with Axel. You need to sleep it off," Ethan interjects, tidying up the room for all of us. He is such a saint.

"No, we're supposed to be having fun!" I argue, stumbling to my feet and cranking up the radio, blasting KUPD rock music. I start dancing, swaying my hips from side to side, pulling Axel and Juniper up to join me on the improvised dance floor.

No one protests, and to my surprise, Axel and Juniper sandwich me between them, rubbing against me. Axel stands behind me, his hands on my waist, while Juniper faces me, dancing intimately. I even catch a glimpse of Ethan and Andrew dancing together on the other side of the room, in a more romantic and less proactive dance.

"See, this is fun!" I yell over the music, wiggling my ass against Axel and giggling as I hear him softly moan the word 'fuck'...

I gently cup Juniper's face and plant a soft kiss on her lips. She reciprocates, and after a moment, we break apart. I turn to face Axel, who is grinning at me through his drunken haze. "Not fair, Snow Witch. I've been waiting for you to make the first move."

"Well, you might continue waiting forever," I whisper in his ear, wrapping my arms around his neck and swaying against him. I reach into the pocket of his leather jacket and sneak another sip from his flask. "Maybe you should just ask Phoenix out at this point."

"Yeah, right. So I can bring her to all these wild parties, and you can break her nose some more?" He raises an eyebrow at me, taking a swig from his flask before tucking it away in his pocket.

"Exactly!" I drunkenly grin back at him, hearing Juniper giggle behind me.

"Nice ass!" She laughs, playfully slapping my butt and I oblige with a little shimmy.

"Not fair! I'm not allowed to do that!" Axel protests.

"And don't forget it." I wink at him, turning to dance face-to-face with Juniper as we jokingly grab each other's breasts.

"We're going to head to bed, but trust me, we'll be back. You won't spend the whole week alone, Em," Ethan smiles, interrupting our dance to give me a quick hug. "And although I don't endorse violence, Phoenix had it coming, and I'm glad you punched her in the face."

"Thanks, me too," I smile back at him, then glance at Andrew, who is quietly waiting by the door, his shy demeanor as prominent as ever. "Goodnight Andrew! It's always nice to see you!"

"You too, Ember. See you tomorrow," he says sweetly as he and Ethan exit the room.

"I should probably head out before things get out of hand," Axel says, running his tattooed hand through his light brown hair and giving me a serious look.

"That's probably a good idea. It's getting late," I tell him, watching as he gathers his belongings and leaves the room.

"I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed," Juniper declares, flopping onto her own bed.

"Me too," I agree, following suit and surrendering to a dreamless slumber.