keep your friends close

(39)

Dex approaches his locker warily, as if Sophie were a scared forest animal.

"You doing okay?" he asks.

Sophie tries to smile reassuringly, but it feels more like a grimace. "I'm fine."

Dex can probably tell she's lying, but he doesn't push the topic. News had spread fast in the Lost Cities about Timkin's death, and Stina has been noticeably absent from school for the past couple of days. Sophie has seen more death and destruction than most elves have in a lifetime, but for some reason it never got easier to confront. The closest she gets are her yearly visits to Calla's tree in the Wanderling Woods.

"Okay," Dex concedes. "Do you want to see what I was working on in my ability training today?"

He takes something—a small orb—out of his locker. It's shiny, like chrome, and no bigger than a gumball.

"What does it do?" she asks.

"This." Dex tosses it gently up into the air, and Sophie watches in fascination as the contraption begins to unfurl itself, like blooming flower petals. It turns into a metallic butterfly that begins fluttering around Sophie's head with dainty silver wings.

Her mouth drops open. "Dex, that's amazing. You did this in one day?"

He reddens at her praise. "No. I've been workshopping it for a while with Tinker. My ability mentor just helped me iron out a few things."

Sophie continues to gaze at the butterfly in awe until it lands on Dex's palm. In the blink of an eye it folds back into a smooth, metal orb. He grins at her. "Neat, right?'

"Totally."

"Thanks. I was going to make it a unicorn to give to Stina, but it's hard to get the legs right." He places it back in his locker. "So have you stopped by the Heks' place yet?"

Sophie lets her head fall back against the lockers. "Stina hates me, remember?" she says glumly.

Dex rolls his eyes. "It's Stina. She held a grudge against me for a year because I told her she looked like a toad once." He pauses. "I'm sure she'd still appreciate a visit from you. Especially now."

She mulls it over. "I guess a visit can't hurt."

"Good." Dex looks satisfied. "You can come with me then. My mom baked a pie and she asked me to bring—"

"Oh, I can't right now."

He quirks a brow. "Why not?"

Sophie glances down the hallway, where she spots a white Level Six uniform coming their way. Right on time. "I have tutoring."

Dex follows her gaze to where Keefe is sauntering towards them, hands in his pockets. "Oh, geez," Dex grumbles. "Let me close my locker before he puts a gulon in it." He quickly shuts the door, then frowns at Sophie. "Are you blushing?"

She blinks. "What? No." She pats her cheeks, checking for warmth. "Am I?"

Dex furrows his eyebrows skeptically just as Keefe approaches them with a wide grin.

"Hey Dexie," he says cheerfully. "Okay if I steal Foster from you?"

"Only if you never call me that again," Dex demands.

He and Sophie exchange quick goodbyes before she leaves with Keefe. The two of them lapse into easy conversation about their sessions that day and the new ridiculous excuses Keefe had to come up with to get out of them. Sophie laughs for the first time all week, and it feels nice. Really nice. As much as she hates Alchemy, it's been fun spending time with Keefe.

Until they arrive at the Tutoring Center.

"Oh hey, it's Biana and Maruca," Keefe says, and Sophie snaps her head up.

The two girls are sitting at a table in the middle of the room. They're bent studiously over their books, leaning towards one another as they talk in hushed tones. Biana says something to Maruca, and she snorts in laughter.

Keefe is about to lift his hand in a wave when Sophie grabs his arm and drags him back out into the hallway.

"What? What is it?" he exclaims. Then he blinks. "Wow. That's a big spike of anxiety, Foster. Not sure if you realized."

"I did, thanks," Sophie mutters. She's not sure how to even explain the situation to Keefe. All she can think of is the last time she saw Biana, her eyes angry and untrusting. And who even knows where she stands with Maruca now.

Keefe's gaze darts between her and the Tutoring Center. "Is it Biana?" he asks quietly, almost knowingly.

The concern in his blue eyes is so endearing she's almost tempted to explain the whole thing. Instead Sophie hugs her books to her chest. "I just don't think it would be good for her to see me right now."

"Of course."

"Let's just reschedule," Sophie says, trying not to feel too disappointed. "I'm free on—"

"Okay, slow down, Foster," Keefe insists, holding his hands up. "Midterms are almost here. There's no way you can miss out on valuable quality time with your favorite tutor."

She raises an eyebrow. "You're my only tutor."

"So definitely your favorite." He smirks.

Sophie has to bite her lip to keep the smile off her face. "Keefe, get to the point."

"Well." He rocks back and forth on his feet, looking uncertain. "We can always study at my place."

"Oh." Sophie blinks in surprise. She's suddenly intensely curious about Keefe's home. "Sounds good to me."

Keefe gestures in the direction of the Leapmaster. "After you."