For the Love of Magic

Dominico Redwind: Friend or Fiend?

Somehow Ryan was able to get into Advanced Algebra II although I'm pretty sure that Rowan, my border collie, is better at math than he is. Just saying. The only plausible answer I can find is that he copies off my tests. I asked once and he didn't quite respond.

"Wow, Jaz is totally obsessed with that guy!" Ryan exclaims, annoyed.

"Jealous?" I tease him. Ryan gives me a look of such pure shock and horror that I have to laugh. I know Ryan doesn't like Jaz and the simple thought of it gives him chills. His face is totally priceless.

"Let us get something very straight here," Ryan says, amazingly calm, "I. DO. NOT. LIKE. HER!!!" I bend over, laughing even harder. Ryan mumbles something about being late to math and we speed up our pace, Ryan still glaring at me. The one awesome thing about Ryan though is that he can't hold a grudge so by the time we enter the classroom, I'm off the hook and my comment is forgotten. Now he's just trying to copy off my homework which, as always, I let him do.

"Wait a minute..." Ryan says, surveying a question, "This is wrong! The answer is 3y!" I give him a confused look,

"Ryan, there's not even a y in the equation!" I argue. Ryan looks at my work again.

"My bad. Nevermind," he says. Honestly! How does he survive tests? Ryan finishes copying down the last of my answers just as frail, little Ms. Kinder walks into the room.

"Oh that's nice, dear. Now, let's see...ah! There's an open spot for you right by our darling Mr. Lincoln over there!" Oh no. Not by Ryan. Ryan is next to me which is about to put him in between me and that dreaded Dominico. Ryan casts me a look that says he's about as excited about his new desk buddy as I am.

Math, like Social Studies, passes by with inching speed. I feel Dominico's piercing gaze on me like in lunch. Gosh, does this guy ever pay attention to the teacher? Halfway through an equation Ms. Kinder asks me the next step to which I don't even need to look down at my paper to respond. She smiles at me with her usual thank-goodness-one-of-them-gets-it look before returning to the problem.

"Mr. Redwind, can you read to us the next problem?" Ms. Kinder asks. I turn around and see that Dominico is staring at me again. In a flash he tears his silvery eyes away and back to the worksheet.

"Uhh..." it takes him a moment to respond. There are a couple snickers but Dominico casts one look around the room and everyone goes silent. Oh my gosh. He just used magic. Some people can naturally just silence a room but those people do not include new bees who are being snickered at. Ryan seems to be the only one not affected by the quick glance. He holds up a hand to block Dominico's view before mouthing 'creepy!' in my direction. I let my eyes get big and nod while Dominico reads off the worksheet the next problem. The bell rings and both me and Ryan jump out of our seats. It's really nice of Ryan to share my enthusiasm about not liking Dominico. This is why we're friends.

"Faye!" I can hear Dominico call, picking his books off his desks but I'm already out the door with Ryan.

"Come on, tell me you don't think that guy is totally creepy," Ryan says when we're a good distance down the hall with Dominico behind being swarmed by girls wanting to show him to his next class.

"Of course I do! Let's just pretend he's fine for Jaz's sake but I'm one hundred percent with you on this one," I tell him. He nods and mumbles,

"Fair enough." We split paths as he heads off to band and I head off to computer science. Being a witch gives you a certain feel for inanimate objects, hence I am basically a computer genius. Steve Jobs? Total witch. This is basically my homework period.