CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: FORGED WITH FLAMES

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The quick, sharp pain of something smacking my left cheek yanked me away from my thoughts

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The quick, sharp pain of something smacking my left cheek yanked me away from my thoughts. "Ouch!" I glanced sideways at Jared. He had an annoyed look on his face, eyebrows scrunched judgingly. His pencil was over at my desk now, and I was certain part of its tip had sunk into my skin. "What the hell was that for?"

"I've asked you the same thing five times already," Jared complained. He reached his arm over my desk to retrieve the pencil, but I snatched it before he could. "See, you ignored me those five times, which means you don't get the privilege of stealing that away from me."

"You could have ripped my eye out," I said, enouncing each word.

"Don't be a drama queen. That Gerome guy would've given you a new cheek—" he rolled his eyes, reaching out for the pencil again. This time the chair tipped forward, and had he not been quick on his feet it would've toppled over. A couple of glances were stolen our way, and I noticed Patricia's eyes following Jared around. She was sitting in one of the far corners with a couple of her friends, her lips twisted with a hidden laugh. "It wouldn't be the first time, now, would it?"

"It's Gideon. Not Gerome." I pointed at him with the pencil and he plucked it from my hand. "And I was just distracted—okay? What were you saying?"

It wasn't a lie. My eyes felt heavy, my thoughts jumbled. I'd woken up to my bed sheets tangled in knots and thrown aside from a few fit-full half hours of vivid dreams where Roy would either chase me down or try to kill Hunter. And the mere thought of having to explain Will everything that happened last night had haunted the back of my mind all day.

He was in the middle of a conversation with Mr. Brown at the moment, his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. A smile I was certain would be snatched away as soon as I broke down the news.

Jared grunted at my side. "I asked whether you wanted to do the Leda and the swan story or the golden shower story."

"Which one was which again?"

I could sense another pencil-strike coming my way, but he replied nonchalantly. "Okay, Leda was King Tyndareus' wife. One day she was attacked by an eagle and Zeus, who had already taken an interest in her due to her stunning beauty, came to rescue her in the shape of a swan. He proceeded to seduce her and—" 

"Please tell me this doesn't involve having sex with a swan."

Jared gave a goofy smile. "Some people call it Greek mythology. I, personally, call it Zoophilia at its finest. But then the golden showers story is juicier. So for this one, Danae's father, King Acrisius, was told by an oracle that his daughter's offspring would someday kill him. The dude panicked and locked her up in a bronze prison. Zeus—because of course it would be Zeus—turned himself into golden rain, made his way into her chamber, and—"

"I cannot believe I had to convince Mr. Brown to let me join into your VIP squad," Wilson announced. He'd come up behind us, taking a seat on the empty desk next to Jared. My stomach shifted uneasily. "I thought we were always a threesome. Traitors."

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