Rectification

Chapter 12

Amity did as she was told, ignoring the way the ice felt horribly frigid against the soft skin of her hand. "We?"

"I'm going with you."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're my friend and I don't want to see you hurt."

"But your entrance exam-"

"Bump will wait for me." Luz sounded strangely self-assured.

"It's only a bruise. It'll be fixed with a spell. I'll be okay-"

"Amity." Luz touched Amity's shoulder and looked the witchling straight in the eye. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

Amity let herself soften. This stern, protective side of Luz was one she didn't get to see often, but she loved it more than she was willing to admit. "Okay."

"Do you need any help with your bag?"

"No. It's alright."

Luz shouldered her own backpack and held out her hand. "Well, one of your hands is full, so too bad."

"You're impossible," Amity laughed and handed her backpack over. She could tell from the face Luz made that it was heavier than she expected. "Watch out for that Honors History textbook."

"Little Miss Amity and her honors classes," Luz teased.

"I wonder if we'll have any classes together when you get your schedule."

"I wouldn't be surprised if we did. I am pretty smart," Luz agreed. "After all, I am friends with you. Great decision on my part. Ten outta ten."

Amity turned away to hide her blush. "C'mon, you nerd. Let's go now so that you're not any later than you need to be."

They walked to the healer together in silence. It wasn't awkward, but Amity caught herself staring at Luz more than once. It was hard not to- Luz was just so... radiant. She was like the sun, or one of her own light spells- cheerful and warm and wonderful to be around. When Luz caught Amity staring, she flashed Amity a blinding grin, and Amity had to look away as quickly as possible to avoid combusting.

The healer's office was a small building on the edge of the school grounds- inconveniently built as far away from the Grudgby arena as possible. (Inconvenient for Luz, anyway, who had had to carry Amity the whole quarter mile to see the healer. Amity, though, had never been more grateful for Hexside's bad construction decisions.) It was usually staffed by tired-looking upperclassmen from the healing track along with one professional member of the Healing Coven to assist with more major injuries, like burns or flus or broken ankles that resulted from witches watching their crush during Grudgby instead of watching where they were actually supposed to be going.

Amity hoped that today's lucky staff member would be Viney, but then she remembered that Viney was still a part of the detention track. That was supposed to be fixed today, right? Or was it next week? No, Next week was Grom. This week was the detention kid problem. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of all the heroic things Luz did, especially since she hadn't been around to witness them all the first time.

They were greeted at the office door by a girl in healing track blue that Amity didn't recognize. With a huge yawn, she asked what was wrong, and Luz told her that Amity had hurt her face by running into a pillar. "I can talk to them myself," Amity muttered as they were led into an examination room. Luz, unfazed, shrugged.

"Sit down here and I'll take a look at you," the healer sighed. As soon as Amity sat herself down on the examination table, the healer spent a moment lightly poking at the bruise. The touch stung, and it didn't spark the same thrill in her as Luz's had done.