AMY'S POV
The next day, I woke up with one thought in mind.
I was going to regret this.
Not because of my Academy trial.
Not because of homework.
But because I had voluntarily agreed to spend my afternoon with Justin Morello.
Someone should have taken my phone away before I made that decision.
"Amy! Hurry up, or you're going to be late!" Kierra called from outside my house.
"I'm coming!"
I grabbed my bag, checked that my hood was safely tucked inside, and hurried out.
The sunlight was already bright.
I pulled my bag closer to my body and kept my head down as I walked beside Kierra. Even though my hood was hidden inside my bag, I could still feel the familiar anxiety creeping into my chest.
One careless moment.
One flash of sunlight.
And everything could change.
"Amy?"
I looked at Kierra.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You've been quiet for, like, five whole minutes."
I gasped. "Are you saying I talk too much?"
"I'm saying it's suspicious when you DON'T talk."
"Wow. And here I thought you loved me."
"I do love you. That's why I'm concerned."
I laughed and bumped her shoulder with mine.
"You're so annoying."
"Learned from the best."
Unfortunately, she wasn't wrong.
By lunchtime, I had already decided that studying with Justin was going to be the worst experience of my academic career.
And I hadn't even started yet.
I was sitting with Kierra when Mendez suddenly appeared beside our table.
He pulled out a chair and sat down without asking.
"Good afternoon, ladies."
Kierra stared at him.
"Who invited you?"
"Your beautiful personality did."
"My personality just filed a restraining order."
I nearly choked on my drink.
Mendez placed a hand over his heart.
"Wow. Rejected before I've even had lunch."
"Try again tomorrow," Kierra replied.
"Is that a promise?"
"That's a threat."
I laughed so hard that I had to put my drink down.
Mendez grinned, apparently pleased with himself.
Then he leaned toward me.
"So, Amy. Are you ready for your date with Justin?"
I stopped laughing.
"My WHAT?"
"Your date. Library. Studying. Romantic educational activities."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"You're actually insane."
"Thank you. I work hard at it."
Kierra covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.
I pointed at Mendez.
"Listen to me carefully. If you call it a date one more time, I'm going to make sure Justin studies alone for the rest of his miserable life."
Mendez immediately straightened.
"Understood. A completely normal, non-romantic study session between two people who definitely don't want to murder each other."
"Exactly."
He nodded solemnly.
Then he added, "Still sounds romantic to me."
"MENDEZ!"
He jumped up and ran away laughing.
I dropped my head onto the table.
I hated boys.
Especially the ones who thought they were funny.
And especially the ones who were.
After classes, I made my way to the library.
Justin was already there.
Of course he was.
He sat at a table near the back with his books spread out in front of him. His sleeves were pushed up, and he was reading something with a concentration I had never seen him display in class.
For one brief second, I wondered whether someone had replaced him with a more intelligent version.
Then he looked up.
"You're late, princess."
There he was.
My daily headache.
I checked the clock.
"I'm two minutes early."
"Late according to my standards."
"Your standards are ridiculous."
"And yet, you're here."
I dropped my bag onto the chair opposite him.
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm here because I made a promise, and unlike some people, I actually keep mine."
His smirk softened for the briefest moment.
"I know."
Something about the way he said it made me pause.
But before I could question him, he pushed a stack of papers toward me.
"Help me with these."
I looked at the papers.
Then at him.
Then back at the papers.
"Justin, what is all this?"
"My study material."
"This is enough paper to start a small forest."
"Are you going to help me or give a speech about trees?"
I picked up the first sheet.
"You're lucky I'm a good person."
"You're lucky I'm handsome."
I dropped the paper.
"I'm leaving."
He laughed and caught my wrist before I could stand.
"Okay, okay. I'll behave."
I looked at his hand.
He released me immediately.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then I cleared my throat and sat back down.
"Good. Because if I have to deal with your attitude for two hours, I deserve extra credit."
"Agreed."
I blinked.
"Wait. You agreed?"
"Don't make me regret it."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
Something was definitely wrong.
Justin Morello never agreed with me that easily.
I decided not to question my good fortune.
An hour later, I discovered three things.
First, Justin was actually intelligent.
Second, he was capable of understanding the material when he stopped acting like a walking disaster.
And third, he was incredibly irritating even when he was trying to concentrate.
"No, Justin. That's not the answer."
He stared at his notes.
"Then what is?"
I explained the question again.
He listened, worked through the problem, and wrote down his answer.
I checked it.
Correct.
I looked up slowly.
"Oh my goodness."
He leaned back in his chair.
"What?"
"You actually got it right."
He placed a hand over his heart.
"Your faith in me is overwhelming."
"I'm serious! I thought I'd have to teach you how to hold a pencil."
"Careful, princess. You sound impressed."
"Don't ruin the moment."
He grinned.
I tried to ignore the strange satisfaction I felt at seeing him finally understand something.
Maybe helping him wouldn't be completely terrible.
Maybe.
"All right," I said, turning to the next question. "Let's try another one."
He looked at the page.
Then at me.
"Can I ask you something?"
"If it's a stupid question, the answer is no."
"Why do you always wear a hood?"
My smile disappeared.
The library suddenly felt quieter.
I stared at him, unsure how to respond.
Justin didn't look amused anymore. His eyes were fixed on me, and for once, he wasn't trying to provoke me.
I swallowed.
"Why do you care?"
He looked down at the papers.
"I asked first."
"And I answered with another question. That's how conversations work."
"Amy."
The way he said my name made my chest tighten.
I forced a laugh.
"What's next? Are you going to ask about my family, my childhood, and my deepest secrets?"
His jaw tensed slightly.
For a moment, I thought he might actually answer.
Instead, he leaned back and shrugged.
"Forget it."
I frowned.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
I studied his face, searching for the usual smirk.
It returned a moment later.
"Besides, if you wanted to tell me your secrets, you would've done it already."
I scoffed.
"Please. I'd rather tell Mendez."
"That's cruel."
"Good."
He laughed, and the tension between us finally eased.
But I couldn't stop thinking about his question.
Why had he asked about my hood?
And why had he looked so serious when I mentioned my secrets?
I shook my head and returned to the notes.
Justin Morello was a mystery I had neither the patience nor the desire to solve.
At least, that was what I told myself.
When we finally packed our books, the sun was beginning to lower.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed toward the library doors.
Justin followed.
"Remember to review the questions tonight."
"Yes, Professor Morello."
"And don't forget tomorrow's session."
I stopped and turned around.
"Tomorrow?!"
He gave me an innocent look.
"What?"
"We just spent an entire afternoon studying!"
"And you did a wonderful job."
"Flattery won't save you."
"Wasn't trying to save myself."
I groaned.
"You're impossible."
"And yet, you keep showing up."
I opened my mouth to argue.
Nothing came out.
Justin's smile widened.
"Oh, that's new. Did I finally make you speechless?"
I shoved his shoulder.
"Don't push your luck."
He laughed, then stepped ahead of me.
As we reached the courtyard, a bright ray of sunlight spilled across the path.
I stopped instinctively.
Justin noticed.
Without saying anything, he shifted to the side, standing between me and the strongest light.
It happened so naturally that he seemed not to realize he'd done it.
I stared at his back.
Then at the shaded path beside us.
Then back at him.
"Justin?"
He glanced over his shoulder.
"What?"
I hesitated.
"Why do you keep doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Making sure I'm not standing in the sunlight."
For once, he didn't have an immediate comeback.
His eyes met mine.
Then he looked away.
"Because you keep forgetting to be careful."
I frowned.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
He started walking again.
I remained where I was for another second before following him.
I didn't understand Justin Morello.
I didn't understand why he knew so much about my hair.
I didn't understand why he sometimes looked at me as though he wanted to say something but couldn't.
And I definitely didn't understand why the boy who spent most of his life making me miserable seemed so determined to keep me safe.
But one thing was certain.
If helping Justin pass his Academy trial was going to involve this many questions, I was going to need a much bigger notebook.
Because with Justin Morello, the trouble never ended when the school bell rang.