Chapter 10

10

" S eriously, Henri, it's not as terrible as you're making it out to be."

"Actually, I think it is."

Ivy snorted. "What would make you say that? Do you just hate having fun? Dislike finding things in life enjoyable aside from studying and keeping your room meticulously organized?"

"What's wrong with finding studying and organization enjoyable? They both keep me happy and calm—except for when someone messes up my studying or my organization."

"Nothing is wrong with those things. What's wrong is that those are the only things you do for 'fun'." Ivy even made air quotes; it was clear she didn't find studying or keeping things tidy very fun.

"And why is finding someone to date the only way to add more fun into my life?" I was all too close to rolling my eyes at her. She had no idea how hard it was to balance all my classes and still find time to read extra novels and texts. And now that I was working on an anti-potion—that clearly hadn't worked three days ago—I really had no time for romance. Nor did I have time for this conversation.

"It's not the only way." Ivy gave me an impatient look. "It's just a great way for you to change things up a little. You've been working hard at your education for years with no reprieve. My company is great, I know, but I can't entertain you forever. You just need to get out there, date casually, no need to be serious."

"And what exactly is that going to add to my life except one more thing to fit into my schedule?"

"Oh, I don't know. Joy? Fun? Free food?" Ivy's hand twitched like she wanted to slap me.

"I already have joy and fun in my life."

"No, you have studying and good grades. That's not real fun or joy. We're going to the football game tomorrow night; you should come. We have a friend on the away team who went to undergrad with us, and I could set you two up. You spent the entirety of your undergrad with your nose stuffed in a book, aside from that one guy who was a disaster. I don't think you came out with us one single time. Don't waste your mastery on studying. Live a little!"

"Fine!" I said, mostly just to get her to stop. I didn't need another one of these lectures from her. I'd gotten plenty before, and I thought they were permanently over.

"Really? You'll go out with him?"

"Who is it?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't regret it.

"Daniel Hastely."

I racked my brain, trying to have an inkling of an idea of who she was talking about. "Not ringing any bells."

"Of course it doesn't. You barely looked up from your studies to notice anything other than the grade you made."

I finally rolled my eyes at her, true as the statement might have been.

"No worries. You'll have a great time with him! But you have to come to the game and you have to wear school colors."

I winced. I had hoped that wasn't part of the deal. "But I don't have any—"

"I have an outfit already picked. It'll be perfect!"

"But if I'm going on a date with someone from the opposing team, shouldn't I wear their colors?"

"You're not officially dating him, so absolutely not!" Ivy grinned like I'd just gifted her the best present ever by agreeing.

I was already regretting it.

I hated the color green. Like, truly hated it.

Why? It was too loud. I preferred grays, browns, and blacks for my everyday attire because they didn't draw any attention.

Our school colors, emerald green and gold, made me look like a beacon in the evening light.

"I. Love. This. Have I told you I'm obsessed with this?"

"Yes, like twenty times," I said, tucking my hair behind my ears again. Ivy scoffed and grabbed a headband from her vanity drawer.

"If you're just going to ruin your hair like that, wear a headband. Much cuter." She handed me the green headband, and I pushed it on, loving that it would keep my hair out of my face all evening.

Ivy made me endure a torturous hour of hair and makeup, where she curled my normally wavy hair and put blush on my cheeks, mascara on my lashes. I drew the line at anything more. I wasn't one to wear much; it took too much time, and I didn't have an overabundance of that.

But for Ivy, and maybe just a little bit for myself, I let her doll me up.

"Daniel is seriously over the moon about tonight."

"Really? Why?" I couldn't remember the poor bloke, and he was already excited about our date.

"If you weren't so blind, you would have known he had the hugest crush on you." Ivy pulled her own hair into a slick ponytail, sleeking it back with gel.

I just mused over the fact that anyone currently had any interest in me. Or ever, really. Aside from some small crushes in grade school and brief romantic endeavors throughout my adulthood, I had never really known of anyone who fancied me.

Admittedly, I liked the thought of it.

Perhaps a little more than I should.

"Green is so your color. I can't believe you've never even tried it before. Look how it makes your eyes stand out! And it's the perfect match for your skin tone." Ivy gushed over me for a few minutes.

"Is Remy coming?" I asked, wanting the attention off me.

"Of course. He doesn't miss a single student function."

I laughed. My long-time friend was such a sport about everything. He was a great cheerleader for the people and things he loved, so of course, he would go to all the football games.

"You two always go?"

"Every game," Ivy said, giving me a look. "You would know if you did anything other than study. Plus, I think I've told you like every time we go."

I shrugged, standing. "I didn't know if that was all of them."

We left shortly after that, walking across campus to the football pitch. Why we needed to be two hours early was lost on me, but I was trying to go with the flow. It was something Ivy said I should do more often, so here I was, flowing.

"There are my girls!" Remy jogged over to us, pulling Ivy into his arms and planting a huge kiss on her lips. She giggled as her arm looped around his back before he pulled me in with them, placing a hand on top of my head.

"Don't you dare touch her hair, Remy!" Ivy scolded, reaching for his arm to swat him away. "I spent way too much time begging her to let me do it."

We all laughed, and Ivy immediately started brushing my hair down with her fingers, readjusting the headband.

"It's fine," I mumbled, though I enjoyed how much Ivy cared and seemed to love this.

"Ivy!" someone called, and she turned her attention away from me. I took one deep breath to calm what I supposed were nerves, and then I looked toward the voice as well.

"Daniel!" she squealed, grabbing Remy's hand and closing the distance between them and a tall man. I just stayed where I was, not sure what I should have done. I let my mind wander to something else, mentally cataloging all the things I would have to do when this was over—the texts that needed to be reread, and the assignments that needed to be checked. It certainly helped me calm down as I looked at my date.

He was definitely attractive, but I didn't remember him a lick. With close cut dark brown hair, Daniel towered over both of my friends as he smiled at them warmly.

"Hey there," Daniel greeted, pulling Ivy in for a side hug and doing a bro hug thing with Remy. They chatted for a while as I stood off to the side uncomfortably, so I looked at my nails. I liked to keep them perfectly filed and neat, but this was about to make me bite them from nervousness.

"Henri!" Ivy called, waving me over. I smiled sheepishly and moved to them, my stomach turning.

How was I supposed to talk to a man…romantically? I knew this didn't have to be serious, but it had been far too long.

"Good to see you again, Henrietta," Daniel said, wrapping his arms around me in a greeting. Awkwardly, I returned the hug.

"Um, yeah. You too," I responded, though nothing about his appearance caught my memory.

"Glad you came out to the game. It'll be a good one."

"Will it?" I asked stupidly, knowing so little about football that I wasn't even sure how long tonight would last.

"We have a hell of a rivalry with Forrestbriar, and we're going to demolish them today—especially if I get a chance at that Lawrence git." He smirked as though his arrogance would woo me. However, he had said something that caught my attention.

I turned to Ivy. "Noah plays?"

She nodded with a raised eyebrow. "I swear, Henri, you live under a rock. How did you not know that he plays?"

"I have more—" I stopped myself before I slandered the sport. "I guess I never noticed."

"I know you're not a huge fan of football—at least you weren't in undergrad academy—but I promise you'll enjoy tonight, especially if you keep your eyes on me. I'll crush Lawrence, which I'm sure you'll love." Daniel gave me a wink, and I tried to smile. "You two do still have that rivalry, yeah?"

"Always!" Remy laughed, pulling Ivy away, abandoning me to socialize with a stranger. Lovely.

"We can go to the pitch. That's where everyone hangs before the game." Daniel grabbed my hand—without permission—and dragged me across the remaining length to the field.

Large stone walls had been built here some three hundred years ago because of the great love this country has for football. This academy specifically has always had a superb program, so they've poured millions into the facilities over the years. Beautiful stone artwork adorned the outer wall of the stadium. Massive banners featuring each of the Forrestbriar players hung high on the walls, the light breeze flapping the bottoms. I recognized a few of the players as my classmates, including a menacing-looking Lukas on one banner.

And of course, Noah's picture hung front and center, the entrance to the stands directly under it. If I'd ever been over on this side of campus before, I guessed I would have known that he played.

His face in the banner was set in his usual half-scowl, half-smirk, a daunting opponent to anyone entering the field. I ignored how my brain couldn't help but notice how attractive the picture was.

"They couldn't have blown the bloke's face up anymore, could they?" Daniel remarked, rolling his eyes at the banner.

"I'm actually still not sure if it's as big as his ego," I said without a thought. Guilt clawed in my chest. As much as I disliked Noah, he'd been a great asset the last few weeks. It felt wrong to talk about him to an opponent like that.

Daniel chuckled, as if it was the funniest joke ever, though, and I loosened up.

Inside the stadium, the stands were already filling. Groups of students and fans were scattered along the sides of the pitch, sitting in chairs or on the grass. The scent of something barbecuing wafted over to us, and I looked around to find the source as my stomach grumbled.

"How has your mastery been?" Daniel started, pulling me closer to him. I wanted to recoil, but I remembered Ivy had encouraged me just to have fun. It didn't have to be serious, and it didn't have to continue after tonight. "What is your mastery again?"

"I'm in Policy," I answered, thinking of my mastery and how much I could tell him. "It has honestly been amazing. Incredibly challenging, but incredibly rewarding."

"I'm sure you'll be the next Head of Policy when you graduate." Daniel squeezed my hand as he directed us to the concessions.

I scoffed. "As if. That would be incredible! I'd have to magically become fifteen years older."

"I've never understood that regulation, personally. Why do we only let old gits lead?"

"Exactly! It's as though they don't want us to move forward as a magical nation!"

We both laughed as Daniel ordered my food, and he told me about his mastery career. He was in a Healer Mastery but hoping he would play professional football and not have to seek a career in healing. It was an interesting way to look at the future, though it was never something I considered. Sports, that was. I loved the study of healing and would have enjoyed that as a mastery as well. Perhaps I would come back to the academy in fifteen years to get a second mastery. Maybe by then, they would offer online courses.

With the food in his free hand, Daniel led me across the stadium to where most of those in his school colors were congregating.

"Switching sides, eh, Baker?" I snapped my head around at the grating voice.

Noah Lawrence stood with a circle of his friends, his arm slung around a pretty brunette's shoulders. The sneer he always reserved for me formed on his face. Lukas stood on his other side, hand entwined with a red-haired girl's. He looked mildly pissed at best.

"Can't blame her, can you, Lawrence? I mean, she's rooting for the right team. Maybe next season, you'll be a little better off," Daniel taunted, pulling me closer and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I didn't necessarily care that he did so, but Noah did. His eyes went to where Daniel's hand hung over my left shoulder, dangling in front of my collarbone.

"How about the colors she's wearing, Hastely? Looks like she's still rooting for me." Noah took a step forward, abandoning the brunette behind him.

Daniel did the same, stepping between me and Noah. I peered around him to watch. Lukas stepped up behind Noah as well, but without as much bravado.

"She can wear her school colors all she wants. She's still here for me. And she's going to watch us put you in the ground."

Why exactly were they arguing over which team I was rooting for? I didn't comprehend why it mattered or why Noah would give a damn in the first place.

"We'll see on the pitch, won't we?" Noah leered, taking another step closer, nearly nose-to-nose with Daniel. Noah was truly huge, because even Daniel had to look up to make eye contact with him.

Daniel remained quiet, pressing up to Noah before turning away and storming past me. I stayed still for a minute, glancing between Noah and his friends.

"You might want to go comfort your puppy, Baker," Lukas teased, his face alive with amusement. Noah crossed his arms in front of his chest as he watched me and my cheeks heated in embarrassment. The rest of their group still stood behind them, snickering to each other. I couldn't help the way my eyes snagged on the brunette that Noah had been with.

Lukas wiggled his fingers at me in a shooing motion, and with a final glare I turned to scurry after Daniel.

With another glance over my shoulder at Noah and his group, I realized the brunette must be the girl Noah always reacted to with the potion. Maybe he would be less of an ass now that they seemed to be together.