38. Town Cars

Town Cars

And Protection Spells

T he morning after the reckoning feels like a weird fever dream. School is buzzing, and the rumors are already flying thick and fast. The fact that Kyla didn't show up for class isn't helping things. I overheard someone say she's "gone mute," but I think that's giving her too much credit. It's not like she chose to stop talking. No, that's all thanks to my little truth incantation, which she clearly hasn't figured out how to undo yet.

Poor thing. It must be so hard when you can only speak the truth.

I smirk to myself, feeling the tiniest bit better about yesterday. Not that I wasn't still grappling with the whole I broke a witch's wand and maybe crossed a line thing, but let's be real: the only reason I'm really feeling better is because Derek spent most of last night between my thighs, and that tends to brighten anyone's mood.

Walking into the cafeteria, I can already feel the eyes on me. It's like everyone's trying to figure out what kind of cosmic chaos I'll unleash next. And honestly, I don't mind. I might as well keep them guessing.

Derek and Sebastian take their usual seats with me at our table, and I can practically feel the weight of everyone's stares. Some are curious, some are just nosy, and a few... well, I wouldn't mind setting them on fire.

"So," I say, leaning back in my chair and taking a bite of my sandwich. "No Kyla today. Wonder why." My voice drips with sarcasm.

"Rumor has it she can't undo your spell," Derek says with a grin, clearly enjoying this a little too much. "She's gonna be mute forever."

I shrug, not bothering to hide my smirk. "If only we could be so lucky."

Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "It is kind of poetic, though. She was always so full of herself, and now she can't lie her way out of anything."

"Poetic? Maybe." I shoot him a look. "But it's also hilarious. Imagine having to tell the truth all the time when you've spent your life building it on lies. It's like watching a soap opera, except less dramatic hair flips and more karma."

As I take another bite of my sandwich, I see Sebastian's phone buzz. He pulls it out, glances at the screen, and his expression shifts from calm to... worried?

That's new. What could possibly make a vampire look like he's about to bite his own tongue off?

I narrow my eyes, curiosity piqued. "What's up?"

He glances at me, then quickly slides his phone back into his pocket. "Nothing. Just my mother."

"Uh-huh." I lean forward, resting my chin on my hand. "And this nothing that's totally just your mother is making you look like you've seen a ghost because...?"

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's... complicated."

"Aren't they all," Derek mutters, biting into his own sandwich, clearly enjoying this.

I give Sebastian a pointed look, letting him know I'm not buying his ‘nothing to worry about' act for a second, but I drop it for now. There are bigger things to deal with. Like, oh I don't know, the fact that I still haven't heard from my parents since the reckoning.

It's only a matter of time before I get that inevitable phone call. The ‘we're not angry, just disappointed' routine that all parents seem to have perfected. I can practically hear it already.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your parents will be super chill about you calling out another witch to a duel," Sebastian teases, probably noticing the far-off look in my eyes.

I roll my eyes. "Oh, yeah, totally. They'll be thrilled to hear their daughter publicly challenged Kyla and broke her wand. You know, the pinnacle of parent-child bonding moments."

Derek snorts. "Tell them you're just expanding your extracurricular activities. Adds to the college resume."

"Yeah," I laugh. "Because ‘witch duels' will definitely impress the admissions office. I'm sure Yale is just dying to know how I outsmarted a narcissist with a superiority complex."

Sebastian chuckles, but I can still see that flicker of worry etched into his face. It's a ‘file it away for later' kind of situation—I'll focus on avoiding my own family drama until it becomes truly unavoidable.

Just as I'm about to take a bite of my sandwich, a sharp, rhythmic hic breaks through the cafeteria noise. My head swivels in the direction of the sound, my curiosity piqued. Hic! Hic! Hic! It's relentless, obnoxious even, and with every jarring little hiccup, my smirk grows.

There she is. Sam. Sitting alone with Eva, looking like she's seconds away from imploding in a fit of frustration. And she's hiccuping—loudly, uncontrollably, almost comically. I watch her glare at her water glass, like it might somehow betray her by not curing her of this embarrassing ailment.

Derek glances over his shoulder and mutters, "Huh. So that's what it does," before turning back to his food with a casual shrug.

I raise an eyebrow and smirk at him. "Did you go snooping through my handbag?"

He doesn't even try to hide the grin creeping across his face. "With very specific intentions," he mocks, taking another bite of his sandwich like we're discussing the weather, not the fact that he's the reason Sam is hiccuping like a malfunctioning squeaky toy.

"Specific intentions, huh?" I try to keep my face neutral, but the corner of my mouth twitches.

"Oh yeah," he says with a smirk. "Wanted to make sure I wasn't going soft." He takes a sip of his drink, his eyes still fixed on Sam, who's now full-on glaring at Eva, like it's her fault she can't stop the hiccuping.

Sebastian raises an eyebrow, clearly catching on. "You didn't."

Derek just shrugs again, playing innocent. "All I did was slip her a little potion. One that, funnily enough, has exactly the side effect Zaria was testing."

I bite my lip, barely holding back laughter as I lean toward Derek. "So, what I'm hearing is that you used my potion—my hiccuping potion —for personal entertainment?"

Derek grins, utterly unapologetic. "No, I used it to prevent her from talking. Which, honestly, is a public service."

Sebastian stifles a laugh and mutters, "Remind me not to make you mad."

The sound of another echoing hic fills the cafeteria, and I can't help but glance back at Sam, who looks like she's about to combust. "You know," I say thoughtfully, "I might actually forgive you for rifling through my bag."

Derek smirks, leaning back in his chair with a smug grin. "I knew you'd come around."

I shake my head, still amused. "Just don't make it a habit."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," he says, though the mischievous gleam in his eyes tells me otherwise.

We all laugh as another violent hic echoes across the room, Sam now pounding the table in frustration. The fact that no one can seem to figure out how to stop it just makes it all the more satisfying.

It's good to win small battles too. Who knows, maybe today will end without any more disasters.

...Then again, this is me we're talking about.

As I leave my last class, my feet dragging slightly, I'm already thinking about collapsing into bed when something catches my eye—a sleek, black town car pulling up near the school entrance. And not just any town car. Oh no. That town car.

I stop dead in my tracks. "Oh, no," I mutter under my breath. That's definitely my parents. And they are definitely here to chew me out. Not in the fun way, either.

With a sigh, I walk toward the car, bracing myself for the inevitable storm of disappointment. My parents—who I haven't seen in weeks since I started at school—step out, all smiles. Which is strange, considering I just broke half the school's rules in a magical duel yesterday.

"Zaria!" my mother exclaims, pulling me into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you, darling."

I blink, completely thrown off by their warm reception. Where's the ‘we're so disappointed in you' lecture? Did I miss something?

"Hey... Mom, Dad. Uh, what are you doing here?" I ask, already feeling like a deer in headlights.

"We thought we'd drive in from the countryside," Dad says with a grin. "It's been too long, and with everything going on, we wanted to see you."

I feel my stomach drop. They know. Of course, they know. "Listen, about the whole duel thing..." I begin, ready to apologize for being the family black sheep yet again.

But to my surprise, they're still smiling. Shocked, yes. But not angry.

"The principal explained everything," my father says. "What that girl had been doing to you... well, if I had known, I would have driven here sooner."

"Oh, I would have had words with her," my mother adds, her voice dripping with protective fury. "No one messes with my daughter."

Okay, this is officially weird. I mean, I did basically destroy Kyla in a duel. I was expecting some kind of backlash. But they seem... proud? My world is momentarily turning upside down when suddenly, I see Sebastian and Derek heading toward us.

And just like that, I know my world is about to explode .

Derek knows my parents well. He grew up nearby, and they adore him. But Sebastian? Oh, that's a different story. Trying to explain why I'm dating both of them? Yeah, that's not a conversation I'm ready for.

"Mr. Vexx, Mrs. Vexx," Derek greets them, as polite as ever. My parents smile back at him warmly.

"Derek, it's so good to see you," my mother says. "We were just about to ask Zaria about you." My eyes widen, and I can feel the impending doom building. Please, no. Not now. I try to steer the conversation away from impending disaster, but of course, my parents are too sharp for that. "Oh, and who's this?" my father asks, turning to Sebastian.

I take a deep breath, quickly introducing them. "This is Sebastian. He's a friend of mine."

Sebastian, sensing the awkward tension in the air, steps up with his usual charm. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Vexx."

My mother eyes him curiously. "And what are you, exactly?"

"I'm a vampire," Sebastian says, his tone casual, though I can tell he's trying to keep things light.

My mother's eyes widen in fascination. "A vampire? Oh, how interesting! We don't have many vampire families around here. How wonderful." Everything seems to be going fine until my mom drops the bomb. "Where is Sam?"

I wince, and Derek sighs, clearly tired of the Sam subject. "We don't talk to Sam anymore," I say, trying to keep things short.

Cue the inevitable question from my mother. "Well, you should ask Derek out, dear. He must be single now, right?"

Sebastian gives Derek a side-eye, "What the hell is with both sets of parents rooting for the two of you?"

Derek just shrugs and mutters, "They just don't know you very well."

Sebastian rolls his eyes, but before the situation can get any weirder, my mom gasps. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize Sebastian was your boyfriend."

And just like that, the awkwardness hits its peak. I groan inwardly. Here we go. Taking a deep breath, I say, "Actually... I'm dating both of them."

The silence that follows is heavy. My parents look at me, processing what I just said. My mother blinks, clearly trying to wrap her head around this new information. Then she takes a deep breath, looks at me, and says, "Well... you cast that protection hex on yourself, like I told you, right?"

I stare at her, half-offended, half-amused. "Mom, seriously?"

"Well, did you?"

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, of course I did."

"Good," she says, nodding in approval. "That's all I needed to hear." But the boys are trying with unbelievable restraint not to laugh. And just like that, the tension dissipates, replaced by a kind of weird, awkward acceptance. My parents don't seem mad—they're just... taking it in stride. Meanwhile, I'm trying not to die of embarrassment.

"It's good for our Zaria to have so many friends," my dad finally says. "And we're glad you have people who care about you."

Sebastian and Derek exchange glances, looking as surprised as I feel. My mother gives me one last look, smiling warmly. "I'll explain it to your father later," she whispers conspiratorially.

"Thanks, Mom," I mutter, relieved and utterly mortified at the same time.