“What if you and Kian had walked in to school that Monday holding hands? What do you think would have happened?”

“Cal would have made his life miserable.”

“But Kian didn’t seem to care.”

“He would have been off the Honor Council within the month—either kicked off or forced to resign.”

“He didn’t seem to care about that either.”

“Well, then I would have lost my informant, wouldn’t I?”

“Was that all he was to you?”

“I wasn’t going to let him throw that away for me.”

“Wasn’t that Kian’s decision?”

“It would have been the wrong decision.”

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

“Which part, Claudia?”

“The part where he decided that he wanted to be with me.”