Aiden couldn’t believe he was missing out on Harvard’s match to deal with errant freshmen. Yet the freshmen had been mysteriously absent, and Harvard had enough to deal with, so it had been up to Aiden to track them down. And now it was up to Aiden to deal with them.
He studied the guilty faces of his freshmen and the Exton freshmen, who had nothing to do with him. Aiden crossed his arms and glared them all down.
“I heard everything. Sneaking off tonight to have a duel, are we? I see my duty clearly. It’s obvious I have to”—Aiden braced himself and sighed and took responsibility—“come with you.”
Nicholas and Jesse looked oddly similar when they were surprised, their usual swagger collapsing. Aiden supposed Seiji Katayama had a fencing-partner type. It was a toss-up whether Seiji had traded up or traded down, in Aiden’s opinion. Nicholas was a better person, but Jesse had better hair. Maybe it didn’t matter, since nobody was getting any action other than fencing action. Tragic individuals, all three of them.
Nicholas cleared his throat. “You’re not, uh, gonna stop us?”
“Nah, I don’t really feel I can stop you from breaking rules without being a huge hypocrite,” said Aiden. “You have no idea how many rules I’ve broken. I couldn’t even tell you about half of them. It would blow your tiny freshman minds. I’m banned from ever returning to Camp Menton, and I’m expelled from Kings Row.”
“So, you often get caught breaking the rules?” Jesse asked skeptically.
Aiden shot him an annoyed glance. “No,” he said. “I’ve been off my game lately.”
Jesse scowled, so Aiden transferred his smile to the other Exton boy, who might be more deserving.
“I’m—” Aiden began.
The Exton boy stared back at him. “I’m Marcel Berré. And you’re Aiden Kane,” he said. “You dated Alexander Kostansis. He goes to Exton.”
Aiden blinked. “I dated who?”
“He told me you ruined his life and crushed his soul!”
“I’m sorry,” said Aiden, “but you’re going to have to be more specific than that. You’re just describing a random Wednesday for me.”
Marcel gave him a look that was part fascination and part terror. Jesse’s scowl intensified, and he dragged Marcel protectively away. Aiden walked alongside his freshmen through the lemon trees, trying to think of a way to take that desolate, set expression off Seiji’s face. Harvard made it look so easy, comforting someone, making them believe they were special. Aiden always knew what people were feeling, but Harvard knew how to make them feel better.
Aiden couldn’t do it Harvard’s way, but perhaps he could use his own talents for good instead of evil for a change. He thought about what he said to people when he was trying to psych them out, so they would flinch during a fencing match and give him the victory, and then tried to reverse the strategy in his mind.
“Seiji, remember when I mocked you at our fencing tryouts about losing to Jesse?”
“Of course I recall,” Seiji said distantly. “I fail to see why you’re bringing it up now. It’s not helpful.”
“I wish to add that you’re a maddening person,” Aiden went on. “It’s why you’re so extremely unpopular. You’re not easy to get along with. You’re difficult and unyielding.”
“Wow, Aiden,” muttered Nicholas, “that is so mean. I think Seiji is—”
“So be difficult and unyielding. You’re a disgustingly relentless human being. You don’t let anything stop you. You didn’t let me beat you the second time around. And you won’t let Jesse beat you the second time around, either.” Aiden studied Seiji with some concern. “There. Was that helpful at all, or was I just bullying you?”
Seiji paused, the fixed expression on his face easing a fraction. “It was slightly helpful bullying. Thank you.”
Aiden felt a small burst of warmth in his chest. It was possible he and Seiji Katayama were having a nice moment.
“Are we going to hug?” Aiden asked in dread.
“Oh, no, thank you,” said Seiji.
He retreated behind Nicholas, his human shield from society, with obvious horror. Nicholas eyed Aiden in apprehension.
“Are you gonna try and say something nice to me?” he asked.
“We both wish Harvard were here right now, huh?” Aiden asked in reply.
Nicholas nodded. “Yeah.”
They were on common ground, and that was somewhere to start.
Aiden shrugged and tried honesty. “If Harvard were here, he’d say something nice, and he’d mean it. He likes you, Nicholas. And that means there has to be something special about you. Even if I can’t see it.”
Nicholas smiled, sudden and sweet. “Aiden? Back atcha.”
Aiden found himself surprised. He often measured the world through Harvard’s eyes, but it had never occurred to him to measure himself through Harvard’s eyes and discover he was worthwhile.
Against his better judgment, he slung an arm around Nicholas’s shoulders. Just then, Nicholas was distracted by his phone buzzing in his pocket. He pulled it out, checked the screen to see a text from Eugene. He let out a yell of triumph.
“Eugene says Harvard won his match!”
“I knew he would,” Aiden said, smiling.
Nicholas returned Aiden’s smile. “Yeah, I knew, too.”
“Let’s go congratulate him,” said Aiden. “Then later, my little freshmen, let’s show those Exton boys how we do it at Kings Row.”