It wasn’t raining today, so as soon as Aiden saw Hanna and Tiago he herded them through the line and took them outside. Their usual table had been left empty and he quickly claimed it.
“What’s going on?” Hanna asked, tense and nervous.
“Dylan got suspended.” Aiden looked at his food, wondering if he’d be able to eat. “I don’t know if he’s coming back. Ms. Yang told me in gym.” They’d apparently notified all Dylan’s teachers.
“Oh no.” Hanna shrank in on herself.
“That sucks,” Tiago said.
Aiden glanced around. Was the hall monitor watching them? Or had she only been around to watch Dylan and Conner?
Echoing his thoughts, Hanna said, “What if they come after us?”
“The werewolves?” Tiago asked, sitting a little straighter. “I can handle them.”
“Don’t you start,” Aiden snapped, his breath coming shallower.
“Sorry. Just trying to make you feel better.” He looked down. “Unless Dylan’s locked up, I don’t think they’ll try anything.”
“He’s not in jail, is he?” Hanna asked Aiden.
“Not that I know of. Ms. Yang said suspended. Sent home.”
Hanna sighed, shoulders sagging. “Then we’re okay.”
Aiden looked between her and Tiago. “Am I missing something?”
“You’re under Dylan’s protection. If they touch you, they know he’ll come after them,” Tiago said. “Doesn’t matter that he’s not here. They know he can find a way to get to them.”
Aiden shoved his hands through his hair. “When did my life become some kind of gang movie?”
“Monster movie,” Tiago said without looking up, a little smirk on his face.
Warmth spread through Aiden, and a laugh escaped him. For just a moment, he forgot about everything else.
“Um, Aiden,” Hanna said, picking seeds off the bun of her shredded-pork sandwich. “We didn’t talk about… you know. Could we… talk later?” She glanced at him without lifting her head.
A guilty blush crept up his cheeks, and he fought an urge to look at Tiago. “Sure. Of course.” What was he going to say to her? He couldn’t explain why he was okay with her kissing Dylan. What if he said something that sounded like a rejection? He didn’t want Hanna to think there was anything wrong with her.
“Is this about the kissing thing?” Tiago asked.
Aiden wanted to die. Just a little.
“Yes,” Hanna said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She put a hand on his arm.
“We’ll talk later.” He was not having this conversation in front of Tiago.
“Oh, sorry.” Tiago made a face. “I guess this is an embarrassing thing. A private thing. I can go if you want to talk.”
“No,” Aiden said a little too quickly. “Let’s just all eat before our food gets cold.”
The weight of Dylan’s absence hung over the table. At least it felt that way to Aiden. He realized the three of them had never been together without Dylan. The girl he used to date and the boy he wanted to make out with. God, this was awkward.
“Do people get suspended a lot? I mean, is Dylan in a lot of trouble or is this something that happens around here?” Tiago asked.
“Fights happen, and suspensions. Not a lot.” Hanna licked barbecue sauce off her finger. “But I’ve never heard of anyone getting suspended for doing something outside school.”
The half-eaten lasagna sat uneasily in Aiden’s stomach. “Ms. Yang said indefinitely, as in he might not come back at all.” I told you. I kept warning you. Why did you have to be so stupid, Dylan?
“So it must be true that Dylan sent Conner to the hospital. That’s what everyone’s saying.” Tiago swirled a fry in ketchup.
“His mom said Dylan knocked him out and beat him up bad.” She had called Aiden to let him know Dylan was home safe. “I suppose Conner could have ended up in the hospital.” Aiden knew Dylan was capable of doing much worse. “Werewolves heal fast, don’t they?” he asked Hanna. As awful as Conner was, Aiden didn’t like the idea of anyone getting beaten bad enough to go to the hospital.
“Yeah.” She looked at him. “Are you worried about Dylan being in trouble, or are you worried about Conner?”
“To be honest? Both.” Aiden sighed. “I know Conner is an asshole and he hurt you and he deserves to be punished for it, but… violence isn’t a solution, and it’s not Dylan’s responsibility to do it.” People were already afraid of Dylan and what he might do. This was just proving them right.
“You can’t expect other people to take care of your problems,” Tiago said. “Dylan waited way too long to take care of this. I would’ve taken Conner out on the first day.”
“And then you’d be suspended. Idiot.” He was sick of stupid macho boys and their need to prove how tough they were.
Tiago shrugged. “I wouldn’t complain. I’d take my punishment.”
“You can’t solve every problem with your fists.” Was Tiago really that violent? Had he gotten in a lot of fights before he came to Shadow Valley?
“No. Sometimes I have to use my claws.” He waited a beat before flashing a smile.
Aiden was caught between being annoyed and wanting to melt.
* * *
They’d taken away his video game systems. All of them. Plus his Blu-ray player and his laptop. They said they’d give the computer back when he had homework to do.
Homework. What a joke.
Dylan spent much of the night staring out the window or staring at the ceiling. Nothing to do but think and get more and more annoyed. Were people in town getting together, planning to come for him? Would they drag him out the front door, kill him in front of the house? Or would they send the wardens after him, take care of him nice and legal?
Someone knocked on the door.
“Dylan,” Mom said. “Mr. Johnson is here to see you.”
Great.
The door opened, and Mom moved aside to let the warden in.
“Thank you,” he said before closing the door behind him.
Dylan crossed his arms. “Are you gonna give me a lecture?”
Mr. Johnson rubbed his temple. “I’m not your enemy, Dylan.” He turned, laying his palm on the door.
Dylan got a whiff of candle wax and old books. A spell. As far as he could see, Mr. Johnson hadn’t used any talismans, potions, or dust. He hadn’t even spoken aloud. Dylan remembered the powerful rush of magic when the three of them had closed the portal to Faery. Mr. Johnson was major-league.
“Okay, now we can talk,” he said. “I convinced them to let me come instead of the other warden.”
It must be a muffling spell or a silence spell in case Mom was lingering in the hall. “So?” What had the other warden wanted to do? Arrest him?
“So I need you to not do something stupid like that again.” His tone was even but his eyes were hard.
Yep, here came the lecture.
“You can’t draw this much attention to yourself when you’re already under suspicion. If they start digging deep, they may find things that lead to the dark fae.” Mr. Johnson came closer, glaring down at him. “That puts not only you at risk, but me and Aiden.”
Was Aiden mad at him? Could he understand that at least part of the reason Dylan had done it was to keep him safe? “I couldn’t just ignore what Conner was doing.” Dylan sat on his bed. “Besides, it’s done now.”
“For everyone’s sake, I hope that’s true. You’re on a list of suspects for the disappearances. Not high on the list. Neither the police nor the wardens think you’re involved, but there are a growing number of people in town that do. You’re lucky I was in the area and got here in time to calm things down.” He took two steps to the left, then back to the right. “The police have been getting calls since last night, demanding you be arrested and given to the wardens. They want you thrown out of Shadow Valley.”
Because he wasn’t certified, that was basically a death warrant. He’d have to run or hide and hope the wardens didn’t find him. “I won’t hurt anyone unless they give me a good reason. No one has to worry.”
Mr. Johnson frowned. “And what about Aiden? Did he give you a good reason when you burned him?”
Dylan gave the warden a murderous glare. That was low.
“The police and the rest of the town don’t know about the fight you had with your friend, but it’s there in his medical records. It wouldn’t take the police long to find that information. How assured would the residents feel if they knew you’d burned your best friend?”
“What am I supposed to do? You want me to promise I won’t get in any more fights?” Dylan threw up his hands. “Fine, I promise.”
“I want you to think, Dylan. Your actions have consequences. Ripple effects.”
Like how he’d burned Aiden and made him have panic attacks. But Dylan wasn’t going to admit Mr. Johnson was right.