“I’m not bored.”
“Maybe you’re just a little bit curious about how… geez… I don’t know!... how an angel is in bed. Or a vampire. Or a merman, for that matter.” He grinned at me.
“I get it, I get it… Joel is rocking your world.”
“Not just my world, sister.”
“Well, I’m happy for you. And you should be happy for me, because GC and Paz are enough. More than I need, actually. I’m not curious about any angels, vampires, or mermen.”
“Maybe you’re curious about girls. Sheba seems to like you. Blond-haired demoness with catty eyes and cattier attitude… Don’t pass up this opportunity.”
“Okay, you’re just being annoying right now. Intentionally. What are you getting out of this? Sheba doesn’t like me. She hates my guts! I stole GC from her. And from Sammy. And from all the other girls at the Academy.”
“Bygones. They forgot all about it, believe me. You’re Mila Morningstar. You can steal whoever the fuck you want.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re not… what?”
“Mila Morningstar. Don’t call me that. I’m not that person.”
“What do you want me to call you then? You’re not Lazarov, for sure. And what kind of person is she that you hate her so much?”
“She’s selfish and entitled, and… and she has a name. A name that opens doors.”
“Hmm… déjà-vu. We’ve had this conversation before.”
“My mother’s name was Angelov. I’m thinking of taking it.”
We stopped at the end of the courtyard. That was as far as he’d agreed to walk me.
“He won’t let you,” he said after a moment’s pause. “He’s too proud.”
“Well, I’m proud, too. And I have a say in this.”
“I don’t know about that…”
“I do,” I snapped at him, then regretted it instantly. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Klaus, you’re my friend. You should be supporting me.”
“I support you, sister. I support you by telling you the truth. Isn’t that what we’re about?” He motioned between us. “And the truth is that he’s here now, in your life. Why? Fuck knows. Why now? Again, fuck knows. Did you want him in your life? He doesn’t care. And he won’t care whether you want to take his name or not, either. You are who you are, the whole school knows it… Hell! The entire supernatural world knows it by now. And there’s no going back. Like it or not, you’re Mila Morningstar, and that’s who you’ll be from now on. There’s no getting out of this, so better make the best of it, am I right?”
I sighed. “Ugh! You’re making so much sense and I hate you!”
As if to confirm his reasoning, an NDC guy walked past us and threw me a casual “Hey, Mila! What’s up!” along with a wink and a wave. Who the fuck is that?!
“Caleb. He might be the merman I was telling you about.” Klaus read my mind. “I bet he’s going for a swim.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m going.”
“Have fun! Don’t forget we’re convening in the library tonight, so you can tell us all about it!”
“What? No, we’re not!”
“Too late, I’ve already invited everyone, and Patty is bringing snacks.”
“Who’s everyone?”
He started counting on his fingers. “Me, Joel, Patty, GC, and Paz. Francis overheard us and said he wanted to be included.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Which was super weird. Anyway, I told him to fuck off.”