Status: Complete
Just a Feeling
24
Brion went back to ignoring Rowan’s existence, and he started dating Haley again. “How can he go crawling back to her?” Lane demanded one day at lunch. “I just don’t get it.”
Evan looked at her affectionately. “Some men don’t care about how they’re treated, not if they’re getting other things out of the bargain.” Lane gagged on her food, and everyone laughed as her face turned a funny shade of red.
“Man? Bah! He’s a boy,” Izzy declared. “Man implies a certain sense of self-worth, and a little maturity. Not too much- goodness knows you guys run with your maturity meter on low for your entire lives, but a little.”
“You go, girl,” Rowan said, amused at her friend’s feminist mini-rant. Meanwhile, Edwin was looking… odd.
“I think I’m perfectly mature,” he said. Something about his tone was less joking than Rowan would have expected, and everyone looked at Izzy expectantly.
She struggled for a long moment. “I guess you’re almost there,” she finally said. “But come on, would a man have wired all of the computers in the school to make animal noises at the same time last week? Would a man have made an army of robot ducks chase Haley last spring? I don’t think so.”
Edwin looked torn between pleasure and embarrassment. “Oh, come on. Those were classics!”
“They were pretty funny,” Lane put in. “And then when Izzy sent a whole bunch of origami soaring at her head? Priceless! Those two shouldn’t be allowed within the same vicinity. It’s just asking for trouble.”
Izzy blushed and laughed. She had it bad for Edwin. “And yet, here we are.”
Later that day, Rowan decided to get the girls together, something that they had never done before. It was another Friday, and she didn’t want a repeat of the last one. Rowan and Lane walked to Izzy and Livy’s room, not bothering to knock before entering.
Rowan wished they had, though. When the door swung open, Izzy and Edwin jumped a foot apart, but they weren’t quick enough.
“We need to borrow Iz,” Lane said, unaffected. “You can finish kissing her later.” She took Izzy’s hand and pulled her down the hallway. Rowan looked back at Edwin apologetically, stifling a giggle, and shut the door soundly behind her.
Once the door was shut, Lane giggled. “Edwin?” Izzy blushed.
“What? You’re honestly surprised?”
“Of course not. You two have been after each other since we got back to school last year. It’s about time.”
Rowan cleared her throat. “I think it’s cute. Like you and Evan.”
Lane spluttered. “Evan?” she choked out.
“Yes, Evan,” Izzy jumped in, grinning. “You can’t honestly tell me you haven’t noticed how he looks at you.”
“What? No. No! He… I.. It…”
“You’re not coherent,” Rowan said, smiling.
“I… I can’t believe I didn’t notice. He does come around a lot. But that’s just because of Rowan.” Lane sounded less than certain.
“No way. He’s completely different when you show up. Trust me,” Rowan said.
“Where’s Livy?” Izzy asked, looking around.
“We were looking for you both, but then… well, we got a little distracted,” Lane said, relieved that the subject seemed to have changed. They opened the door just as Livy raised her hand to knock.
“Excellent timing, Liv. We were just coming to find you,” Izzy said, grinning.
“I know. Luke came and found me. He said that you’d kicked him out and that we were having a girl’s night.
Rowan smiled to herself. He was too kind.
Not that she’d be asking him to get any meaner, mind. She had seen his bad side once before, the day she was kidnapped, and she didn’t ever want to see it again. He was scary when he was fighting. But then, he had to be good to be assigned to guard the crown princess.
The rest of the night was spent chatting and giving each other wacky hairstyles. When the girls finally settled down to go to sleep, someone pounded on the door.
Izzy, who was closest to the door, opened it. “What’s going on?” she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. When she finally looked at who was standing there, she turned white. “Mr. Novak?”
“I’ve come to fetch Rowan. The Academy has been compromised. We’re getting her and Ash out of here as quickly as possible.”
Evan looked at her affectionately. “Some men don’t care about how they’re treated, not if they’re getting other things out of the bargain.” Lane gagged on her food, and everyone laughed as her face turned a funny shade of red.
“Man? Bah! He’s a boy,” Izzy declared. “Man implies a certain sense of self-worth, and a little maturity. Not too much- goodness knows you guys run with your maturity meter on low for your entire lives, but a little.”
“You go, girl,” Rowan said, amused at her friend’s feminist mini-rant. Meanwhile, Edwin was looking… odd.
“I think I’m perfectly mature,” he said. Something about his tone was less joking than Rowan would have expected, and everyone looked at Izzy expectantly.
She struggled for a long moment. “I guess you’re almost there,” she finally said. “But come on, would a man have wired all of the computers in the school to make animal noises at the same time last week? Would a man have made an army of robot ducks chase Haley last spring? I don’t think so.”
Edwin looked torn between pleasure and embarrassment. “Oh, come on. Those were classics!”
“They were pretty funny,” Lane put in. “And then when Izzy sent a whole bunch of origami soaring at her head? Priceless! Those two shouldn’t be allowed within the same vicinity. It’s just asking for trouble.”
Izzy blushed and laughed. She had it bad for Edwin. “And yet, here we are.”
Later that day, Rowan decided to get the girls together, something that they had never done before. It was another Friday, and she didn’t want a repeat of the last one. Rowan and Lane walked to Izzy and Livy’s room, not bothering to knock before entering.
Rowan wished they had, though. When the door swung open, Izzy and Edwin jumped a foot apart, but they weren’t quick enough.
“We need to borrow Iz,” Lane said, unaffected. “You can finish kissing her later.” She took Izzy’s hand and pulled her down the hallway. Rowan looked back at Edwin apologetically, stifling a giggle, and shut the door soundly behind her.
Once the door was shut, Lane giggled. “Edwin?” Izzy blushed.
“What? You’re honestly surprised?”
“Of course not. You two have been after each other since we got back to school last year. It’s about time.”
Rowan cleared her throat. “I think it’s cute. Like you and Evan.”
Lane spluttered. “Evan?” she choked out.
“Yes, Evan,” Izzy jumped in, grinning. “You can’t honestly tell me you haven’t noticed how he looks at you.”
“What? No. No! He… I.. It…”
“You’re not coherent,” Rowan said, smiling.
“I… I can’t believe I didn’t notice. He does come around a lot. But that’s just because of Rowan.” Lane sounded less than certain.
“No way. He’s completely different when you show up. Trust me,” Rowan said.
“Where’s Livy?” Izzy asked, looking around.
“We were looking for you both, but then… well, we got a little distracted,” Lane said, relieved that the subject seemed to have changed. They opened the door just as Livy raised her hand to knock.
“Excellent timing, Liv. We were just coming to find you,” Izzy said, grinning.
“I know. Luke came and found me. He said that you’d kicked him out and that we were having a girl’s night.
Rowan smiled to herself. He was too kind.
Not that she’d be asking him to get any meaner, mind. She had seen his bad side once before, the day she was kidnapped, and she didn’t ever want to see it again. He was scary when he was fighting. But then, he had to be good to be assigned to guard the crown princess.
The rest of the night was spent chatting and giving each other wacky hairstyles. When the girls finally settled down to go to sleep, someone pounded on the door.
Izzy, who was closest to the door, opened it. “What’s going on?” she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. When she finally looked at who was standing there, she turned white. “Mr. Novak?”
“I’ve come to fetch Rowan. The Academy has been compromised. We’re getting her and Ash out of here as quickly as possible.”