"Mierda, I should've known nothing at Vermont was accidental."
Wren's POV.
The air between us was thick with unspoken words as I watched my mother's face, still flushed from Mr. Raven's particular brand of charm, and fought the urge to groan. The last thing I needed was my mom falling for my cross-dressing, owl-wielding principal. Richard, meanwhile, looked like he was two seconds away from either combusting or challenging Mr. Raven to a duel. (I was rooting for the former.) Part of me reveled in the way he glowered, his jealousy simmering beneath a thin veneer of control. Good. Let him choke on it.
But then Mom did something unexpected.
She cupped my face, her fingers trembling, and pressed a kiss to my forehead, something she hadn't done since the night I left. It had been years since she'd touched me like this. Three years to be exact.
"Mija," she whispered, her voice cracking like thin ice, "I know we're not… what we used to be. But I love you. More than you'll ever know. If you need me... if this place isn't what you hoped... call me. I'll come. No matter what."
A sound tore from my throat... something raw, wounded. My hands shook so badly the handbook slipped from my grip, clattering to the floor, papers scattering at my feet.
How long had I waited to hear this?
For a single, heart-stopping moment, I wanted to believe her.
Then the doubt seeped in like poison.
Lies. Pretty words to soothe her guilt. If she loved you, why did she let you go so easily? Why didn't she call? Why didn't she fight? Why did she not show up not even once?
I stepped back, my mask snapping into place. "Save it, Mom. If you meant it, you would've come for me before now."
Her face crumpled. She bent to gather my things, her fingers brushing mine as she pressed the handbook back into my hands. "I… I just..."
Before she could reply, the sharp click of heels echoed down the hall, cutting through the tension. Miss Daisy, all business in her sleek suit and purple blouse, had returned... followed by a human hurricane in her wake, a bizarre-looking girl.
And holy hell, was she a walking explosion of chaos.
Face painted in swirling colors of a rainbow. A measuring-tape scarf. A green juice-box bag. Nail polish with tiny, screaming faces. Her grin was all braces and mischief as she thrust a hand toward me.
Beaming at me like we were long-lost partners in crime. "Hi! I'm Piper Scott! Love your hair, it's like moonlight dipped in ink!"
I blinked. What do you even say to that?
"Wren Whitaker," I managed, shaking her hand. "Uh. Thanks. Love your… everything?"
Piper grinned, braces glinting. "Vermont lets us dress however we want! Well, except when the Elders visit. Then it's uniforms and no fun allowed." She shoved a heart-shaped lollipop into my hand. "Here! Friendship candy! It's strawberry-blood flavor!"
I stared at it. "That's not a real flavor."
"It is here!"
Miss Daisy pinched the bridge of her nose. "Piper was supposed to guideyou, not adopt you."
"Same thing!" Piper chirped, already dragging me down the hall. "C'mon, roomie! I'll show you where the cafeteria hides the good cookies! Well after we go the Tailor Shop, Miss Daisy will be mad if I didn't. She's scary."
I glanced back... just once... at Mom and Richard. She mouthed "Te amo", eyes glistening. Richard looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.
Miss Daisy sighed like she'd rather be anywhere else. "Piper will show you to your dorm. Try not to set anything on fire."
Mom and Richard exchanged a look that screamed "What the hell have we gotten her into?" before turning to leave.
Then, just as they reached the doors, Mom spun around.
"Oh! Mija! I forgot to tell you... that boy you grew up with? The one you never shut up about?"
My heart stopped.
Kai?
"He came back. Less than a month ago. And... " She smirked. "I think he's here. He came looking for you."
The handbook hit the floor again.
Piper whistled. "Ooooh. Someone's got history written all over their face."
I didn't answer.
Because Kai Rivers... the boy who'd kissed me like it was the end of the world... was somewhere in this madhouse of owls and hourglass heels…
He was here.
And I had no fucking idea what I would do if I saw him.
Hug him…
Or set him on fire too.
The thought of Kai being here terrified me... and that was the problem.
Because it shouldn't have.
Because once, the idea of Kai Rivers being anywhere near me would've sent lightning down my spine, would've had me grinning like an idiot, would've made my chest so tight with excitement I could barely breathe.
Now?
Now it just made my hands shake.
Three years. Three years since I'd seen him. Three years since that night... since the kiss that burned me alive, since the words we didn't say, since the way he looked at me like I was something breakable right before I ran.
And now he was here.
In Vermont.
Looking for me.
The thought sent something wild and aching through my veins.
Would he even recognize me?
I wasn't the same girl who'd left. The freckles that used to dust my nose were gone, all except the one tucked behind my ear, the one he'd always called my secret spot. My eyes weren't the same soft brown he'd teased me about; they'd sharpened into hazel, like whiskey left in the sun. I didn't wear glasses anymore. I wasn't all elbows and knees, all awkward limbs and nervous laughter.
I'd gotten heavy.
Not in a bad way, just in a I-eat-my-feelings-and-lift-weights-to-compensate kind of way. Calisthenics had kept me lean, all coiled strength and controlled movement, but the past month? The past month I'd been too busy drowning in my own chaos to care. Too busy burning down labs and breaking noses to bother with L-sits or pull-ups.
Should I start again?
The question was stupid.
It didn't matter.
It shouldn't matter.
But God, it did.
Because Kai had always seen me... really seen me... even when I didn't want him to.
And I didn't know if I could handle him looking at me now and finding someone he didn't recognize.
Or worse.
Someone he did.
Lost in my messy thoughts I bumped Piper "Ah!"
God what am I doing? I apologized "I'm so sorry I wasn't watching where I was going"
"It's ok. We have reached the Tailor Shop"
My eyes widened We have arrived?
I looked up. The sign above the door read "M. Voss & Sons, Tailors"