“Hm,” Zane eyed her over once with a grin. “I’ll be sure to remember this time.”
I cleared my throat. Loudly.
Zane turned back to me with a faux-innocent expression. “What? I’m being polite.”
“You’re being a menace,” I muttered, popping the cap of my tea.
“I’m multifaceted,” he said with a bow. Then to Mia, “Hey, you wanna help me convince your best friend here to ditch school and become a beach bum with me?”
Mia’s eyes widened. “I—uh—”
“He’s joking,” I cut in.
He wasn’t.
“Anyway,” Mia said quickly, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Are you okay, Liora? I heard someone dumped your books in the fountain again. I—I tried to grab them, but…”
“It’s fine,” I said, softening. “Thanks for trying.”
Zane elbowed me. “See? That’s friendship. You’ve got more than one reason to stick around
