22. Freya knows something

The dorm door slammed open so hard the hinges rattled.

"YOU SLAPPED ELIAS?"

Freya's voice cracked like thunder. She stood in the doorway, hair wild from running, eyes blazing like she had just sprinted across campus.

I didn't even move. I was now sitting on my bed, knees drawn up, my breath still uneven from my encounter with… whatever that thing was.

"Yes," I said flatly. "Hello to you too."

Freya's jaw dropped. "Don't you dare say that like it's normal! Maeve, do you realize what you just did? Elias freaking Hawthorne! The heir to the Hawthorne line. You can't just—" She stopped, threw her hands up. "You slapped him. In the library. In front of everyone. And then you left me!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yes. Thank you for the recap, news anchor. Anything else?"