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His eyes went wide, shooting behind me. Also screaming, he jerked backward and out of Cassian’s chest.

“What? What?” Cassian looked down. He began patting his chest and stomach. “Don’t tell me there's one in me? I don't want a ghost—goals…I don’t have great goals for my heart. Yeah. My heart. My chest.” Nimrod had walked over to us, overhearing Cassian, and his eyebrows shot all the way up. Cassian threw him a nervous grin. “That’s why I’m patting my chest. ’Cause I’m looking for better goals. Not for any other reason.”

Nimrod was still skeptical. “Okay, dude. You do you, but you’re the best center we have. I think your goals are solid.”

Lee started laughing.

Nimrod looked his way, his grin widening and sparking into something more genuine. Less skeptical. He leaned down, taking me in before his gaze slid to Lee. “Mckenna. Didn’t know you were into the chauffeur business.” He reached in and Lee met his hand, doing some form of ‘dude bro’ handshake.

Lee replied, “I’m not, just for friends.”

Nimrod’s eyebrows went up all over again.

Poof. Noah groaned from the back seat. “You’re so stupid.”

I yelped, startled, thinking he was talking to me. He wasn’t. He was glowering at Lee, who was smirking at Nimrod still.

I couldn’t talk to Noah. Not really. There was the mind thing, but that weirded me out and Sabine said it was difficult to tune in. I cleared my throat. “I have to go. I have…friends…who seemed to be upset and I need to go and see⁠—”

“You’re talking about the ghosts?” Noah asked, perking up. “I’ll go find out what’s going on.”

“No, I⁠—”

Poof. He was gone.

Cassian laughed nervously before clapping Nimrod on the shoulder and edging him away from the car. “She likes to change her mind. Talking about checking in with her friends and then remembering that maybe she doesn’t need to.”

Nimrod’s eyes were narrowed, but his face relaxed into an easy grin. “Maybe she needs new goals too.” He indicated Cassian’s chest before rubbing his own. “Friendship goals. Funny, though. I didn’t think you had any friends?”

I had started to get out of the car but froze.

The reaction was instant from Lee and Cassian.

Lee growled. “What the fuck, man? I just said she was my friend.”

And Cassian got in front of Nimrod and shoved him, advancing on him as he stumbled backward. “You’re going to take back what you just said or I’m going to pound you into the ground in two seconds, dude.”

Nimrod paled, his mouth hanging open before his eyes jerked to mine. His mouth closed with a snap and he held his hands up quickly, shuffling further away. “Didn’t mean any disrespect. I just know that Ethan kid. He talks about how you don’t have friends and that’s why he’s always asking for you to cover for him at the bookstore. He’s in Latin with me and he’s kind of a nerdy dickhead.” He motioned to Lee and Cassian. “Obviously, your status has changed. Getting that now.” When some of their other friends started to come over, Nimrod lowered his head, tightened his hold on his backpack and hurried across the quad. He was entering the school just as Noah and Shelton walked out. He walked through them.

Both stopped, cringing, before they continued our way.

Shelton was nervous, wringing his hands together. His eyes kept darting to Lee. Noah, on the other hand, was cool, calm, and confident. If he’d been alive, I fully knew he would’ve been at the top of the social hierarchy. He met my gaze coming across the yard with Shelton and rolled his eyes.

Rebecca Stilteine and Maya Miller came over. I braced myself for whatever was going to happen next. If they were going to flirt with Lee or Cassian or… I didn’t even know at this point.

All of them arrived at the same time.

Rebecca grinned, taking in all of us. “I figured one of you guys would hit on the new girl, but not both of you. That’s what is going on here, right?”

Lee began coughing.

Cassian froze, his hands in his hair, looking constipated.

Rebecca and Maya both started laughing before Rebecca looked my way. “Claudia was making the rounds last night over social media, but don’t worry about her. We got your back.”

Maya nodded, still giggling.

They started to leave.