Going Down in Flames (Going Down in Flames #1)(35)

The sharp, citrus scent of the tangerine grapefruit shampoo helped wake her. The fat, yellow bumblebees on her orange bra and underwear made her smile. Once she was dressed, she grabbed her book bag and headed out the door.

The dining hall was packed. Groups of students sat by Clan, so the room appeared color coded. Didn’t these people mingle?

Waiting in line at the buffet, she scanned the room for Clint and Ivy. If they were there, she couldn’t spot them. Plate piled high with toast, fruit, eggs, and bacon, she wound her way to a table by the front door. A quick exit might come in handy.

No one seemed pleased to be awake at this hour. Maybe dragons weren’t morning people. In a slight daze, she sipped her coffee. Ugh. Bitter. She’d forgotten the sugar. Where was it? The tabletop was bare except for a napkin dispenser. The sugar must’ve been somewhere in the buffet line.

If she had a tablemate, she’d ask him to watch her things while she left. Since that wasn’t the case, she drank the bitter brew and tried not to think of it as commentary on her life.

A shadow fell across her plate.

She glanced up to find Jaxon Westgate smirking at her.

“Eating breakfast with all your friends?” he asked.

The Blue dragons in his wake laughed.

Jerk.

She pointed at the students behind him. “Are they your friends, or do they hang around because of your father’s money?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m sure some of them like you.”

Students at nearby tables laughed.

Jaxon placed both hands on the table and leaned down into her personal space.

“Do you think Zavien is your friend? He wants to use you for his lost cause. Those other Black dragons aren’t your friends, either. They just followed his lead.”

And that could be true. And it would totally suck. She gripped her coffee cup tighter. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re not. Right now, my coffee is getting cold. Why don’t you run along and tell your minions what a great man your father is. I’m sure they’ll be impressed.”

All conversation around them died. They had an audience.

“My father is a great man.” Jaxon spoke through clenched teeth.

“Your father is an arrogant egomaniac who—”

“Your mother is a traitorous bit—”

“That’s enough.” Mr. Stanton stalked toward them. “You’re both in my morning class. If either of you utters one more syllable, I’ll assign the entire class a ten-page paper.”

Because “He started it” probably wouldn’t buy her any leeway, Bryn nodded and sipped her coffee.

Frost shot from Jaxon’s nose as he turned toward the buffet line. She’d made him lose control. Good to know he had a temper to match her own. It evened the playing field.

Ivy and Clint entered the cafeteria without glancing her way. In the buffet line, Clint yawned while Ivy prodded him along. They sat at a table across the room. What did she expect? They’d just met yesterday.

Needing to look like she was doing something besides eating by herself, Bryn pulled out her schedule and pretended to find it fascinating. Another shadow fell across her table. Now what?

“Want to join us?” Ivy asked. “We’re over there.”

Bryn’s neck muscles unknotted, and she loosened her death grip on the coffee mug. “Sounds good.”

Clint nodded at her when she sat.

“Don’t mind him,” Ivy said. “He’s not a morning person.”

Clint yawned wide enough for Bryn to see his molars. “My roommate snored all night. I may have to smother him with my pillow if he continues.”

Ivy had sugar packets on her tray. “Where’d you find the sugar?”

“They’re by the cups at the front of the line. Here.” She tossed a few to Bryn.

“Thanks. I didn’t see them.” She ripped open the packets and added them to her coffee. Much better.

After breakfast, Bryn followed Ivy and Clint to the Science building. Their class was on the third floor. Just what she wanted to do first thing in the morning, climb three flights of stairs. What did the Directorate have against elevators?

When they reached the correct floor, a smoky odor tickled her throat. “What’s that?”

“A Red probably set something on fire,” Clint said. “I’m sure it happens all the time.”

Okay. “Why would that happen all the time?”

“Do you know what we do in Elemental Science?” he asked.

“No.”

“We learn to manipulate our element. Everyone is unstable at first because it’s all new.”

“Could I accidentally set someone’s hair on fire and get away with it?” The idea of Jaxon’s hair going up in flames made her smile.

“Remind me not to sit in front of her,” Clint muttered to Ivy.

…

Mr. Stanton sat at a desk in the front of the room. On the chalkboard behind him was a chart with each student’s name written in a square. Her name was absent. What did that mean?

He knew she was enrolled because he’d mentioned it at breakfast. What was she supposed to do? She approached Mr. Stanton’s desk and waited to be acknowledged. Movement by the window caught her attention. A yellow parakeet hung upside down in a large silver cage.