Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls #5)(53)

Hurt flashed in her eyes. "You don't believe me either?" She walked a few steps without speaking.

"I'm not stupid. I knew if I stopped him from going through with Monique he'd turn to you for good."

"But you also admitted you love him, and you've tried to break us up before."

"It finally got through my head how pathetic I was. He doesn't love me. He loves you. Always has and always will. It was a bitter pill, but I swallowed it."

Kylie inhaled and realized she believed the girl. "Okay, so why did you pay blood to see me again?"

"For two reasons," the were said.

"And they are?" Kylie asked.

"I hear you're good at ... giving people relationship advice."

Kylie's mouth dropped open. "You want advice on how to win Lucas back?"

Fredericka make a funny face. "No! I told you, I swallowed that pill already."

Kylie remembered what Miranda had told her. "Please tell me it's not the new teacher, Mr. Cannon."

Fredericka looked shocked. "How did you know about me and Cary?"

Cary? So they're on a first-name basis? "Rumor has it you're hot on him."

The were frowned. "I didn't think I was that ... obvious."

"Well, you thought wrong. And let me tell you, it's not a good idea. He's your teacher."

"He's twenty. He's like some super-smart kid that finished college when he was nineteen. And I'll be eighteen next month. We're barely two years apart."

Kylie could hear Perry's wings flapping in the breeze. She cut her eyes up, and for Fredericka's sake, she hoped he wasn't listening. "Fine, it's not the age thing. It's the teacher thing."

"I don't see why that matters," Fredericka said.

Kylie let out a deep gulp of air. "It matters if he wants to keep his balls. Burnett already threatened to send Hayden Yates away minus his when-"

"You and Mr. Yates had a fling?" Fredericka's eyes widened. "I thought you loved-"

"No! Burnett thought we were."

"Why would he think that?" Fredericka made another face.

Kylie realized she shouldn't have mentioned this. "It's a long story. The point is that Burnett will be overly pissed if this new teacher gives you even a second glance."

"Why don't you let me worry about Burnett and Cary's boys and you just tell me how to ... to make it happen for us the way you did for the others."

Kylie sighed. "Why does everyone keep saying that I'm good at offering relationship advice? Can't you see what a disaster my own relationships are? If I was good at that, do you think I'd be in the mess I'm in right now?"

Fredericka shrugged. "But everyone who went to you with problems says you fixed things. Perry and that little witch friend of yours. Helen and Jonathon. Burnett and Holiday."

"How do you know they wouldn't have worked things out on their own?"

Fredericka frowned. "They all sing your praises."

Kylie shook her head. "Look, I don't think you and the teacher is a good idea.""So you won't help me?" Fredericka said. "Even after I set you straight on Lucas and saved him from having to spend his life with someone he doesn't love?"

Kylie exhaled. "Okay, here's my advice. Go talk to Holiday, tell her about your feelings and-"

"She'll say hell no. She doesn't even like me."

"Oh yes, she does. With all the trouble you've caused, she'd have kicked your ass out a long time ago if she didn't. And if you're worried about her completely disagreeing, why don't you start by telling her you have a thing for someone who's only two years older and see what she says before you tell her who it is.

Get her to say it's not such a bad thing and then drop the bomb about him being a teacher."

"You really think she'll listen to me?"

"Listen, yes. Whether or not she'll tell you not to do it is another matter. But she's the fairest person I know."

"Okay." Fredericka seemed to be thinking. "Now what about Cary? How do I get him to...?"

"Notice you?"

"Not notice. He's already noticed me. I know he's attracted to me, he's just putting up roadblocks, probably for the same reason you said. He's a teacher and I'm his student."

"Then why don't you go to him and tell him that you understand that this is hard, but you really like him, and would at least like to be friends until-"

"I don't want to be just friends."

"Fine, but you start by being friends, and when you get the green light from Holiday, then you two can ... go run off in the woods and do the wild thing, or do whatever you want to do. You're not going to be in school but for nine more months. So the worst-case scenario, you two build a friendship, then take it to the next level when school's out."

She started nodding as if she agreed with Kylie. "Hell, I've waited for two years for Lucas, I could easily wait for nine months for Cary-if I had to." She smiled. "See, you are good at this. Thank you,"

Fredericka said with sincerity.

"Good, are we finished? I think Perry's getting impatient."