“That’s why they’d need cheering up.”

He grinned and slung his leather satchel over one shoulder. “This is not the most terrible school on the face of the earth, Bianca.” Balthazar was teasing me, but I could tell that he was genuinely concerned. “I wish you were having more fun here.”

“That makes two of us,” I said, glancing at the corner where I’d seen Lucas reading a few minutes before. He was still there, lamplight making his bronze hair shine, but he didn’t so much as turn his eyes in our direction.

“You could like it if you gave it a fair chance.” Balthazar held the library door for me as we went out. “You ought to explore a little more. Try harder to get to know people.”

I shot him a look. “Like Courtney?”

“Correction: Try harder to get to know the right people.” When Balthazar said “the right people,” he didn’t mean the richest or the most popular; he meant the ones that might be worth getting to know. Thus far, the only member of the in crowd who seemed remotely worth knowing was Balthazar himself, so I thought I wasn’t doing too badly on that score.

“I don’t think Evernight is right for everybody,” I confessed. “I’m positive it’s not right for me. I know it serves a purpose, but I’ll be glad when I graduate.”

“I will, too, but not for the same reason.” Balthazar walked slowly by my side, carefully measuring his long stride so that I wouldn’t fall behind. Sometimes it hit me how big he was—tall and broad, powerfully built—and a weird little tingle would start in my belly. “Evernight always makes me feel like I can understand the whole world. Like I can master it. Every new subject I study, every innovation I learn about—it’s like I can’t wait to get out there and try everything for myself.”

His enthusiasm wasn’t enough to make me like the school, but it did make me smile for what felt like the first time in ages. “Well, at least one of us is happy.”

“I hope we’ll both be happy before too long,” Balthazar said softly. His dark eyes were studying me intently, and that warm tingly feeling started again.

We’d reached the archway that led to the girls’ dormitory wing, and he stopped right at the boundary. I could imagine him in the nineteenth century, all courtly manners, and a smile tugged at my lips as I envisioned him bowing from the waist.

Balthazar looked like he might be about to say something, but at that moment Patrice walked up, apparently done with her own schoolwork. “Oh, Bianca, there you are.” Easily, she took my arm as if we were best friends. “You must explain our latest assignment in Modern Technology to me. I can’t make any sense of it.”

“Um—okay.” As I was being towed down the hallway, I looked back at Balthazar and waved. He looked more amused than disappointed. I muttered to Patrice, “We were talking.”

“I realize that,” she whispered. “This way he’ll keep wishing he’d gotten a chance to talk to you more. That means he’ll return to you more quickly.”

“Really?”

“In my experience, it works rather well. Besides, I really do need you to explain.”

This wasn’t the first time I’d had to shepherd Patrice through that particular course, or the first time I’d wondered why I bothered signing up for it at all. “Not a problem.” I sighed.

Patrice giggled, and for a moment she was almost girlish. “Balthazar’s the most attractive man here, if you ask me. Not precisely my type, but those shoulders? Those dark eyes? You’ve done rather well for yourself.”

“We’re just friends,” I protested as we returned to our room.

“Just friends. Hmmm.” Patrice’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “I wonder if Courtney would agree.”

I held up my hands, trying to cut this conversation off before it got even more uncomfortable than it already was. “Don’t tell Courtney about this, okay? I don’t need the hassle.”

She arched one eyebrow. “Don’t tell her about what? I thought you said there was nothing to tell.”

“If you want help with your homework, you’re going to drop the subject. Now.”

Slightly offended, Patrice shrugged. “Suit yourself. If I were you, I’d be excited about attracting the attention of a guy like Balthazar. But, by all means, let’s talk about homework instead.”

Honestly, I was a little proud that Balthazar liked me. I wasn’t convinced that he wanted to be anything more than a friend, but he definitely flirted with me sometimes. After the mess with Lucas, it felt good to be flirted with—as if I really were beautiful and fascinating instead of the shy, awkward girl in the corner.

Balthazar was kind, smart, and he had a sly sense of humor. Everyone liked him, probably because he seemed to like most people in return. Even Raquel, who detested virtually all the in crowd, said hello to him in the hallway, and he always said hello back. He wasn’t snobbish or cold. And he really was devastatingly good-looking.

He was everything a girl could ask for, basically. But he wasn’t Lucas.

Back at my old school, the teachers always decorated for Halloween. Orange plastic pumpkins were set in the windows, waiting to be filled with Tootsie Rolls and Butterfingers, and construction paper witches flew across every wall. Last year, the principal hung candy-corn lights around her office door, which also had a sign that said, in green shaky letters, Boo! I always thought it was cheesy and fake, and it never occurred to me that I might someday miss it.