Never After (School for Good and Evil x Reader)

Chapter 16

It was almost time for Tedros and I to enter the forest.

I gathered my courage, then went over to where the prince was sitting amongst his Everboy friends. Twenty pairs of eyes turned toward me.

"Tedros," I said, "Can I talk to you?"

Chaddick, one of the other Everboys, snickered. I glared at him, eyes flaming green, and he shut up.

"Please?"

Tedros stared at me for a long while before he nodded.

When we were a ways away from the others, he turned to me. "What is it?"

I cleared my throat. "Um, I'm not sure if you know me. I'm Sophie's friend—"

"Y/n," he finished. "Yeah, I know."

"Good." I nodded. "Right, okay—"

"Is there a reason you're talking to me right now?" he asked. "Or are you just trying to get me out of the way?"

I scowled, all nervousness falling away. "If I wanted to do that, you would have been long gone by now." I exhaled, trying to calm myself. "No. I'm here because I have. . .a proposition, of sorts."

Tedros blinked in confusion. "A proposition?"

"Yes. I think we should work as a team."

He narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Because Sophie's one of my best friends," I said vehemently. "And I already made protecting her my top priority long before today. I think it would benefit us both if we fought side by side."

"How do I know you won't just take the title from Sophie at the end of all this?"

"I. . ." I faltered. "You don't. But you have my word. For this to work, we're going to have to trust each other at least a little bit." I held my hand out. "Do we have a deal?"

He stared at it in suspicion.

Then, to my surprise, he shook it firmly. "Deal."

It was then that Castor called us over. "LAST PAIR!"

The two of us took our positions in front of the gate.

I glanced at Tedros. "Ready?"

"Hell, no," he said. "You?"

I grinned. "Hell, no," I echoed.

"ENTER!" Castor roared.

We walked through the gate, chins held high, Ever and Never fighting as one.

***

We took the west trail towards the Blue Brook. I had expected the forest to be pitch-dark, but tonight the trees fluoresced with an ice-blue, blacklit sheen, glazing the forest in an arctic glow.

Electric blue fronds kissed my neck as we waded into the Fernfield. The forest was quieter than I'd ever seen it. No ominous howls. No skulking animals. Just us and an ethereal meadow, wind strumming blades like harp strings.

"So how come you're friends with Sophie and the witch?" Tedros said, pushing aside some head-high ferns.

"Agatha isn't a witch," I told him. "Hell, she's practically my sister."

"Sorry to hear that."

"I'm not." I stopped and faced him. He did the same. "And stop bashing her. I don't deal well with people who talk about my family like that."

Tedros had the decency to blush. "Sorry," he mumbled, and we kept moving.

After a few moments, he spoke again. "So you want to tell me exactly what the hell happened at the Welcoming Assembly at the beginning of the year?"