Legends: The Folklore Trilogy Book 2

5K Special: Study Break

Giselle groaned, letting her head fall into her hands. This was it. She was going to fail her Magical Theory exam. She just couldn't remember all the names of notable sorcerers in the field, much less the more complicated terminology. She had been studying for hours, and still didn't feel confident. Plus, the words were starting to blur together.

"Hey there, beautiful," a voice said loudly from behind her. She jumped, hitting her head against her desk lamp.

"Oops," the voice chuckled.

Giselle narrowed her eyes. She knew that voice. She turned around with a sigh. "How'd you get into my dorm, Juan?"

"The window."

"Naturally." She winced, rubbing her forehead.

"Sorry about the bump," he said, sounding a little guilty.

"It's fine," she grumbled. She sighed again. "What are you doing here?"

He spread his hands. "What? Are you not overjoyed to see me?"

Giselle chuckled. "Don't get a big head."

"Me? Get a big head? Never!" he exclaimed dramatically. Giselle laughed, unable to help herself.

Juan grinned. "Okay, but seriously, I'm here to rescue you."

Giselle frowned. "Rescue me? From what?"

Juan raised an eyebrow. "Giselle, you've been studying for nine straight hours. Have you even eaten?"

Giselle looked at the floor guiltily. "Um..."

"This is unhealthy," he chided. "You've studied enough. Anything past this point won't even help."

"That's not—"

"Giselle. Please. Give it a rest. Take a walk with me, we'll go hang out on the Green with Marietta, Walter, and Greg."

Giselle wrinkled her nose. "Seriously? Greg is there?"

Juan looked at her reproachfully. "Look, I don't love him either, but he's not that bad."

Giselle rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, sure."

Juan's eyes lit up. "So you'll come?"

Giselle bit her lip and looked back at her textbook. Juan did have a point...she never performed well under stress. Maybe she did need a break.

She looked back at him. "One condition: after, you walk back here with me and answer all my theory questions. You're really good at that."

Juan grinned. "Deal."

Giselle couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face. Juan had a dimple on his left cheek that made his smile almost unbearably adorable. Sometimes, he got her to do the craziest things, just because she couldn't resist that radiant smile.

She stood up and walked out of the room with him. His hands were leisurely tucked in his pockets, his grin still present. Giselle wrapped her arms around her chest, taking a deep breath. It felt strange, walking away from her study desk. With finals looming over her head like a tsunami, she hadn't left her room in a few days.

"None of that," Juan said suddenly.

"None of what?"

"Your arms." He batted at her folded arms. "Keeping your arms close to your chest for reasons other that temperature is a sign of insecurity. It makes you feel smaller. You should power pose instead."

"Power pose?" Giselle asked, laughing slightly.

"Yeah! Something like a superhero." He put his arms into a V above his head like he was reaching for something. "Power pose!"