Free Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood Page B

hear from Ivy what she wants to do.”
    I blush as I step between them. “Connor, this is my… Alex,” I say. How to explain it? Ivy and Alex, Alex and Ivy. “My friend.”
    â€œYour friend?” Connor looks from Alex to me like he’s trying to figure out whether we might be more than friends. Given how Alex is acting, I can’t blame him. “Do you want him to take you home?”
    No. I want to stay here and kiss away every thought of what’s happening at home. But the spell is broken. “I… What time is it?” I dig my phone out of my pocket—bless dresses with pockets—and check the time. We’ve been kissing for a while. Long enough that it’s getting close to my curfew. “Gah. I should get home. I’m sorry. Granddad can be a little…” I trail off, biting my lip. Connor is his student .
    Connor’s gaze fastens on my mouth. He catches me catching him and grins. “Yeah. I got the sense the Professor is, uh—protective.”
    I shrug. “He’s all I’ve got.”
    It comes out sounding sadder than I’d intended.
    â€œThat’s not true,” Alex says. It’s a nice sentiment, but he isn’t saying it to make me feel less lonely. He’s staking his claim.
    I ignore him and look up at Connor. “I’m really sorry. Not about…just…” I flail. I’m sorry we were interrupted. Sorry I have to go. Not sorry for kissing you. But I can’t make the words come out. Not with Alex standing right behind me, listening. “’Night, Connor.”
    â€œâ€™Night, Ivy,” he echoes, flashing me another grin.
    It fades when Alex grabs my hand and pulls me back toward the beach.
    I wait until we are out of earshot because, unlike my mother, I do not relish making a scene. But when we near the rocks that lead back to the cove and the party, I yank my hand away and stop dead. “What the hell was that, Alex? What were you doing back there?”
    â€œMe?” He laughs and drains the rest of his beer. “What about you?”
    I plant my hands on my hips. “Whatever I was doing or not doing with Connor is none of your business.”
    â€œAre you serious?” Alex stares at me. “I came looking for you because you were gone so long. I was worried about you. And I found you half-drunk and making out with some stranger. You honestly expect me to just turn around and walk away?”
    â€œYes! No. I don’t know. I’m not drunk. And he’s not a stranger. He’s one of Granddad’s students. He was at the house the other day for lunch.”
    â€œOh, well, that makes it okay then! I’m sure the Professor would be real happy about it.”
    I draw a deep breath in through my teeth. Count to ten. Twice. It doesn’t help much.
    â€œLet’s get something straight right now.” My voice is so cold it doesn’t sound like mine. “It is not your place to say whether or not it’s okay, and it isn’t Granddad’s either. Who I kiss is my own damn business. You don’t get any say in that.”
    I scramble back over the rocks to the beach, stumbling in my flip-flops and banging the shit out of my knee.
    â€œIvy!” Alex calls, but I ignore him and hurry across the sand. The music is blasting and a couple guys are chugging beers while the crowd chants and the bonfire sends sparks spinning up into the night sky.
    â€œIvy, slow down. Let me walk you home.” Alex jogs ahead of me and stops in my path. “I’m sorry, okay? I was trying to stop you from making a mistake. You’re upset about Erica and—”
    I throw my hands up in the air. “You don’t get it. I didn’t kiss Connor because of Erica. I didn’t kiss him because I was drunk. I just wanted to kiss him, okay? I wanted to kiss him. It wasn’t a mistake.”
    Alex takes a step back. “So kissing this dude