BooksBarbecue
Back Any Way the Wind Blows
Chapters (100)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. EPILOGUE
  96. AGATHA
  97. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  98. Also by Rainbow Rowell
  99. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  100. Newsletter Sign-up

I stare at the screen for a second, not sure what to say next. Simon and I don’t have text conversations. Not usually. Not really.

Simon starts typing—there’s a “…” on the screen—then stops. Then starts again.

“you still angry with me?” he finally sends.

I think about it for a second. “Yes.”

“can it wait until you come back?”

“What do you mean?”

“be angry with me tomorrow, when you’re here, not now”

“You want me to set it aside?”

“y”

I think again. “All right.”

“are you angry?”

“No,” I type. Honestly. It’s easy to set my anger aside; I don’t want to be angry with Simon. If anything, I want to apologize for being angry with him. Which isn’t fair. He’s the one who lied.

He doesn’t reply right away. Then—“you were right about smith.”

Well, obviously. “Yes.”

“i’m worried that I’m just going to keep falling for this bullshit”

“What bullshit?”

“first the mage, now smith”

I frown at the phone. “You didn’t fall for the Mage’s shit. You were a child.”

“fell for smith’s tho”

“Only for a minute. Then you brought him to justice. That’s the important part of the pattern, I think—the bringing to justice.”

“maybe”

Simon starts typing more, then stops. Then starts. Then stops.

I wait.

Finally he sends: “i wish smith had been the real thing”

For fuck’s sake. “Why?”

“because then i could stop feeling bad about letting everyone down, they’d have a greatest mage to do all their great mage stuff”

I scowl at the phone and tap his name to call him.

He picks up after a few seconds. “Baz?”

“You have never in your life let anyone down.”

Simon doesn’t say anything at first. (I can hear the three dots.) “That’s not true,” he says. “I let you down all the time.”

“It isn’t ‘letting someone down’ to be depressed.”

“You’re literally still angry at me from earlier today.”

“Because you lied to me, Snow!”

“Doesn’t that count?”

“Fine,” I whisper harshly, “you let me down all the time—I think that’s just being in a relationship—but you’ve never let the World of Mages down. You don’t owe the magickal community anything. You never did. But you’ve served it with unflagging honour.”