“Aren’t you a little old for playing dress-up?” James sneered at me. “What are you supposed to be, anyway?”

I opened my mouth to defend the Frog Wizard costume to them, but then closed it because I knew these guys. They’d just twist my words, make it worse, and I wasn’t about to give them fresh ammunition. No, the best thing to do with bullies like them had always been to walk away fast.

But they were blocking an easy escape, and Milo appeared to have put down roots next to me. His eyes were wide and stricken, and his skin had turned a pasty, pale green.

“You look f-ing ridiculous. Both of you. Who put you up to this? Is it some sort of prank?”

“Blink once if you need a rescue.” Luther laughed as Milo continued to stay silent. “Better make sure no one takes a picture of you two. You wouldn’t want it to go viral.”

I was dangerously close to decking him because this wasn’t high school. I wasn’t risking my scholarship prospects with an expulsion. I didn’t have to take this heckling, and even if Milo had turned into stone, I didn’t have to stay there and wait to see what if anything he was going to say to his friends.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” I said firmly to Milo because I didn’t want to abandon him, but I also wasn’t going to stand there and let Luther and James pick us apart. However, when I stepped forward, Luther playfully swung his cart into my path.

“Okay, now I’m mad.” I glowered at him, and right when I was about to shove his stupid cart, Milo suddenly came to life and stepped in front of me.

“Stop,” he said, and time came to a screeching halt while we all waited to see what he was about to do.

Chapter Thirty

Milo

“Stop.” Finally, I’d recovered my ability to speak. It had taken me a few moments to get past the shock of seeing Luther and James at the hospital, exactly like I’d been dreading. And it was high school all over again, Luther and James hassling Jasper, and me doing nothing to stop it. It was like they started their shit and my voice fled along with my convictions and my courage.

But unlike high school, Jasper now looked more furious than scared, and I had a sinking feeling some of that anger was probably directed my way. And also in contrast to the past, I now had way more on the line. I’d promised Jasper and myself that I was going to be a better person, and that better person was definitely not a scared-rabbit statue who let my roommates get away with harassing anyone, let alone someone who meant as much to me as Jasper.