The next day at school, all anyone could talk about was the new kid. The one who wore a suit and glasses and raised his hand in class and-at lunch-was actually seen reading a book.

Except Carswell wasn't new. And the book was for a class, English, and he had to read it for homework anyways.

Cress had spent the extra fifteen minutes she had after arriving at school searching for him in their usual spot by the trees before going inside. It was too cold outside to be lingering, anyways.

The library had been fairly empty. This was a normal occurrence, seeing as how just about everyone in the school happened to be thicker than War And Peace. The only people that populated it were the librarian, who was putting books back onto shelves, Cinder, the school's designated genius (and the girl everyone knew to be Kai's crush), Iko, Cinder's best friend, a nerdy-looking guy in a suit that she didn't recognize and Cress herself.

She almost walked right back out again, but suit boy stopped her. "Hey," he said, catching her hand in his. "Yoo-hoo, I'm right here, you know."

Cress blinked. Squinted. Inspected him from just about every angel.

"Thorne? What the hell? Where'd you get those glasses?"

He grinned, pulling off the thick black frames, "They're prescription. I just wear contacts usually, is all."

She slid onto the chair next to him. Admittedly, he was pretty adorable. Thorne's blond hair was uncombed for once, and without any product it held a slight curl at the ends. The glasses made his eyes bigger and brighter with glare. And the suit...God. That. Suit. Though.

"Who are you dressing up for, anyways? Winter has a boyfriend, you know." That was the latest person who Thorne had been infatuated. Still, she was one of many. Emphasis on many.

"It's not Winter."

"Scarlet? No-no one messes with Scarlet, what am I even thinking? Émilie, then?"

Carswell grinned, obviously enjoying this game. "No, I dated her a few weeks ago, don't you remember?"

"How could I? They all go by in such a blur."

"Ouch, Cress. Get my heart some ice! If you must know, I'm trying to get a last minute date to the dance."

"You're actually going?"

Cress supposed she shouldn't be surprised; just because she never gave Winter Carnival any attention didn't mean that the whole school didn't flip their nuggets whenever the time came around. Girls bought hundred dollar dresses (she knew one girl who had found one for six hundred) and guys rented out tuxes and made reservations for dinner.

All of it was ridiculous.

"Yes, and so are you."

"I don't have a dress, much less a date."

"You don't need anything extremely nice. What about that pretty blue one you wore to the freshman ball?"

She remembered that dress. Plain blue, cotton. It fell to her thighs, the last time she had put it on, at least, and was way too big. She practically drowned in it.

Then again, it had been two years ago…

Cress shook her head, "I have no date, either. It's practically blasphemy to go without one."

"Yeah, well neither do I."

"The difference between me and you is that you could ask anyone and they'd say yes, and I could ask anyone and they would see right through me."

"Not true."

"Really?" Cress scoffed, "Iko over there," she pointed at the girl, who hadn't stopped chatting Cinder's ear off since before she walked in. "Try it. Ask her out."

He looked uncomfortable, scratching his neck. "I-um, I don't really-"

"C'mon, Carswell. What, is she not pretty enough for you?" Cress felt a fire in her chest. If even Iko, with her perfect skin and flawless blue hair, wasn't good enough for him, she would never be.

"No, Iko's beautiful. I just-"

"Then stop being such a goddamn wimp."

She didn't know why she was pressuring him so much. After all, Carswell had never done anything to her. Nothing on purpose at the very least.

He shook his head, pushing back on the table and standing up. "Fine, whatever."

Carswell walked over to where Iko and Cinder were sitting, crouching beside them. They all talked for a few minutes before Iko screamed and threw her arms around Carswell's neck. He smiled uncomfortably, sending a bored glance in Cress's direction before pulling away.

"Fine," he said, shaking his head at her. He didn't seem mad so much as defeated, for whatever reason. "Happy now?"

No, Cress thought, even as she nodded and laughed, no, I am not.