The first few weeks of November pass by quickly. I actually pass another test with ease, much to my relief and reliance on blue magic. I have seen Grabby occasionally on Saturday mornings or in class, but he has been civil to me, and I to him, although I can't help the feeling that he is ignoring me on purpose. He doesn't call on me in class anymore; he doesn't even look at me, or maybe he only looks when he knows I'm not looking back.

Minnie, too, seemed to be avoiding me. She had started to disappear last year after her problems with Kyo, but this year they weren't even involved and for some reason she had decided to stop hosting her regular Saturday afternoon study sessions in the library altogether, which led to me going to the arcade with Donald and Tommy more and more. I'm not entirely sure if Donald and Ellen are still dating, due to how infrequently I see them together, but they're at least pleasant to each other when they interact, and I don't want to get dragged into the middle of any drama.

But drama, it seemed, was keen to follow me anyway. When I arrived at the mall that Saturday with Donald and Tommy, I was surprised to see Professor Grabiner and the other students, Minnie included, setting up the kiosk to sell candles for the Thanksgiving tribute a week earlier than usual. Last year, Professor Grabiner had come to me directly to ask which candles to sell, and then I worked the last shift with him. I remember that because…because…I feel a slight tingling sensation in the back of my brain, but the mall is loud and crowded with early holiday shoppers, and I don't let myself focus on it. It didn't matter anyway. If anything, he probably just made some rude and scathing comments towards me that my subconscious decided it wasn't worth remembering. Something does feel right about that justification, but it's the best one I can give myself.

I sit in the arcade and ponder over this while Tommy takes over the pinball machine and Donald goofs around on the dance game.

"You're going to have to tell us what's wrong eventually," Donald says as he jumps and moves his feet in time to the little, colorful arrows on the screen.

"Why do you assume there's something wrong?" I ask.

"Because you're quiet," Thomas says. "You're never quiet unless you're brooding."

"I'm not brooding," I exclaim. They both turn around to shoot me a look, and I sigh. They have a point. "Did you see the candle fundraiser out there?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Thomas asks.

"Didn't you do that last year?" Donald asks. "I remember hearing it was your idea to make those pink peppermint-scented candles."

"They were cute," I say in my defense. "And they sold well. So win-win."

"So why aren't you working there right now?" Thomas asks.

"Because no one asked me." I struggle to keep my voice in check. "Last year it was a week later so I figured the schedule sign-ups just hadn't gone around yet. But now they're here, and no one even asked me about it. Not about the candles, or the sign-ups, nothing."

"Well, Professor Grabiner probably doesn't want to spend any time alone with you after that telling-off you gave him," Donald chuckles.

"You wound a man's pride, you got to do the time," Thomas agrees, slipping another coin into the pinball machine.

"Boys," I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. "But you'd think at least Minnie would have told me. We used to study together all the time last year. Now I feel like she's avoiding me."

"I haven't seen her around as much," Donald shrugs. "At least last year I saw her spending all her time with Kyo. Now I just don't really see her at all. Maybe she just keeps a different schedule."

"Yeah, probably," I shrug.

"Or maybe it's some massive conspiracy against you," Thomas chimes in.

"Oh, thanks, way to make me feel better," I snort. Thomas turns around and grins at me before turning back to his game.

"Want a way to make you feel better?" he asks without looking at me. "Let's go over there."

"What?" I ask. "No. Hell no."

"Yeah," Donald stops playing and turns to us. "We'll walk over and be really annoying."

"We'll ask a lot of questions about where you are," Thomas adds. "Mention that you were the best sales person ever last year."

"But you weren't even here last year," I remind him.

"Yeah, well, Donald can say that part then," he shrugs. "Or the three of us can just walk by the table and make it super obvious that we know they bailed on you."

"Nooo," I cover my face with my hands. "Oh no, I don't want to see them. It's too embarrassing. There's obviously some reason they don't want me there."

"Okay, then we'll go and figure out what it is," Thomas says.

"No no no," I say quickly. "Don't do it, guys. Come on? Please? Don't?"

"Well now that you've dragged us into this," Donald says. "Now we're curious to find out too."

"Dammit," I hiss under my breath. They both slip out of the arcade together and start walking towards the table while I slink back into the arcade, cursing under my breath.

I try to play the dance game that I'm usually at least semi-decent at, but I can't keep my focus. What were they going to say? What were they going to do? I could see Professor Grabiner not asking me about the candles, but to not even ask me to sign up for a shift? I was still the treasurer, and that was still my responsibility. Did he explicitly tell Minnie to make sure that I didn't know this was happening today? Why didn't they want me to help? I'm not even halfway through my first game when they're already back.

"We left when he threatened us with detention," Donald says sheepishly.

"So you didn't even find out anything?" I ask. "Lame."

"Well, not entirely," Thomas shifts his feet and looks at Donald. "Minnie was at the table too. With Grumpy pants."

"And?"

"…and they said that Minnie filled in your shift because you said you weren't feeling well," Donald finishes softly, gauging my reaction.

"What?" My jaw drops open. "What the hell? No one even asked me-"

"We believe you," Thomas says with a shrug. "I mean, if they both didn't want you there because they hated your guts, do you think they would have told us that?"

"Grabby probably would have," I snort. "Why's he such a jerk?"

"Just forget about him," Donald shakes his head. "Do what my sister said. Ignore him. Stop going to his classes. Your blue magic is already really good; balance it out with other magic. You have four other classes to choose from."

"Why do you care so much anyway?" Thomas asks. "Why are you so concerned with what he thinks of you?" Even Donald turns to look at me for an answer to that one.

"Because," I say with a huff. "Because I'm a good student. And I'm really good at blue magic and I study and I pay attention and I know all the answers in class and, I don't know, I'm just a good student. And he treats me like I'm not. He treats me like I'm a troublemaker or something."

"Naw, that would be me," Donald grins. "But I can see your point. It sucks when you're giving it your all and he's not giving you the credit you deserve."

"Thank you," I say pointedly. "I'm headed back to campus. I don't want to stay here anymore. Anyone with me?"

I end up heading back alone, which doesn't actually bother me as much as it maybe should have. I had been paying attention in class. I hadn't caused any more trouble with Grabby. I had been performing my Saturday morning treasury duties perfectly – why did I suddenly feel like I was being treated like a persona non grata?

I go back to my dorm to study and find that, luckily, Ellen and Virginia aren't there. I pour over a book on white magic, but it's more about schools of thought and states of mind and it's all very philosophical and boring. Without glancing at the clock, I head outside and start walking around the campus aimlessly, first around the trails then, when it gets darker and colder, inside the buildings. I don't even realize that someone is calling my name until he appears in the doorway of his office.

"Hey, Tori, Tori, something on your mind?"

"Oh, hi Jason." I turn around to face him. He's not wearing his robes. Instead, he's wearing khaki pants and a cotton polo. I knew it was Saturday, but I'd never seen a teacher on campus that wasn't wearing their school robes, even on the weekend. "What are you doing in your office so late on a Saturday night?"

"Just catching up on some paperwork," he says. "Why don't you come in and sit down?"

I hesitate before following him inside. He doesn't shut the door, but then again, there's no one out in the hallway to eavesdrop on our conversation anyway. His office isn't big, but it's comfortable. Silly pictures of him with students and friends line the walls and the top shelf of a large bookcase filled with all sorts of books in various sizes and colors. He has a desk piled high with papers in one corner of the room, with a large swivel chair behind it and a plush maroon couch against the adjacent wall.

"You have a couch in here?" I ask incredulously.

"Students come in here a lot to talk," he says. "Seems a lot more comfortable than a desk chair."

"It is," I agree as I sit down. It's extremely soft, and I end up sinking back into the cushion.

"Something on your mind?" he asks. "You don't need to tell me anything you're not comfortable sharing."

"I just-" I hesitate. Maybe this is my one chance to actually get some answers. "Do you know…does Professor Grabiner hate me?"

Jason just laughs. "He hates everybody. Why do you think you're special?"

I smirk at that. "Oh come on, you have to know what happened. How I yelled at him after one of the tests?"

Jason holds up his hands. "As others have probably told you, he had it coming. I heard about the little stunt he pulled on you in the classroom. We, as teachers, are here to help you learn and help you grow. Scaring the shit out of young men and women isn't going to help anything."

I giggle. "I have never heard a teacher curse before."

"The way I see it is, you're going to learn more from me if you see me as a person instead of just as a teacher, right?" he asks. "Respect goes both ways. I don't want you to see me as just some teacher or authority figure. I'm a person; I want you to treat me like one too."

"That's nice," I say, thinking it over. "I wish more teachers had that attitude."

"More should," he agrees. "So what did Grabby do to you this time?"

I giggle again. I've never heard another teacher refer to him by his nickname before. "Well, it has to do with my treasurer position. Last year he let me pick the candles for the Thanksgiving tribute and then I helped out selling them in the mall. They sold well and I did a really good job. This year no one even asked me about it – I didn't even know about it until I was at the mall today. Some of my friends went over and asked them where I was, you know, just to fish for some answers? And they said that another girl had to cover my shift because I said I was sick! But I didn't even know about it!"

"Huh, well that's not right," Jason says, putting a hand on one knee. "Why do you think they did that?"

"I don't know," I shrug. "I mean, I don't know why they would lie about it. Maybe he just didn't want me there because he hates me."

"Can I ask…?" Jason hesitates. "Why you're so concerned with what he thinks of you?"

I laugh. "Tommy actually asked me that same question today! Um, well, this is going to make me sound really not-humble, but I think I'm a good student. Like I usually do pretty well on tests, or at least that's what Professor Potsdam told me last year, she was always giving me extra merits for little things I did. Umm, I don't know, one of my friends says I'm really good with blue magic, which is his area. I go to his classes a lot and I always do my work and pay attention. I get up and do all of my treasury work well and have never had any issues or problems with that…"

"Basically you're the good student and you want to be treated like one," Jason finishes.

"Exactly!" I exclaim. "It's like I'm putting in all this hard work; I don't want a cookie or anything, but I just want him to recognize me. Like, "hey, you're doing a great job" or something. I don't know. Now that I say it out loud it doesn't sound like something he would say."

"To be fair, and I've only been here a few months, but I can't see him saying that to anyone," Jason says. "But I can understand being young and smart and wanting to impress your teachers. Heck, you impress me, and I have no problem saying that. You are diligent and studious and you work hard." I look away because I'm blushing. "So I can only imagine that you want to impress ol' Grabby, because he's like the top dog, right? The guy that doesn't give approval to anyone? So if he gives it to you, it makes you special, doesn't it?"

"That makes me sound really bad," I say, rubbing my forehead with my wrist to hide my embarrassment.

"No it doesn't," Jason says. "There is absolutely no problem with working hard and wanting to get recognition for it. And if there's ever a time when you do something great and you want applause for it from besides just your classmates, just come see me and I'll give you a cookie."

I laugh openly now, and I can't hide the goofy smile on my face. I can see why so many people like to visit Jason now; he really does have a way of cheering people up. "Now, I don't know about you, but I don't want to just sit here and mope about Grabby on my Saturday night, do you?" I shake my head. "Okay then." He stands up and puts his hand on the doorframe and I follow him to the door. "By the way…" He reaches out and lifts a few strands of blue hair off my shoulder. "This is a really pretty color."

"Thank you," I say quietly, blushing at the contact. "My roommate's brother, uh, William Danson, taught me how to do it. It's actually a lot of fun. Sometimes I'll make it a little bit darker or lighter, depending on the day or how I'm feeling."

"Well it's really pretty, and it looks great on you," he says. "Now-" He reaches into a bowl on his desk and pulls out a little cloth baggie. "For your troubles. Jelly beans. Sorry I don't have any more festive candy, but I love jelly beans and always keep them on hand."

"Thank you, sir," I say as I take them, smiling up at him.

"Thank you, Jason," he corrects me. "Now run along and enjoy your Saturday night. And don't think about ol' Grabby-" he winks at me. "-or I'll know."

"Good night," I say quickly as I turn away. I'm blushing like mad and grinning like an idiot, clutching the bag of jelly beans to my chest. It's been a long, long while, possibly a forever, since someone's made me feel that good about myself. Maybe he has a point. Maybe I'm just working to get the gold star from Grabby because I know I'll never get it. I shake my head. Heck, I don't need Grabby's approval. I have Jason's. And Potsdam's. And my roommate's and my friends'. They all think I'm super smart, well, not as smart as Ellen, but I'm smart in my own way and I'm good at what I'm good at and they appreciate me for it. No matter what I do for Grabby, it will never be enough. I decide to leave Grabby in the past and focus on my future.

I let out a little skip as I head down the hall and out the building. I feel lighter already.

Professor Grabiner gritted his teeth. He was spending more and more time cloaked without getting any answers as to who had taken her memory, and it didn't look like he was getting closer to any sort of a solution. His only hope was that he could keep a close enough eye on her without drawing attention, which is why he was here, standing cloaked outside Jason's office, listening to their conversation, his scowl deepening the more he heard. He heard mostly everything, saw the little "scene" Jason had pulled outside the door when he touched her hair, but watching Tori literally skip away from his office nauseated him. That was the final straw.

He waited until he was inside Jason's office, standing directly behind him, when he decided to uncloak himself. "I must ask you to stop flirting with my wife," he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, is she your wife?" Jason asked with raised eyebrows. If he had been surprised by Grabiner's sudden presence behind it, he didn't show it. "She seems to have forgotten."

Grabiner's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Don't touch her."

Jason sighed in disinterest. "Unlike you, Grabby, I have no interest in dating, let alone marrying, my students."

Grabiner made a low rumbling sound in his throat. "You do not talk about me with her. Do you understand?"

"I'm not one of your students, Hieronymous-"

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, Grabby. Point still stands. I'm not one of your students and, surprise surprise, you don't scare me."

"I'm not trying to scare you," Grabiner said dismissively.

"Okay, then you're trying to dissuade me," Jason shrugged and moved things around in his office as he spoke. "To be honest, I don't care. That girl is one of my students and I'm treating her like one of my students."

"Oh, yes, everyone knows how friendly you are," Grabiner sneered.

"And everyone knows how delightful you can be," Jason said casually. "She was upset. With you, not as your wife over some domestic squabble, but as her teacher. I made her feel better."

"You-"

"I what? I paid her a compliment. I told her she was smart, told her she was pretty and told her to stop dwelling on the negative influences in her life." Jason raised his eyebrows. "I mean, seriously Grabby, has it really been that long since you were a student? She's a teenage girl, she's upset. She wants to hear people tell her that she's smart and pretty, they all do. Let me explain how this works: you compliment her, make her feel special. She's happier, pays more attention, does better in school, makes better friendships and goes out into the world as a successful adult with high self-esteem. That's what you're supposed to do. You're not supposed to trick them into marriage contracts and shag them."

"The marriage was never consummated," Grabiner said through gritted teeth, accenting each syllable. "And I didn't trick her into anything. She made a mistake."

"So you mean, you made a mistake and she got swept up in it?" Jason asked. Grabiner didn't answer. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You see, Grabby, you and I are two very different people. I choose to see the best in people. I think that if you encourage them and give them positive attention that they'll be more receptive students, and they'll learn more. They'll actually listen to what you have to say. Opposed to, say, your approach, where you think they'll pay better attention if you threaten to set them on fire at any moment."

Grabiner snorted. "You have your methods, I have mine."

"Then let me make something clear," Jason replied simply. "That girl is one of my students. You don't seem to like her making friends or being around other people and yeah, yeah Potsdam explained why, but you are so jealous stalking her around the school like a jilted lover. It's a terrible thing what happened, no one deserves to have their memories taken, but you've got to stop treating her like crap and then chasing her around undercover." He propped up a book on his shoulder. "Seriously, man, it's creepy."

Grabiner narrowed his eyes at him. "You seem awfully concerned about her, for someone who's 'just a student.'"

"No, I'm the right level of concerned," Jason said. "Because I want to make sure this girl is happy here. I want to make sure she gets a good education. And you're preventing her from doing that. Honestly? I hope she does get her memories back as soon as possible so she can get away from you once and for all."

Grabiner narrowed his eyes and stared him down for a moment before stalking out of the room. The list of suspects was short, but Jason Coleman's name just moved to the top of the list.