6
Sebastian hated being caught off guard. It made things dangerous, or worse, complicated. He hated it when things got complicated. When his sister was attacked and fell ill, things in his life got complicated. When he had to face going to school with all the whispers and stares after the incident, things got complicated. Most recently, Evangeline Barlowe made things in his life complicated.
She was undeniably infuriating, with her (nearly) unbeatable quips, scarily good dueling skills, and infatuation with any type of literature. She made his head spin. And, on top of all that, he found himself sacrificing things for her. It was a stupid, stupid thing to do, even if his sacrifices were minute. It was an hour here, a schedule change there. Then it was rearranging his classes to be in the same room as her or searching for Hippogriffs and other creatures he thought might pique her interest.
Deep down, he knew what was going on, but to admit it? No. Absolutely not. She was supposed to be a pest, and here she was, becoming the center of his distractions. He couldn’t focus anymore. Every thought seemed to crawl back to her, his every action carefully thought over so he could have a decent interaction with her. It was pathetic, ridiculous. Yet, here he was falling-
Not falling. No. He refused to accept something like that.