35. Topher
Alone at last. I hauled Isobel out of there and then dumped her with Dante. I felt bad about it for five minutes because she was going to be a turd to him, but then I remembered he was cruel to Meadow to impress her.
I liked Meadow. She was funny, talented, and not attracted to me in the slightest. We talked about girls we found attractive and she was just about the only person here who knew I still had feelings for Orion, Azriel, and Misha.
Meadow knew I’d been slipping their favorite foods into their bags and studios because I knew they’d get wrapped up and forget to eat.
She told me I should just tell them, but what was the point? They hated me and they’d just think it was creepy. I could be happy with knowing they were fed and not going to pass out or cramp up in class.
That left my current obsession. Why was I not sleeping with students again? Oh, yeah. Sometimes, I caught feelings and I couldn’t keep them. I could catch feelings for Harlowe. I might already have.
And she currently had a frowny face on. What was that about?
“Did you know Isobel is an eye stealing menace?”
Oh, that. I could see where not telling her she had a nemesis who was looking at her eyeballs with an ice cream scoop might piss her off. Except I was my own lawyer, and I was innocent of all charges.
“I knew she was bullying Meadow, and that she had some kind of record when she was younger. I thought it was a stupid kid thing like shoplifting. I ended up looking into it when Azriel overheard something. I found out about Meadow, who is a good friend of mine, and have been spending more time around her. I wasn’t in her practice room when Isobel showed up, but I was lurking because you were both in the same place.
“I only just found out a two days ago and told Orion, Azriel, and Misha. I was going to tell you, but I wanted to make sure Meadow knew I consider her one of my few friends here and I’d make sure she was safe.
She was a little upset I found out because she didn’t want Isobel to retaliate if that got out.
Isobel is going to act out when she finds out you’re working with Leif. ”
I explained how Isobel got a spot in the orchestra. Any violin players who finished their thesis and left would be replaced with new students. Any one of them would take Isobel’s spot, but she would blame Harlowe because Harlowe was the one Leif chose for his ballet.
“Awesome. And if I fight back, her daddy is going to make sure I never get a job.”
“Which is why you aren’t going to be the one to do it. Her father can’t do a damned thing to me. I admire Meadow because I’ve always wanted to learn the cello, but I’ll never be able to. He can’t do anything to Immortal Nightmare either. If they get back together, they just have to announce a tour.
“She’s not going to do anything to us. I can make her career and she knows it. She wants to recreate Immortal Nightmare with Leif, but she’s not going to do anything to risk being invited to the OG Immortal Nightmare.
“A lot of people think they are gay because they are together, but they are into the person, not the gender. I think Isobel understands gay, but she doesn’t understand having no sexual or romantic feelings and thinks Leif just needs the right incentive.
“I can’t promise anything because they hate me now, but Azriel likes to play with his food and I was his muse once.
I know him better than anyone here except Orion and Misha.
He’s probably going to get Isobel’s attention off Leif, Meadow, and you by directing it to himself and then he’s going to use it to get rid of her in a way that doesn’t blowback on anyone here or get this place shut down. ”
“Does she really have that power?”
“This is a private school. We don’t get any federal or state funding. Your patron pays for nearly everything here. We do need the donations and people coming to see the shows we put on.
“You’d know her father if I told you his name and you probably wouldn’t like him.
He couldn’t cut off most funding, but he could convince people not to come watch performances.
I get people the contracts they want by inviting important patrons to their thesis performance.
If they don’t attend performances, people don’t get their dream jobs.
The reputation of this place took decades to build, and it was hard earned, but it can be destroyed if we cease to be able to keep our promises. ”
And I’d never say this to Harlowe because she was already suspicious as fuck and wanting to run, but Isobel’s father had the power to get the IRS looking into the funding of Blackvale.
You basically didn’t want anyone looking that hard at the holdings of an immortal.
Especially when getting him in for any type of interview to defend himself was going to be impossible and if he got annoyed, he might smite someone.
Basically, the devil wasn’t super shady with his money and gave a ton of it away, but his holdings had a public face in front of the multiple aliases he created behind the scenes.
“So, what can I do?” she asked.
“Nothing. Avoid her and focus on the ballet until next semester when you have to worry about classes.”
Harlowe looked like she wasn’t all that interested in doing nothing. She was mad about Meadow and honestly, I was too when I found out that was how she lost her eye. Azriel and I were the best people to get rid of Isobel.
It would be best if Azriel and I worked together for a coordinated attack, like when I was his muse, but I understood why he didn’t want to work with me.
Even if it still hurt.