POV: Ben Archer

Don Pedro found me in the weight room at 6 AM, which should have been my first warning that something was up.

"Ben, my friend," he said, settling onto a bench while I finished my set of deadlifts. "We need to talk."

I racked the bar and grabbed my towel. "About what?"

"About the fact that you've been moping around this school like a kicked puppy for two years."

"I don't mope."

"You absolutely mope. You also brood, pine, and occasionally stare wistfully ...