Starbright (The Starbright Series) by Rachel Higginson

“Like until after soccer season or prom or something….”
                  “I think I still get to finish high school,” I countered, giving my self and Tristan some hope. “At least nobody has said otherwise so far.”
                  “So you still have to go to high school and fight evil. You’re life kind of sucks,” Tristan joked , his mood instantly perking up as soon as he realized I would not be plucked from his life or my daily activities. I would just be adding weapon’s training, the kind that actually involved fighting with swords , along with basketball practice, student council and homework .
                  “ And be in shape for basketball practice on Thursday,” I whined, agreeing with Tristan’s point of view.
                  “Do you want me to call the Shadows and ask them to come back? I could tell them to bring more with them this time. Maybe you want something a little more challenging? ” Tristan joked and I laughed again , thankful for the mood change from ominous to in- denial.
                  “I don’t think you should do that just to get out of basketball practice,” Seth scolded both of us , his golden brown skin tinged with pink.
                  “It’s just a joke, Seth,” I patted him on the bicep and flashed him another charming smile. “Now come on, I want to see what you’ re made of ! I need to know if you c an keep up with me!”
                  The two boys followed me up the stairs and into the gym and I let them work out their competitive edges where boys should be competitive, in the gym and on the track.
     
    ----
     
    I didn’t, and couldn’t understand boys. I watched Tristan and Seth race around the track while I finished my cool down stretches, and decided they had to be the most ridiculous species God ever created , both human and A ngel . Seth did his best to run with only human strength, but Tristan was fast, too fast for Seth to stay completely honest , human and win . 
    In the end, Seth crossed the finish line with a smug smile across his face and a faint glow to his skin. I shook my head, deciding to save my congratulations for when they did something worth congratulating.
    Tristan sauntered over to me , narrowing his eyes, clearly suspicious of his opponent’s speed. “Did he really win fair and square?”
    “Of course I did! Do you really think I needed to cheat to beat a human?” Seth grunted from a little ways away, although he didn’t quite meet Tristan’s cold glare while defending himself .
    “Stella, tell me the truth,” Tristan demanded, resting his hands on his hips while his chest still heaved heavily from his run.
    “Hey, leave me out of this,” I took a step back, truly uninterested in being thrown into the middle of whatever jealousy lay between them. “I’m just an innocent bystander.” I flashed Tristan a smile and hoped he would move on.
    “You’re anything but innocent,” Tristan murmured, taking a step closer to me .
    I backed away, recognizing the glint in Tristan’s eyes and not understanding where it came from. My back bumped against the white brick wall of the gym, while he trapped me with one arm over my head. I stifled a groan , knowing this was Tristan’s way of letting Seth know that he might have won the race, but he wasn’t about to win whatever contest involved me .
    “Tristan, what are you doing?” I asked, a giggle bubbling up before I could stop my self. Tristan’s eyes swept over me , and he ran his free hand over his sweat-soaked shaved head. I knew I should be completely grossed out by him, but something about the way the sweat ran down his neck and over the hollow part at the base of his throat caused my eyes to linger unexpectedly.
    “I just want to know if you have plans tonight?” he asked in his most innocent sounding voice. “We still have two free nights of winter-break left and I want to take full