My head was starting to hurt, my ears were ringing, and all the signs were there.
I’ve reached my limit of Andy today.
4
COSETTE
“Are you kidding me?” I muttered, my voice barely a whisper. The sight of Eli’s face staring at me from a massive poster held up near the school’s entrance was not something I’d expect to see today.
They set it up there to notify everyone that the school scheduled a memorial service out in the field this morning for him, and I was not about to grieve the death of a guy who took part in his family’s hellish business.
“We’re not attending that,” Siege assured me with his fingers still intertwined with mine, and he tugged me while I grabbed Dex’s hand so he doesn’t fall behind now that people are already making their way to the field to find seats for the service.
I don’t even know what they’re going to talk about there. The jerk only ever had Andy and Siege as his ‘friends’, and Siege was just pretending. Given that he was relatively new, I suspect the teachers might not have had much opportunity to formpositive opinions about him. Perhaps the school administration felt the need to honor him simply because he was a student here. Perhaps they might even consider using him as an example, to tell the students to go straight home after class, or they could suffer a similar outcome.
Trust me, fellow schoolmates, no need to worry.
He was the threat.
After navigating the hallways with a few turns, Siege opened a door that led us directly into a computer lab. I haven’t been here in forever. As far as I am aware, this area is primarily used by the robotics club, but otherwise, the space is left unoccupied.
“First the janitor’s closet, and now, the computer lab?” I asked Siege with an amused yet curious gaze, and he just smirked at me, shrugging.
“I wanted to be prepared in case you feel rowdy while we’re in school again,” he said.
I felt my face heat up as he reminded me of what we did the last time we sought a hiding place in school, and Dex must have felt left out because he was quick to press against me from behind.
“Stop it. We’re not going to do naughty things in school anymore,” I said, looking around to see if there were any cameras in the place that might’ve caught what Siege said, or Dex’s petty attempt.
“No cameras. Don’t worry. I plan in advance,” Siege teased me more, and I swatted his chest with my palm.
After I had taken a seat on the floor in one corner of the room, crossing my legs, Siege and Dex followed suit. Siege adopted the same sitting position, while Dex stretched his legs out, placing his palms behind him on the floor to hold the weight of his upper body.
“What are we going to do here while they fake mourn that douchebag there outside?” Siege asked, and I shrugged, leaningback against him, trying to find a comfortable position and only stopping when my head ended up on his lap.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m reading.”
Reaching into my backpack, I took my Kindle out, and then began reading my current read. I’m now able to consider ‘why choose’ books as part of my research. I have a little ménage going on for myself, so this is basically a self-help book and an instruction manual in one.
Dex did the same, pulling his bag along the carpeted floor and taking out his iPad, and I just knew he was going to get back to work of finding where The Nest is.
“Just scroll through social media on your phone or something,” I said to Siege as he just stared down at me before I continued where I left off from my book last night.
I know there’s been a sexual charge between the three of us lately, but I truly enjoyed moments like this when I get reminded that we are still so young and we deserve to enjoy our youth—even if Dex is technically working now.
About twenty minutes into the book, I ended a particularly action-packed chapter, and I turned to look at Dex, seeing his brows drawn in a frown. “Need any help?” I asked, wanting to reach over and run my finger through his forehead to de-stress him, but I didn’t want to seem overbearing. I can’t make this any better for them until we find that place.
Dex looked at me from his screen, and his shoulders dropped, his gaze softening, as he shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll?—”
I nearly jumped from my place on the floor when the door to the computer lab opened, and I thought a teacher had found us hiding from having to go to the memorial, but it was just Nero.
With a focused look, he scanned the room as though he had a mission to hunt down something, and after his eyes finallyfound our little cozy spot in the corner, he directed a harsh glare towards me.
He’s been doing that a lot since the start of the semester. Every time our gazes would meet in the hallways, in classes, even in the parking lot when he and Dex would pull in almost at the same time. He hasn’t made a scene since that standoff in the cafeteria, though, thank god.
“Why aren’t you in the field?”
I rolled my eyes, so done with him playing the good guy in all this.
