He looks over at me, and he appears concerned. I cock a brow.
Are you alright?he asks through the mind-link.
Why wouldn’t I be?I counter.
What Katara said, she shouldn’t have. I’ll have a word with her. Don’t let anything she says bother you. You’re a good person, Theo, albeit full of trouble, especially when it comes to teasing or playing tricks on her and others.He smiles, and I return it with one of my own.
If only he knew… He might be trying to make me feel better, but it ain’t working after the shit I’ve done.
Why am I even here? Katara wasn’t wrong…
Well, don’t sweat it. I’m good, thanks for checking up on me, but I’m the one you don’t need to worry about at all,I mind-link and slap his back, making him smile, and he nods.
“Alright, but I’m here if you do need to talk.”
“No judgement?” I ask with a small smile.
“No judgement,” he promises.
I give him a pointed look, and he raises an eyebrow. I chuckle, that shit ain’t my business. I know he said no judgement, but I don’t think it’s that simple. He would be disappointed if he knew the real me.
Giving him one final smile, I head down the hall when I hear running from behind me.
“Theo!”
I stop, turn and look at Katara, who comes to a stop. She looks away, playing with her sleeve. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way,” she says quietly. “I’m glad you’re home.”
I smirk. “Of course you are. I mean, if I’m not around, who’s going to annoy you?”
She rolls her eyes but smiles slightly. “You will never stop, will you?” she says.
“As long as I’m around, no.”
“Right,” she scoffs before she waves at me and runs back towards the room where Dad is waiting at the door for her.
I look down, letting the perfect mask fall, sighing quietly as I head to my dorm, Division 6. The moment I open the door, a bunch of them get up.
“So, it’s true, you’re back,” our division leader, Colton, says, relief on his face. The dude is like an old man. Then again, he is twenty-four.
“Of course, I’m back, I’m The Theo Westwood. What can happen to me?” I ask as we exchange a manly hug before I begin bumping fists with the rest of the squad present.
“Thank the Goddess you’re safe; it’s been boring around here without you,” Angel, another squad member, says. She’s a year older than me with a no-nonsense attitude and bright pink hair.
“Obviously, so shall I take that as you missed me, Pink?” I ask.
She pops the bubble she’s just blown. “Don’t let it get to your head.”
“Nothing can get to my head; my ego is already pretty damn big.”
“That’s true,” Elias, a nineteen-year-old, says.
“Well, I’m gonna hit the hay. I’ll speak to you all tomorrow. No one’s been at my stash, right, Cage?” I cock a brow at my roommate; he’s twenty-two.
He smirks. “Well, in my defence, I wasn’t sure you’ll make it back,” he replies.
“You are a dickhead, man,” I groan as I enter our room. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but it ain’t good either. He’s got some of his clothes on my bed, which I toss across the room before opening my drawer and narrowing my eyes. Ok, it’s bad. He’s gotten through my collection of dope and fags.
“Man! You owe me!” I call.
