“And Red?” I asked as I looked around. “You told her?”
Onyx looked up at me, that innocent smile fooling no one. “Mia? She actually worked it out.” He looked at me with a gleam in his eye that I didn’t like. “She’s a smart one, wasted on computer science, would be better off with psych, I think.”
“She’s a music major,” I corrected him quietly, to which he rolled his eyes at me.Snob. “Okay, what are you talking about?” Onyx was smart, crazy smart. I honestly didn’t always follow his thought processes.
“Well, I gave her a little run down on her sad existence, and then she gave me mine right back.” He checked his watch. “I like her. Even if she is impulsive.”
“How is she impulsive?”
“I told her I would tell you later, but she thought perhaps you needed to hear it now.” He looked at Gray. “Maybe she was right.” His attention was back on me. “You need to shut the shit talking about her down, though. She’s right, again, it’s no one’s business but hers, but this is college, and I don’t want slut shaming to be a PR issue when you go pro.”
“I’ll sort it.” I was going to beat it into them if I had to. “Wait, pro?”
“Yeah, because you lot never do anything alone, you’re all,” his mouth twisted in a grimace, “in love.”
“Eh? Hello?” My mouth was open. “I hardly know her.”
“You have your whole life to know her,” Onyx quipped as he turned to the door. “I need to go. Two things, where’s the Mayhem? You’re letting me down, guys. Also, have a good game on Saturday.”
He left us, and as usual after an Onyx visit, we were left a little disoriented, slightly speechless, and with an overall sense of bewilderment.
“I’m going to check on the girls,” Jett said as he left the room, and I turned to see Quinn wrapping her arms around Gray. Turning away from them, I heard my phone beep once.
Onyx:Don’t let them get to you, the fiery one has potential
Smiling at my cousin, I replied.
Me:You pushing for Red? Made an impression?
Onyx:She did. Still don’t like the shit talking though, shut it down
Me:On it
Onyx:Also, you need to double down on the fast feet drills, you need to work on the speed
Me:On that too
Onyx:Such a good cousin
With a snort, I put the phone back in my pocket as Jett returned with Ava and Red.
“Is it over?” Ava asked tentatively. “Have the weird late-night disappearances come to an end?”
Red looked confused but said nothing.
“It seems the adults have it in hand,” Quinn said with a begrudging smile, and I knew she was thinking of her dad, not Onyx.
“No one’s coming for you?” Ava stressed as she crossed the room and perched on the end of the couch. “You’re safe?”
Jett, Gray and I exchanged a look, with what we had just discussed with Onyx, things weren’t quite over yet. “Maybe not yet,” Gray said softly. “Not completely.”
Ava looked disappointed but nodded. “I thought it may be too good to be true.”
“There’s a lot of people involved,” Jett explained as he sat on his bed. “We can be careful, for a while yet.”
“Can I go back to my apartment?” Red asked in the quiet of the room.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “We’ll check with housing tomorrow.”
