“Kraven…”
“I know you feel it.” He paused for a second. “I know you feel me.”
The lump in my throat turned into a mountain.
“You’re seeing?—”
“I see you,” he replied in a low tone, slightly pulling away from me. “And I hate pretending that I don’t.”
I simply stated, “We’re friends.”
“Like you and my brother are friends?”
My heart pounded. “What do you want from me?”
“Prove me wrong. If it’s Julius, tell me.”
Silence.
“Now, if it’s me…” He leaned in close like we were sharing a breath. “Show me.”
I shook my head, stepping back and away from him. “Are you high?”
His smile resembled a Cheshire cat.
“On you?” he mocked, grinning. “Maybe.”
“I don’t get you,” I spewed, suddenly pissed. “You barely interact with me unless it’s for tutoring, and now you’re acting like this? What’s your deal?”
“What’s yours?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, do you love Julius?”
“Yes,” I said in one breath.
If he was hurt, he didn’t show it. Once again proving absolutely nothing to me.
“Is this a game?” I asked, needing to know. “Have I turned into a game for you?”
“You tell me,” he snapped, cocking his head to the side. “You’re the one who’s obviously keeping score.”
“That’s not an answer.” I countered before speaking with conviction, “I do love Julius.”
He agreed. “So do I.”
“Then act like it.”
He shrugged, pointing out, “If you really loved Julius, you wouldn’t have screamed my name first.”
The garage door swiftly opened, and I didn’t have to wonder who it was.
Immediately trying to lighten the mood, I announced, “Look who might make the honor roll next semester.”
I held up Kraven’s report card to show it to Julius. Thankfully, he looked distracted and wasn’t paying too much attention to what he just walked in on. Once he noticed the grades, he smiled at Kraven.
“Don’t push your luck,” Kraven declared as Julius walked toward me to grab it out of my hand.
