Aka, Dominic, Max, and their cronies.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I muttered.
“You worry too much.”
“And you don’t worry enough.”
He winked. “Life’s too short for that. You gotta live in the moment, Shadow. That’s where you’re going wrong.”
Fuck that. That was what I’d done the other night and look where it got me.
I wasn’t surprised that Dominic hadn’t said more about it. Like me, he probably wanted to forget it had ever happened.
It was done now. Dominic had agreed to look out for me, and neither of us needed to bring it up ever again. It was the perfect solution.
We rounded the corner and the group of laughing students had my feet pausing. The banter was flowing thick and fast. I knew most of them by name, but that was as far as it went.
They were Max’s friends. Not mine. He’d made that abundantly clear.
“Come on,” Dominic said, grabbing my forearm and hauling me forwards. “Fake it until you make it, Shadow.”
“Fake what?”
“Confidence,” he said bluntly. “It’s what everyone else does. Pretend you don’t give a shit what they think about you, and soon that’s what they’ll all believe.”
That couldn’t be true, could it? Was Dominic right? Was everyone else just pretending and hoping no one saw through the facade?
There was no time to question it, not with the speed at which he was hauling me forwards.
Max was the first to see us. Perched on top of a metal railing with his cigarette paused halfway to his mouth. His confused eyes narrowed as they lowered to where Dominic was still gripping me.
My stomach sank. Max wouldn’t like this, nor would he let it pass without saying anything.
Sure enough, as soon as we were within hearing distance, Max piped up. “Dom, where the fuck have you been?”
It was as though I wasn’t even there. I rolled my eyes internally, and wondered for the millionth time what I’d done to make Max hate me so.
The group fell silent, curious eyes bouncing between us and Max. They knew who I was, just as I knew who they were. That didn’t mean they weren’t confused as to what I was doing there.
“Had to go and find Shadow,” Dominic said, giving Max a lopsided grin. He finally dropped my arm, my skin burning from the contact. “He was hiding in the library again.”
Max’s gaze landed on me. “That’s where he likes to hang out—right, Ryan?”
I knew what he was hinting at. He wanted me to fuck off back to the library and leave him and his friends alone.
Me too, Brother. Trust me.
Before I could do just that, Dominic dropped my bag on the floor and hauled himself onto the railing beside Max. He plucked the dangling cigarette out of Max’s fingers and took a drag.“Nah. He’s had enough of that today so he’s hanging out with us. Unless anyone has a problem with that?”
Everyone was quick to mumble their consent, no one daring to challenge Dominic.
Everyone, that was, except Max.
He was openly glaring at Dominic. To his credit, Dominic didn’t back down, just took another drag of Max’s cigarette and raised an eyebrow.
I tried to pretend that the silent conversation they were clearly having didn’t hurt. That I wouldn’t kill to have that level of understanding with someone. Where one look could convey everything you were thinking.
I’d had that with Max, once. Now he shared it with someone else.
