“The football gods, or so they think,” Paisley muttered beside me, her voice dry as she stabbed a carrot with enough force to make her fork scrape against the tray.
“Is this normal?” I asked, my gaze still fixed on the group as they cut through the center of the room.
“Every goddamn day.” She rolled her eyes, chewing slowly. “It was worse when Kreed was here.”
I raised a brow, finally tearing my attention away to look at her. “Kreed?”
“Kreed Corvo is their older brother by a year. He was the star quarterback all four years at Public when he attended, but that fine-ass specimen sadly graduated last spring.” Atlas sighed dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest like the loss physically pained him. “If you think Maddox is frightening, Kreed embodied fear…but in a sexy way. He’s the silent, brooding type.”
“Who is at the table with them?” I asked, watching as a fifth body joined the group, tall and lean with brown hair swept back from his face.
“Hudson,” Paisley said, following my line of sight. “And all five of them are Ravens. They tend to stick together, as you’ll soon learn.”
As if on cue, the table they approached cleared. Not abruptly. No words were exchanged. People just got up and moved.
Once the table was empty, Mason dropped into a seat, his body loose and relaxed as he sprawled back in the chair. He flashed a grin at a group of girls nearby. The three of them were huddled together at the next table over, and they immediately went pink, giggling as they stole glances at him. One of them tucked her hair behind her ear, biting her lip.
I swore Maddox and I rolled our eyes in unison, and as if he sensed my annoyance at his brother, his gaze locked on mine.
The air in my lungs stuttered. It was absurd, and yet I couldn’t look away even though every rational part of my brain told me I should. Besides, I didn’t want him to think I found him intimidating, so I raised my brows, issuing a…challenge? I had no idea what the fuck I was doing.
“What did you do to Maddox Corvo?” Paisley whispered, her elbow digging into my side. “He literally devoured you with his eyes like he wanted to have you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
“Nothing,” I said quickly, tearing my gaze away and focusing on my food with sudden interest. “I don’t think. We’re lab partners.”
Atlas’s lips curved. “Well done, matcha.”
“I’m not sure he likes me,” I admitted, pushing a piece of lettuce around on my plate.
Paisley snorted. “He doesn’t like anyone. Not like Mason, who likes everyone a littletoomuch.”
“Knocking him on his ass didn’t win me any favors,” I muttered, not thinking about what I was saying until the words were already out.
Both of them froze.
Atlas’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth. Paisley’s head snapped toward me so fast I heard her neck crack.
“You did what?” Atlas’s voice rose just enough to make a few people at the neighboring table glance over.
I gave them a quick rundown of what happened in the woods during my impromptu yoga session yesterday. Paisley immediately grinned while Atlas threw his head back and laughed, drawing more than a few eyes in our direction, including Maddox’s.
My cheeks grew warm, but I didn’t mind his eyes on me. Everyone else’s, however, was not my favorite thing.
Paisley shook her head, but her brown eyes were shining. “You might be the coolest person I’ve met.”
“Hey,” Atlas protested, pointing at himself with his fork. A piece of chicken nearly slid off. “I’m sitting right here.”
“You were dethroned,” she said sweetly, not even looking at him.
Across the room, a younger classman was cutting through the lunchroom. He brushed past Maddox’s chair. It was nothing, an accident, barely a bump, the kid’s hip catching the back of Maddox’s chair as he tried to squeeze through the narrow space, but the reaction from the table was immediate.
Torin straightened in his seat, his shoulders pulling back. Levi’s jaw muscle jumped visibly. Hudson looked up from his phone, his expression darkening as if the kid had committed a crime. Mason’s eyes were on his brother, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
Maddox didn’t move. He just glared at the kid.
The boy paled, his face draining of color so fast, his eyes widening as he took a stumbling step backward. “Sorry,” he rushed out before fleeing through the double doors into the hallway.
Paisley followed my gaze and snorted quietly. “That’s them being nice.”
