Chapter 10 CAREFUL

MICHELLE's P O V

The argument between Devon and Gian was sparked by the words that Devon just said, which amplified the uneasiness I felt in every bone of my body. Gian attempted to hit Devon in the head with an apple, but Devon was able to catch it easily, and then took a huge bite.

‘‘Hi…’’ I shifted my attention to the only person who wasn't arguing, Colter. He was contentedly watching the other two fight. ‘‘You mentioned that you were a fan of them, right?’’

I wanted to say that I was a fan of Devon, too. But the scene yesterday, when I first met him at the dorm made me stop myself to continue any further. Devon was completely unaware that I knew him before I transferred here.

Colter shook his head with a wry grin before he leaned forward and whispered, ‘‘Only Devon Kai…’’

‘‘Hey! I heard you!’’ Gian’s voice clipped from across the table, eyes narrowed on us, but Colter only laughed at him. ‘‘You---’’

I was just sitting comfortably when all of a sudden, a tray smacked down on the tabletop on my other side, which caused me to leap up an inch off the bench. My head whipped around to find Kaden swinging his leg over the bench.

‘‘And this is Kaden Johansson, I guess you already met him…’’ Devon introduced the new arrival. I didn’t know they were friends.

Kaden shook his head, offering me a small smile. ‘‘Hey there, you little guy… Would you mind moving down a little bit? You and Colter take up the space of one person together, but I’m gonna need more room to fit my ass on this bench…’’

I was starting to get used to his southern accent, and I quickly complied with his request and moved in closer to Colter. He barely glanced up from eating blueberries. Kaden settled in on my other side and started eating the tallest sandwich I’d ever seen. It must’ve had three different layers of bread on it and was packed with meat.

‘‘By the way, what are you guys doing out of class so early?’’ Gian questioned while tearing open a bag of cookies and stuffing one into his mouth. ‘‘Only Colter and I have this period free…’’

While my cheeks began to heat up, Devon smiled and shifted forward in his seat. I, on the other hand, wanted mine to swallow me up completely.

‘‘Ask the little guy…’’ Kaden answered before Devon could speak, grabbing the bag of cookies from Gian and taking a handful.

I braced myself for Gian's coming explosion at having his goodies taken, but instead he only spared a dry look at Kaden who was now taking a drink from his cola. My lips parted, and a calm breath escaped them.

The grin on Devon's face gradually transformed into a sneer. ‘‘Yes, Mike... thank you for getting us out early today…’’

Brows around the table raised, and I slumped my shoulders further when Kaden’s smile widened. ‘‘Mike, you need to fill them in on what just happened...’’

‘‘What the heck happened?’’ Gian inquired, a curious expression appearing on his face.

‘‘It was nothing...,’’ I mumbled something in the hopes that they would let it go. I couldn't take my eyes off of Gian's intense gaze or Devon's smirk, so I concentrated on the polished table instead. ‘‘I mean, it was an accident…’’

I felt the tip of Colter's finger lightly brush against my arm. ‘‘What happened?’’ he repeated Gian’s question, and I glanced at him to see his amber eyes were intently focused on me.

The question was answered by Devon, saving me from more embarrassment. ‘‘He threw a pencil at the face of our Chemistry instructor, and the poor him left the classroom after only five minutes of the session. Can you believe it?''

The other lads sat in stunned quiet for a time, and Colter's wide eyes shifted to me at that point, which caused the blush to travel down my neck. ‘‘Why? Did he piss you off already?’’

‘‘It was an accident!’’ I repeated with a stronger emphasis. ‘‘And it wasn't even a pencil; it was a pen...’’

Devon chuckled, flashing a picture-perfect smile that highlighted his brilliantly white teeth. ‘‘We have no idea whether or not Professor Roberts will ever return. It's possible that Mike was the one who prompted him to take early retirement...''

I stared at him with wide eyes, horrified. ‘‘What? No way! I had no intention of doing that!''

‘‘Hey, careful…'' Kaden cut in, smirking. Your voice is almost on the verge of cracking. Are you still in the process of puberty?''

The alarm came over me like a bucket of icy water, but it did little to stop the rising embarrassment that was building up inside of me. I gave a slight shake of the head and lowered my voice to what I felt was an appropriate tone for a boy of my age. ‘‘No?’’

‘‘He’s still anticipating on his growth spurt…’’ Gian mentioned it casually, and it required every last bit of restraint on my part to keep from glaring at him.

‘‘At least I'm not a grump!'' I mumbled something under my breath, which caused Colter, who was sitting next to me, to snort. Thankfully, Gian did not appear to hear what I said, but before going back to his phone, his eyes narrowed on mine.

Devon’s arm flew out, whacking the grumpy guy on the arm before grabbing a second apple from the bowl. ‘‘Take it down a notch. Mike and I came by to chill and get some food. You guy could try to make a better impression…’’

‘‘Cookies?’’ Kaden inquired in a casual manner while accepting Devon's cue and extending the bag in my direction. I tensed up and cast a suspicious glance in Gian's direction because it was technically his food, but he was once again looking through his phone. After a brief pause, during which Kaden gave the bag a light shake, I cautiously dipped my hand inside.

‘‘Thank you…’’ I smiled, popping it in my mouth and chewing it slowly. My chest started to feel all warm and fuzzy, so I rubbed my palm over my bindings to get rid of the sensation. Because of my father's conservative upbringing, I've never had a boy buddy before, so the fact that I now have four felt so good. Really good…

But thinking of my parents brought on an unexpected surge of emotion, and I found myself looking down at my lap in an attempt to divert my attention from the unexpected outpouring of tears that began to form in my eyes. I missed them so much…

I made a concerted effort to keep my eyes open so that the tears wouldn't spill out.

‘‘Hey, Colter, you want some?’’ Kaden asked, and I could sense him looking over my head at the other boy who was now focused on looking around the cafeteria.

‘‘No, thanks, man…’’ he answered, nodding at Kaden.

Then, with a shrug of his shoulders, Kaden extended an offer for more cookies, which I gratefully accepted while lowering my head.

As I fought down the urge to cry for no apparent reason while the boys conversed, I munched on the snack. I just sat there silently eating while Kaden kept handing the cookies to me, and then I reached into the bag without looking up and plucked them out. He did it in such a nonchalant manner, as though he had more than enough to give to others.

A vibration in my uniform pocket startled me from my thoughts, and I swallowed. Pulling out the phone, I smiled at Rina’s name displayed across the screen. Hoping I wasn’t being rude but also fully aware of how Gian’s nose had been rubbing up against his phone since we’d been here. I opened the phone with a touch of my thumb and read the text message that was waiting for me.

‘‘Hey bitch! How are you doing in there? I can't wait for you to tell me about what’s happening to you and Devon Kai!'' I could hear her squeal, and I couldn’t help but smile.’’

Kaden held out the cookies’ bag as I was typing back a message, and his eyes snagged on my phone. ‘‘Holy shit! You already have a girlfriend, little guy?’’

My cheeks were burning so badly that they were on the verge of catching fire, and it was yet another sign that I needed to be more careful or else they would know that I was pretending as a boy in no time.

I licked my bottom lip and detected a faint taste of salt before shoving the phone back into my pocket without transmitting the message I had typed for Rina. I cleared my throat before I responded Kaden. ‘‘No, it’s my mom…’’ I lied.

After Kaden shrugged, I felt a slight release in the tension in my shoulders. ‘‘I’m done. You eat them…’’ he nudged the bag of cookies down the table to me.

I hesitated, casting a glance towards Gian. There was still half a bag left, and they were his. ‘‘Do you want the rest, Gian?’’

He gave a little shake of the head before taking a sip of his cola. After receiving the all-clear signal, I grabbed another cookie and popped it in my mouth before turning to look at my roommate, who was now engaged with his phone. ‘‘Hey, Devon, you want some?’’

Devon’s fingers froze, and he nodded before grabbing a few and going back to his phone, but when I looked to the guy next to him, Gian’s attention was drawn to the bag of cookies that I was clinging to.

My heart skipped a beat as I waited for a scolding.