Jack furrows his eyebrows at her and frowns at me. “I thought you were dating Cas Seymour?”

  “What?” Brennan whips his head in my direction, a shocked expression on his face.

  I’m saved from answering their questions right away when the teacher, Mr. Brody, walks in and sets his things up. While he’s taking attendance, somebody taps me on my shoulder.

  I turn around to see James, one of the guys Theo introduced me to outside of our statistics class yesterday.

  “Hey, new girl.” He hands me a scrap of paper with a phone number scrawled on it. “Whenever Ashbrooke gets tired of you, call me.”

  Two of the guys sitting with him chuckle, and he high fives one of them. Xavier, the other guy Theo introduced me to, looks embarrassed. He won’t make eye contact with me. I glance down at the phone number in my hand and look back up at James with a flirty smile.

  “It’s James, right?” I ask in a silky voice.

  He nods and smirks. I grin, and without breaking eye contact, I rip the paper into tiny pieces until it looks like confetti. He looks so shocked, it’s comical. I gather the pieces of paper into the palm of my hand and blow them at him so they flutter in the air and land at his feet.

  Still grinning, I say, “I’ll tell Theo you said hi.”

  When I turn back around, Brennan and his friends are staring at me in shock. I hear laughter behind me from James’s friends. Erin giggles wildly and slaps a hand over her mouth.

  “Oh my god. I knew I was going to like you.” Brennan grins at me. I snort at the look on his face, and he shakes his head. “Didn’t you just move here?”

  “Yeah, a couple of weeks ago.”

  “And you’re already dating Theo, Hollis, and Cas?” His eyes light up, and he looks so freaking impressed. I’d probably feel way more embarrassed or ashamed if his question didn’t sound so genuine.

  Still, I can’t help blushing at the thought of dating all three of them! I laugh and shake my head. “We’re just friends.”

  “Sure.” He winks. Or tries to wink. He basically blinks both his eyes and flips his hair while giggling. “You must be the girl everyone’s been talking about, which totally makes sense. I should have guessed it was you.”

  Erin bristles and quietly hisses, “Brennan!”

  Mr. Brody chooses that moment to bring everyone’s attention to the front. He goes over his lesson plans and schedule for the year. Today, he’s giving a refresher-lecture while we take notes. He promises we’ll do a lab next class. Since our table is near the back of the class, it’s easy to talk quietly while taking notes.

  “Alright, what’s ‘everyone’ saying about me?” I bump Brennan’s chair with my foot and grin at him.

  He blushes and hesitates briefly before excitedly whispering, “Okay, well, you know, Theo Ashbrooke is totally notorious for hooking up with girls but never really dating them. The guys at this school think he’s practically a god because he’s slept with more than half of the girls in our class, plus a ton of juniors and girls who have already graduated. He tells people he’ll never settle down, that one girl will never be enough for him. But girls willingly sleep with him anyway. And then out of nowhere, he shows up on the first day of school with some hot new girl he’s totally showing off and being all cute and coupley with. All these girls are pissed because they thought they would be the one to change him, and now he’s not even showing interest in anyone else!”

  Based on comments Theo’s made in passing, along with some stuff I’ve seen on his social media profiles, I’m not surprised to hear he’s a player. It doesn’t make me like him any less, but it’s super amusing to hear about him from someone I don’t know. I raise one eyebrow in amusement. “Half the girls in our class, huh?”

  Brennan flushes. “Well, um, that’s just what I’ve heard...”

  “Are you included in that half?” I wink at Erin.

  “No! I’m not, I’ve never, I mean...” She glances at Jack and turns to face me with a panicked expression on her face. “I don’t think Theo even knows who I am.”

  “I wish you were dating him, just to prove all the petty girls at this school wrong.” Brennan pouts. “Sara’s probably super pissed if there’s already a rumor going around about you and Cas. That’s going to be hilarious!”

  Wow, I’m getting so much juicy information about my boys. “Sara is the girly girl with pretty, dark brown hair? Cas told me she’s his ex.”

  Brennan nods and sets off on another excited tangent. “Cas and Sara have been on and off for two years. She thinks she owns him, but she’s only popular because of him. She’s not even in our class. She’s a junior. He breaks up with her whenever he wants to hook up with other girls, and he’s so hot that most girls don’t even mind. But then afterwards, he always goes back to Sara.”

  Jesus, what an asshole. That sounds like something Killian would do. I raise my eyebrows at Brennan. “Any stories about Hollis that I should know about?”

  “Aww, Hollis is such a sweetheart. I don’t think he knows how hot he is. There’s only one girl I know he’s dated, and it wasn’t very serious. Girls offer to hook up with him all the time, and he always seems so surprised and apologetic. I secretly hope he’s gay, because oh my god, he’s freaking gorgeous.”

  “Sorry, I’m pretty sure he’s just shy.” I giggle.

  Brennan sighs dramatically and rests his chin in his hands. “I was afraid of that.”

  The rest of class passes by super quickly. I’m able to keep track of my notes while still talking to Brennan and Erin pretty much nonstop. Jack stays quiet for most of the class period, but I catch him glancing at Erin when he thinks nobody is paying attention.

  Erin is a total sweetheart. Brennan is freaking adorable too. I really like them, and I’m surprised I feel so comfortable with them already. When class is over, Brennan asks if I want to eat lunch with them.

  “I’m sorry, but I’ll be sitting with the guys.”

  Brennan smiles and waves me off. “I wouldn’t pass that up either.”

  James glares at me as I pass by him in the hallway, but I ignore him and walk beside Brennan and Erin. Jack is on Erin’s other side. We head toward Hollis and Theo’s science class, so I figure I’ll bump into them.

  Brennan is still chattering away when I see Hollis and Theo up ahead. Hollis grins at me, and Theo roughly pushes him out of the way and runs up to me. He picks me up in a hug and spins around to grin at Hollis. “Ha-ha, I got her first!”

  “She already promised she was sitting next to me at lunch.” Hollis rolls his eyes with a tiny smile on his face.

  “How could you do that, Cricket?” Theo sets me down and pouts.

  “Oh my god, shut up. Hollis asked first.” I snort and smack his arm. I glance to the side and see Brennan, Jack, and Erin watching us. I gesture at them and smile at Theo. “You know these guys, right?”

  Theo notices them standing there and smiles. Hollis stands on my other side and puts an arm around my shoulders after taking my backpack from me.

  “Yeah, of course. Brennan, Jack, and Erin, right? What’s up guys?” Theo asks.

  Hearing Erin assume Theo and the guys wouldn’t know who she is just because they’re popular made me feel bad. I’m so glad he proved her wrong.

  “Hey!” Brennan squeaks. He quickly clears his throat and says, “Um, I guess we’ll see you later. Bye Cricket!”

  He pushes Erin and Jack down the hallway away from us as quickly as possible.

  I walk to the cafeteria between Hollis and Theo. Hollis keeps me tucked into his shoulder, and Theo threads his fingers with mine on my other side. They tell me about their science class and gossip to each other about people I don’t know. I stay quiet, thinking about everything Brennan told me during class. Cas meets up with us by the time we reach the lunch line, and he gives me a warm smile that turns my insides to jelly.

  Today, Theo lets me put food on my lunch tray, but he keeps reaching his hand out awkwardly like he’s fighting himself over it. I laugh and lean against him affectionately, and he ruffles my hair. He pays for all our lunches again and quietly asks if he can at least carry my tray for me. Hollis is still holding my backpack. These boys are sweet, but they’re so ridiculous. I sigh and nod my head. Theo literally looks like he won a fucking prize because I let him carry my stupid lunch tray to our table.

  We sit at a different table than yesterday, closer to the middle of the cafeteria, and I see a lot more people watching us. Nobody else sits with us, but it’s unnerving to have some much attention. Theo sits in front of me, and Hollis sits on my right-hand side.

  Cas glances around at the three of us and scowls. “I get to sit next to her tomorrow then.”

  Butterflies erupt in my stomach. Cas was so weird this morning. I never know where I stand with him. I give him a surprised smile, and Theo scowls at him.

  Hollis slides closer so I’m pressed against him. “How was your chemistry class?”

  “It was enlightening. I learned a lot about the three of you.” I grin at them mischievously.

  They stop eating and go still. Cas is the first to speak. “Fucking great. Let’s hear it then.”

  “Your ex, Sara?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “You’ve been dating her for two years, but break up with her whenever you want to hook up with other people?”

  Cas visibly winces and runs his fingers through his hair. “Goddamn it, that makes it sound way fucking worse than it is. I really don’t want you to think I’m a scumbag. We’re broken up for good. I swear.”

  I really don’t think badly of him. Yeah, it sounds terrible, but I know I don’t have the full story. Besides, with my connection to them, I don’t think there’s anything that could make me dislike them.

  “What about me?” Hollis asks quickly.

  I get the feeling he’s trying to distract me from the Sara thing, which is actually really sweet. Even if it is unnecessary. I swallow the bite I’d just taken and smile up at him. “Hopeful rumors that you might be gay. Girls offer to hook up with you all the time, and you politely turn them down.”

  Hollis chokes and stares at me in shock. Theo and Cas cackle and smirk at him. Poor Hollis’s face turns bright red, and he mumbles, “I’ve slept with girls before. I just, I’m not like Cas or Theo. I never know what to say.”

  I think of how Hollis looks at me like I’m the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. And his touch completely sets me on fire. I smile at him softly and kick my foot against his playfully under the table. When he gives me a hesitant smile in return, I finally turn my gaze to Theo. He’s giving me a challenging stare with a strained smile.

  “Well? What did you hear about me?”

  I realize he already knows what I’ve heard. And he’s worried about what I’m going to think of him. He’s trying to put on a face like he doesn’t care, but I can see the apprehension in his eyes.

  “Allegedly, you’ve slept with half the girls in our graduating class, plus countless others. But you’ve never had an actual girlfriend.”

  He still has that tense smile. He raises his eyebrows and asks in a deep voice, “Does that bother you?”

  “No.” I shake my head. It really doesn’t. Not at all. I’m not worried that he’s going to get tired of me like James said. I can’t possibly judge him for his past behavior.

  I lower my eyes to the table and bite my lip. Girls are always judged much more harshly for being sexually active than boys are. But if I’m going to fully accept these guys, I want them to fully accept me too. I slowly look back up at Theo and ask, “Would it bother you to hear I had a similar reputation at my old high school?”

  His lips part in surprise, and his eyes soften, running over every inch of my face. Finally, he smiles and softly whispers, “No, Cricket. That wouldn’t bother me at all.”

  Hearing him say that makes me feel so relieved and sappy. I smile at him brightly and reach forward to grab his hand. When I glance at Cas, he’s staring at me like he’s confused. I’m still snuggled against Hollis’s side, and I smile up at him too.

  “I know this sounds really fucking cheesy, but you guys are best friends with a girl now, so I guess you’ll just have to deal with it. Anyway, I swear to fucking god there is nothing anyone could tell me about you guys that would make me like you less or feel less close to you than I do.”

  Cas breathes out a sigh of relief. Hollis pulls me even tighter against his side. Theo stares at me, his expression unreadable. He clears his throat. “Cricket, I—”

  He’s abruptly cut off when someone walks up to the table. “Hey, Theo. What’s up, bro?”

  Xavier, Theo’s friend from my chemistry class, smiles down at us from the end of the table. I slowly pull my hand from Theo’s and smile anxiously at Xavier. I’ve barely spoken to him, and his friends weren’t very nice to me in class. After the phone number incident, I heard James call me a psycho bitch to his friends.

  “Sup, bro?” Theo gives him a cocky smile.

  Xavier glances at me nervously, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Cas and Hollis sit up straighter and tense up. Theo glances at me and then looks at Xavier questioningly.

  “I, uh, I just wanted to apologize to your girl here about James,” Xavier says. He looks at me with wide, apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry, Cricket. I hope you know I didn’t encourage him, and I would never disrespect you or Theo like that.”

  “What the fuck happened?” Theo barks out a surprised laugh.

  Xavier winces and stares at me in confusion. When I don’t say anything, he answers Theo. “James gave Cricket his number and told her to call him when you were tired of her. She fucking schooled him though, bro.”

  “What did she do?” Theo scrunches his nose up and grins.

  Xavier animatedly describes me ripping up the phone number and smiling like a psychopath before blowing the tiny pieces of paper out of my hand at him. “And then she just said, ‘I’ll tell Theo you said hi’ before turning away from him like a fucking badass! He was so pissed!”

  Hollis, Cas, and Theo laugh. Cas smirks at me. “Yeah, that sounds like Cricket.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Theo asks me.

  “I forgot about it already.” I shrug. It really didn’t seem like a big deal, to be honest.

  Theo and Cas snort and look at each other before bursting out laughing. Hollis is shaking from silent laughter while he grins at me.

  “I’m sure you can see why I won’t be ‘getting tired of her’ anytime soon,” Theo says to Xavier.

  Xavier grins at me and nods at Theo. And then Theo gets this scary fucking look in his eyes. Even though he’s still smiling, his voice sounds nearly murderous when he says, “You can tell James I’ll talk to him later.”

  Xavier’s face drops, and he nods before hurrying away.

  “What the fuck was that?” I furrow my eyebrows. “What are you, the mafia?”

  Cas and Hollis glance at each other, and Theo keeps his eyes on me. His gaze softens. “Just finish eating your lunch, little witch. And next time somebody messes with you, tell me about it.”

  I roll my eyes and glare at him. “I can take care of myself.”

  He smiles and reaches his hand forward to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His voice has a bit of growl in it when he says, “I know you can.”

  Hollis pulls away from me, and Cas scowls at the table while he brushes his fingers through his hair. I’m so fucking confused about what just happened. This feels like it might be another wolf thing, and I’m frustrated at not being in the loop. I feel impatient, but I know that the more time I spend with them, the more I’ll be able to understand. So, I take a deep breath and continue eating my lunch like nothing happened.

  Eventually, we jump back into a normal conversation. I ask the boys if they have any plans after school and if we’ll be able to play in the forest again.

  “Fuck, I really want to.” Cas groans. “But my mom was pissed at me for coming home so late last night. I can only hang out for a little while after school. Sorry, Cricket.”

  I smile at him so he knows I’m not mad. I know it’s not his fault.

  Theo taps his fingers on the table, so I know he’s not going to tell me what I want to hear. “I have some stuff to do with my dad and Hawthorne today. Sorry, little witch.”

  “Well, I don’t have any plans.” Hollis smiles triumphantly. “Want to hang out with me, Cricket?”

  My heart beats faster at the thought of hanging out with Hollis alone, and I nod eagerly.

  Theo taps his fingers on the table and frowns at Hollis. He quickly shakes it off and smiles. “Okay. We’ll go to the diner after school for a while, and then I’ll drive Cricket over to your house. You can drive her home later.”

  The bell rings and I startle. Holy crap, lunch is over already? It went by so quickly. I take a few more bites of my food and finish my drink. Theo is quick to pick up everyone’s trays and take them to the garbage.

  Cas appears in front of me before I can blink. He takes my backpack from Hollis and slides his arm around my shoulders, making my skin tingle. He’s barely touched me all day, but I’m definitely not complaining. He tells me our art history class is upstairs on the other side of the building, so we might have to hurry.

  Before I walk away with him and Hollis, Theo pulls me to the side away from the crowds of students. He pulls me close to him and leans down to whisper in my ear, “I wish I still had you all to myself, little witch.”

  I bite my lip. I loved hanging out with him, just the two of us, but...”It feels like everything is complete when I’m with all three of you.”

  He smiles sadly. “I know. I’m just afraid you’ll start liking them more than me.”

  “Don’t be silly!” I pull back so I can meet his gorgeous eyes and beam at him.

  He grins and leans down close to my ear again. I assume he’s going to whisper something else, but instead, he bites down gently on my earlobe. I gasp in surprise and pleasure, and I feel goose bumps break out all over my body. He flicks his tongue over my earlobe and growls quietly, still grazing his teeth against my skin. I bite down on my lip, and my eyes roll to the back of my head. What the fuck. I’ve never been turned on so quickly or with so little effort. I’m kind of pissed off about it, but I’m also about to suggest we skip the next class and go hide out in his jeep. Very classy, I know.

 

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