Cricket (Cricket Kendall Book 1), page 21
Cas walks up. When he sees the empty seat and his lunch tray next to me, his eyes light up and he smiles so fucking big. When he sits down, he looks at me like I just made his entire freaking day. I feel some of the knots in my stomach loosen. I give him a small smile in return.
“Are you still pissed?” Cas whispers.
I shrug at his question instead of answering out loud, pretending to focus on my food.
Cas pokes my side, and I look up to see a mischievous glint in his eyes. He keeps his eyes on mine and tilts his head toward Hollis and Theo. “I thought of a way we can mess with them.”
He’s not apologizing or trying to baby me like Theo and Hollis have been so far. I know they mean well, but I seriously just want to forget about the whole thing and pretend like everything is normal. Well, whatever the hell normal has been since I moved to Colorado.
A smile slowly spreads across my face. “I’m listening.”
Cas smirks at the guys and speaks in French. “Speak French to me. They won’t be able to understand a word. It will drive them insane!”
I can’t help giggling. I glance at Theo and Hollis and reply, “Simple, but effective. I love it!”
Theo’s mouth drops in shock, and Hollis chuckles.
“Just tell me a random story, but look at them while you’re talking so it looks like we’re talking about them,” Cas says.
While we’re eating, we swap funny stories back and forth. I tell him some stories about my parents and my brothers, and he mostly tells me stories about himself, Theo, and Hollis. We don’t use their names, and we keep glancing at them whenever we laugh. Hollis watches us the whole time with a tiny smile on his face. Theo pouts like a fucking baby.
After a while, Theo finally speaks. He sounds so fucking crabby. “That’s not fucking fair, Cas. I want to talk to Cricket too.”
“Dude, chill out.” Hollis shoves Theo. “He’s making her laugh. Which is more than I can say for me or you.”
I hate to say it like that, but he’s right. I slide closer to Cas and rest my cheek against his arm. I try to give him a cute smile and whisper, “Merci, Cassian.”
He looks surprised when I say his full name. He blushes and gives me a shy smile. “I don’t mind being called Cassian if you’re going to say it like that.”
Theo growls and I snap my head up. I sigh when I see him glare at Cas. “Theo, what are you doing?”
“You’re flirting with him.” Theo furrows his eyebrows.
“Oh my god, so what? I flirt with all of you.”
Theo looks embarrassed now. “You don’t flirt with Hollis.”
Hollis and I make eye contact. He bites his lip to hide his smile and I giggle. “Um...”
Cas snorts from beside me. “Theo, she’s literally the girl version of you. She can’t help herself.”
“Told you so.” Hollis looks at Theo and chuckles.
“You think I’m the girl version of Theo?” I grin at them.
Hollis and Cas nod enthusiastically, and Theo gives me a cocky smirk. “That’s why they like you so much.”
We spend the last few minutes of lunch laughing and joking around. When the bell rings, Cas grabs my backpack before I can. When I try to argue with him about it, he rolls his eyes.
“These guys might be afraid of pissing you off, but after the way we met, I’m not. I’m carrying your fucking bag.”
I put one hand on my hip and glare at him. He grins back at me and makes a show of hitching my backpack higher on his shoulder. He looks so cute, and like always, my eyes focus in on his dimple and the little beauty mark under his eye. I laugh, giving in, and push him into the hallway so we can get to third period.
When we get to class, we sit at the same table in the back where we sat on Monday. Jack sits at the table next to us. He gives me a tiny smile, but he doesn’t say anything. Cas spends nearly the entire class distracting me and making me laugh. We only talk in French, which is supposed to be the number one rule of this class. Madame Jacquet keeps shooting us irritated glances, but she never actually reprimands us.
Ninety minutes later, Cas is being all cute and smiley as he grabs my hand to walk me to my astronomy class.
“What are we doing after school? Do you want to play in the forest?”
“Well, I have to go to Mrs. Gallagher’s yoga studio pretty much right after school. I’m not sure about afterwards.”
Cas laughs. “I still can’t believe she offered you a job. We felt so shitty, thinking we got you into trouble.”
“I was surprised too, but I’m really excited about it!”
He smiles. “I’m happy for you. And seriously, I really want to hang out later. I’m sure the other guys will agree too. So, let me know, okay?”
When we’re outside my classroom, I smile up at him. “Okay.”
He’s standing close so that our bodies are almost pressed together, and I can see those stupid gold flecks in his eyes. He reaches his hand up and rubs his fingers over a strand of my hair.
“You know, I’m kind of digging this hippie bohemian look on you,” he says. He smirks and lets his eyes wander over me quickly.
I’m about to retort with a flirty joke, but then my eyes snag on his wrist and my gut instantly tightens. Cas has distracted me so well over the last couple of hours, but all the emotions I’ve been feeling about the mate thing are hitting me hard again. I grab his wrist and turn it over. It’s easy to find the mate mark now that I know what I’m looking for. His is similar to the one Hollis has. It vaguely looks like a small rune, but Cas’s is a more jagged shape.
I take a deep, shaky breath and meet his eyes. He gazes at me intently, and he looks like he wants to say something. But then he looks around at the crowded hallways and gives an annoyed sigh.
“I’ll see you after class.”
I expect him to walk away, but he stands there and smiles charmingly until I turn around and head into my classroom. I turn back once to see him smiling at me.
Erin’s already in class, pulling out her textbook. I sit down next to her with a grin. I need to distract myself. At lunch, I felt so at ease with the guys. I could completely put the issue out of my mind. The thing is, when the four of us are together, my intuition is screaming at me they’re mine. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s the truth. Hollis, Cas, and Theo belong to me somehow. I feel so strongly that I was always meant to meet them, and they’ve admitted to me that their magic feels the same pull as mine does. I can’t stand the thought of someone taking them from me. I don’t even think it’s jealousy, exactly. Just this crazy fear and wrongness that I’m going to lose them.
“Hey, Cricket.” Erin smiles warmly.
“Hey, how’s your day been? Sorry we didn’t really get a chance to talk in English this morning.”
She laughs and waves her hand at me. “That’s alright. You seemed upset. Everything okay?”
“Just kind of having a bad day.” I shrug and give her a lopsided smile.
She makes a sympathetic noise before she smirks. “It looked like Hollis was doing a good job of comforting you this morning. I saw you with Cas in the hallway just now, too.”
I laugh and feel my cheeks flush. “I know it probably looks, um...”
“Do you like one of them?” she asks quietly.
“All of them,” I say honestly.
Erin giggles, but when she sees how freaked out I am by my admission, she smiles kindly and makes a motion like she’s zipping her lips. Ms. Blanchard takes attendance and goes over our homework assignments before collecting them. During her lecture, when we’re supposed to be taking notes, Erin and I talk quietly back and forth. I tell her how messed up I feel, liking all three guys, knowing nothing will come of it if I want to stay friends with all of them.
Erin surprises me by blushing. “I know exactly how you feel.”
“Your friend Jack?”
She bites her lip and nods. “Since I moved here in fourth grade. He lives next door to me, and it was totally love at first sight!”
I grin and nod eagerly for her to continue. She bites her lip again but smiles when she keeps talking. “He’s so sweet and compassionate. When Brennan came out, Jack was so supportive. I know he seems really quiet, but when he opens up, he’s so funny! And oh my god, he’s so cute.”
She’s so adorable! I’ve never had a close girlfriend before, and I really like Erin.
“You’ve never considered telling him how you feel?”
She shakes her head. “I know I’m not very pretty. I’ve never had a boyfriend or even been kissed before. And he just, you know, sees me as one of the guys.”
“What? I think you’re pretty. And I may have just met you guys, but I definitely noticed Jack checking you out yesterday in chem.”
“No, he wasn’t!” She giggles, her face turning red.
“Girl, I’m not bragging, but I’m totally the queen of flirting. And that guy was definitely checking you out.”
Ms. Blanchard clears her throat and gives us a stern look. We’re mostly quiet for the rest of class, and we don’t get another chance to gossip. When the bell rings, signaling the end of the day, Erin and I walk out of the classroom together.
I pull her to the side of the hallway. “Hey, I hope you don’t think this is weird, but do you want to exchange numbers?”
“Sure!” She smiles. I’m super relieved. I wish I’d been brave enough to ask for Brennan’s number too, when I first met him. I really hope I can become friends with him and Erin.
I pull my phone out and text her when she reads off her number. We giggle, and I tell her to text me anytime she wants to talk about boys. I feel someone tug lightly on my hair and look up to see Cas’s amused grin.
“You know you can always text me if you want to talk about boys, Cricket.”
“Really, Cas?” I snort. “You want to tell me who you think the cutest guy in school is?”
“Me, obviously.” He smirks and runs his fingers through his hair.
I roll my eyes and smile at Erin. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She laughs and waves before walking away in the opposite direction. Cas smoothly takes my backpack from me and wraps his arm around my shoulders. When I look back up at him, he’s pouting at me.
“What wrong?”
He looks embarrassed. “It’s just, you’ve never texted me. I know you’re better friends with Theo than with me, but...”
“Sometimes I can’t tell if you want to be friends with me or not.” I fidget with my phone in my hands.
He stops walking and looks down at me. We’re only a few steps from the door leading outside, but he looks so confident and genuine. “Of course I want to be friends with you.”
I smile and look down at my phone. I send him a text that says, “Hi, Cas.”
A second later, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and laughs. We continue walking outside where Theo and Hollis are already waiting for us. Theo looks like he’s going to pull me away, and Cas tightens his arm around me ever so slightly.
Theo pauses and looks at him, and I swear I see a quick flash of jealousy cross his features. But then he smiles down at me. “What took you guys so long?”
Cas laughs. “Cricket was asking for some chick’s number.”
Theo grins wildly and Hollis laughs. I roll my eyes and swat Cas playfully. “Shut up, you know it wasn’t like that.”
We quickly make our way to the jeep, and Cas holds the passenger door open for me. I ask Theo to drop me off at home first so I have enough time to get ready to meet up with Mrs. Gallagher. During the drive, the guys talk and joke around with one another, but I stay quiet and listen to them. I’m emotionally worn out. I know what I really need right now is to be with Stella, meditate, and just relax for the rest of the day.
When Theo pulls up outside of Flora & Feathers, he grabs my hand and smiles at me. “Do you want to hang out later? I can come back over when you’re finished with Mrs. Gallagher.”
I avoid his eyes. “I think I want some space today.”
When I glance up at him, he looks devastated. I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. His voice is gruff when he says, “Okay.”
My stomach tightens with guilt, and I sigh. “I’m sorry. I don’t...” I don’t know how to make him understand that I’m not mad at him. I’m just sad and embarrassed. I really think I’ll feel better once I clear my head. I offer him a small smile. “I’ll be back to normal tomorrow, okay? And after school, maybe we can play in the forest. It already feels like it’s been forever.”
“Sounds good to me.” Theo smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
I turn to smile at Hollis and Cas, and they say goodbye.
Hollis reaches behind him for my backpack and hands it to me as I step out of the jeep. I rummage inside for the keys to the bookshop, since it’s closed today. I offer the boys a final wave as I walk through the door. Stella is already pacing the floor of the shop, waiting for me, and she jumps into my arms when she sees me. I hug her closely and slowly make my way upstairs to Aurora’s apartment.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Cas
We’re silent as we watch Cricket disappear behind the door of the bookshop. Anger has slowly been building up inside of me all day, but I’ve held it in until now.
“Okay, what the fuck did you guys do?” I growl, glaring pointedly at Hollis and Theo.
The dumb fucks look at each other, and Hollis bites his lip. He does that when he’s nervous, and I feel myself getting even angrier. Theo clears this throat and pulls the jeep onto the road.
“Hollis told Cricket about mates and me being an alpha.”
I roll my eyes and scoff. “No fucking shit. I’m asking why that girl has looked like she’s about a second away from breaking down all day, you dumb motherfuckers.”
Cricket looked so fucking pretty when we picked her up this morning, and I’d been so excited to see her. She looks gorgeous every day, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. I haven’t forgotten what Theo said yesterday about her possibly being his mate, but it doesn’t change the way I feel around her. I’ve decided to just live in denial for as long as possible.
As soon as she walked up to the car this morning, I could tell something was wrong. Her smile was off, and she ignored me when I tried to take her backpack from her. Theo was nervous and fidgety.
Hollis sighs. “I didn’t know she would be so distraught. I still can’t tell if she’s more upset that she doesn’t have a mate mark, or if it’s because she thinks it’s wrong we don’t get to choose who we mate with. And it really pissed her off when she realized Theo had been using his alpha voice on her.”
My heart stutters. Does that mean she wants to be with one of us? It’s probably Theo, but I feel this ridiculous pang of hope. I shove the stupid thoughts aside and glare at Theo.
“She should be pissed that you’re using it on her. She’s not me or Hollis. We’re used to it. And what did she mean when she said you lied to her?”
Theo’s voice is barely a croak. “I have no idea. I’ve been racking my brain all day trying to figure out what she was talking about.”
Fuck. I want to be pissed off at him, but he looks so fucking pitiful. I know exactly how it feels to think Cricket hates you. Today was the first day I’ve been around her where I didn’t say something idiotic that set me into a panic that she would never speak to me again. Seeing her so sad today had been absolute torture, and I know Theo and Hollis are beating themselves up over it. Even though I still feel anxious after this whole fucking day, I know I need to reassure my friends.
“Chill out, dude. It’ll be okay.”
“How the fuck do you know? She doesn’t even want us around,” Theo snaps at me.
“She said she needs some space. She’s already said she can’t stay mad at us.” I roll my eyes. I don’t tell him I’m already thinking about ignoring her request by going over later to talk to her alone.
“How’d you know, anyway?” Hollis asks curiously.
What the fuck is he talking about? Even Theo gives him a confused look before focusing on the road again.
“Know what?” I ask.
Hollis smiles. “At lunch. Theo and I were freaking out and didn’t know what to say to her. It took you all of two seconds to make her laugh.”
I can’t help smiling, thinking about how it felt to walk up to the lunch table and see her saving a seat for me beside her. I shrug at Hollis. “It just seemed obvious she wanted a distraction. She said first thing this morning that she didn’t want to talk about it.”
“And when were you going to tell us she speaks fluent fucking French, huh?” Theo asks.
I burst out laughing and flip him off. “You’re just pissed because you don’t know every little thing about her. Besides, the looks on your faces were fucking priceless.”
“Did she say anything about us?” Hollis asks, biting his lip.
I’m about to roll my eyes and say we were just fucking with them, but then I do a double take when I see the same sappy look in his eyes I recognize in Theo whenever he talks about Cricket. Holy shit, Hollis likes her too. Like, really likes her. I’m hit with this crazy combination of jealousy, guilt, and sympathy. Theo probably told him the same thing he told me, about only being friends with her until her eighteenth birthday to see if she gets a mate mark. Jesus, Cricket seriously has no fucking clue what kind of trouble she’s stirring up.
I catch myself grumbling in response to him. “No, she just told me how her brothers used to break shit and then blame her magic on it when their parents got pissed.”
“Kind of makes me wish she’d been around to cover up for us when we were younger,” Hollis says.
