Cricket (Cricket Kendall Book 1), page 27
Once we’re out in the hallway, Theo chuckles. “Man, that kid was quick. I underestimated him.”
“Okay, what the fuck is going on? Is Cricket okay?” I ask.
Theo continues walking down the hallway and stops outside of a classroom. He opens the door, double checks the room is empty, and holds the door open with a cocky grin. I can’t help laughing. I have no fucking idea how he knew this classroom would be empty. It’s only the fourth day of school. He locks it behind us and sits on the teacher’s desk.
“Yeah, she’s great. She’s perfect. We had an incident in first period, but Cas is going to take care of it.”
“What happened?” I sit on the desk in front of him and cross my arms.
His expression darkens. “Mike Wilson asked Cricket if she was free tonight because she ‘must be amazing in bed.’ And he fucking said it right in front of me and Cas.”
My vision goes red, and I feel the urge to shift so I can tear his throat out. “Why the fuck would he say that?”
He grimaces and taps his fingers on the desk. “Cas and I were being stupid. We weren’t even thinking. Everyone at school already thinks Cricket’s my girlfriend because I’ve been all over her, and I haven’t exactly been downplaying that. Anyway, I fucking carried her into class, and Cas set out all her books and shit on her desk for her. We were completely fucking fawning over her in front of everybody, not even trying to hide it. It just feels so natural.”
I bite my lip to hide my smile. I don’t blame them, but I’m sure it looked nuts to everyone else. I can just imagine the amused look on Cricket’s face.
“What did Cricket say?”
“She called us idiots.” Theo snorts and smiles despite himself.
“Yeah, that sounds like her.” I laugh.
“I really think I’m in love with her,” he says, his eyes turning glassy. “I’ve almost said it to her twice. And I’m surer than ever she’s my mate, and that Cas and you are her mates too. Cas is so fucking different with her. He’s always been such an asshole to girls. When I found out he went over to see her last night, I was pissed off about it at first. But Cricket said he was a sweetheart to her, and she was so glad he came to see her. When Mike pulled that shit in class, Cas flipped the fuck out. You know how angry he gets. Cricket was able to calm him down just by smiling.”
Theo seems so nervous and excited at the same time. I watch him thoughtfully. “When I see her with you and Cas, it seems so obvious. When I see her flirting with either of you, I think she might not like me as much as I like her, but then she’ll focus all her attention on me. Even if it’s for only a few seconds, it feels so fucking good. I just want to make her happy.”
“This is why I wanted to talk to you. Fuck, I can’t hold it in any longer. Hawthorne was concerned Cricket wouldn’t want to be with all three of us if we were all her mates, right? Well, when I picked her up for breakfast this morning, I kind of asked her how she felt about that.”
I furrow my eyebrows. I didn’t realize he took her out to breakfast. It’s not a bad idea. I wonder if I should ask her to do the same with me. Or is it weird if I steal Theo’s date ideas? I’m probably getting ahead of myself.
“You asked her how she’d feel about having all three of us as mates?”
“No! I didn’t use the word mate. I think she’s still a little freaked out by that. But Aurora made a joke about Cricket sleeping with me and Cas, and Cricket admitted she tried to kiss Cas last night. He’s the one who told her I put an alpha order on you guys so you can’t be more than friends with her. I told her I’d undo it if she asked.”
Without thinking, I perk up in excitement. Theo bursts out laughing. “Calm the fuck down. Obviously, I didn’t, or you probably would have had sex with her this morning on your goddamn front porch!”
I give him a sheepish smile and shrug. “I didn’t mean to. She’s just so...”
Theo growls, but it’s not threatening. “I know. I don’t blame you. It sucked seeing you kiss her, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Even Cas didn’t seem all that pissy, which was surprising. I keep getting off track. Cricket straight up told me she has feelings for all three of us. And I don’t think she’s against us sharing her at all.”
“Really? Well, that’s great. If it feels this natural to us, she must feel that way too.”
“She seemed embarrassed when we were talking about it, but I think she was more concerned you and Cas wouldn’t be okay with it.”
I feel so fucking giddy. “This is really going to happen, isn’t it? I never imagined this would be something I’d want, but...”
“Same. I think it’s going to make our pack really fucking strong. She’s bringing us closer together.” Theo fidgets. “It’s just, until the thing with Mike Wilson, I didn’t stop to think about how hard it’s going to be on her.”
“What do you mean?”
He sighs. “You know. Her dealing with people talking shit about her, calling her a slut and stuff. For being with all three of us. When we grow up and have kids, assuming she wants to have kids, people will be even worse. My dad was already being an asshole about her. I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks of me, but it kills me to think of making her life harder.”
Fuck. Honestly, I hadn’t thought of that. All I’ve been focusing on is how it feels when I’m with her, and how it feels to see Cas and Theo make her happy. My parents love her too. They’ve been asking me to bring her over for dinner again.
“We’ll have to be confident and show her how much we care about her. We can’t act like we doubt her or each other. I think it’s pretty safe to say we already practically worship the ground she walks on.”
Theo nods. He looks much more confident and determined. “Yeah, you’re right. I really fucking hope Cas can get on board.”
“He will. Just be patient.” I glance up at the clock and groan. “We still have more than half the class left. Do you want to go back or keep skipping?”
He hops off the desk and gets a mischievous look on his face. “We’ll go back, but let’s visit Cricket first.”
“What’s our excuse this time?”
“I don’t know. I’ll think of something.” He shrugs.
I laugh and follow him out of the empty classroom.
Chapter Thirty
Cricket
When I walk into my AP chemistry class, Erin, Brennan, and Jack are already in their seats, talking quietly. Xavier greets me when I walk by. James won’t even look in my direction.
As soon as I sit down, Brennan beams. “Cricket! Oh my god, hi!”
“Hey what’s up?” I laugh and pull my stuff out of my bag.
“Not much.” Erin smiles. “How about you? Did you do anything fun last night?”
“Mostly I played Xbox with the guys and my brothers.” I turn to smile at Brennan and tap my pen on my lab book. “You’re going to be my lab partner today, right?”
He nods enthusiastically. The bell rings, and Mr. Brody takes attendance, collects homework, gives a quick introduction to the lab, and tells us to get started. The lab we’re doing is The Synthesis of a Complex Salt. We’re going to do half the lab today and finish it on Monday once everything is crystallized. We collect our supplies, put on our goggles, and set everything up. Brennan seems nervous, so I ask him about movies, music, and books he likes. It doesn’t take long for him to ramble excitedly, and Erin joins in. They like a lot of the same movies and books I do, so we’re totally all nerding out together.
Jack glances at Erin more than a few times. When I catch him at it, I raise an eyebrow and smirk. He looks flustered. “So, um, you like snowboarding?”
I laugh, only because he hasn’t said much since class started, and it’s not really relevant to what Erin was just talking about. He blushes, and Erin gives him a weird look.
Brennan sighs dramatically. “Not everybody around here likes snowboarding, Jack.”
“I’m only asking because Theo Ashbrooke was talking about getting her a snowboard, and I said I could probably get them a discount,” Jack says.
Brennan and Erin stare at him wide-eyed, and Brennan asks, “When did you talk to Theo?”
“We went to The Mountainside Diner for breakfast this morning before school, and Jack was working.” I finish writing a measurement in my lab book and look back up at Jack. “I’ve actually never been before, but I’m stoked to try it out. When does it start snowing around here, anyway?”
“Late October, early November, usually.” Jack smiles.
“Hold on, wait a second.” Brennan glares at Jack. “You saw Cricket on a date with Theo and didn’t think to tell me and Erin about it!?”
“Uh, why would I? They were just eating breakfast like normal people,” Jack says.
“Please ignore Brennan,” Erin pleads.
Brennan clamps his mouth shut, but he looks like he’s about to explode. I laugh and continue working on the lab.
Halfway through the class, Mr. Brody clears his throat from the front of the room. “Can I help you boys with something?”
I know before I even turn around that I’m going to see one of the guys. Theo and Hollis are standing together with dumbass grins on their faces.
Theo winks at me before turning to Mr. Brody. “Yes, sir. Ms. Lawrence asked us to come and get some graduated cylinders. We don’t have enough, and she said something about you taking hers?”
Mr. Brody turns bright red and sputters incoherently. He turns to the class and angrily announces, “I’ll be back. Keep working on your labs!”
He promptly storms out of the classroom.
Theo snickers and high fives Hollis, and they saunter across the room toward me.
“God, you guys are so full of shit.” I giggle.
“Aww, come on. We miss you.” Theo leans against the high-top table and ruffles my hair.
“You look cute.” Hollis grins and taps on my safety goggles.
I turn around and pretend to focus on the lab. Erin, Jack, and Brennan stare at us openly. I sigh like I’m annoyed. “You guys are going to get into trouble.”
“No, we won’t.” Theo scoffs. “Brody is totally in love with Ms. Lawrence. They pretend to hate each other. He won’t be back for a while.”
Hollis leans down to look in my lab book and sighs dramatically. “Cricket, how do you pass any of your classes? I’m going to end up rewriting all your assignments because your handwriting stresses me out so much.”
Brennan giggles wildly, and Erin slaps a hand over her mouth. Theo and Hollis look up, noticing them for the first time.
“You’re her lab partner?” Theo asks. Brennan nods, blushing like crazy. Theo scrunches his nose up and says, “Just make sure any assignments you share with her are in your writing. I mean, seriously. Look at this shit!”
He slaps my lab book down in front of Brennan. Brennan stares at my writing, scrunches up his eyebrows, and giggles hysterically again. “Oh my god, Cricket!”
“Are you really going to stay until Mr. Brody comes back?” Erin asks.
“Can we, please?” Theo whines while he and Hollis pout at me.
They look so cute I can’t stand it. I groan. “Fine. But I swear to god, if you guys make me fuck up on this lab...”
“We won’t! Promise!” Hollis beams.
I work on the lab with Brennan’s help. Theo ruffles my hair again and starts walking around the room to talk to some other people. Everyone in the classroom seems flustered, and I see people whispering behind their hands while glancing at me. I try to ignore it, but I can’t help feeling a little uneasy.
Hollis is still standing beside me, watching me with his kind sapphire eyes. “So, what were you guys talking about before we came in and disrupted class?”
“Well, Jack was talking about snowboarding. Before that, we were talking about how much we still love Harry Potter even though J. K. Rowling is literal garbage.”
“You’re a Slytherin, aren’t you?” Hollis chuckles.
Erin and Brennan laugh, and I snort. “Yeah, how’d you know?”
He gives me a teasing grin and shrugs. “I bet Theo could guess right, too.” He turns around and calls across the classroom. “Hey, Theo. What Hogwarts House do you think Cricket is?”
Theo’s standing with Xavier. He scrunches his nose up in amusement and laughs. “Slytherin, obviously.”
“I can’t believe you guys like Harry Potter.” Brennan stares at Hollis in wonder.
“Fuck yeah, we do.” Theo chuckles, walking back over to our table. “But we’re gonna have to step our game up. Cricket likes all kinds of weird, nerdy shit.”
I roll my eyes in response, and Hollis laughs. “Like what?”
“What was that really terrible science show you made me watch?” Theo asks me.
I choke on a laugh. “Mystery Science Theater 3000, and it’s supposed to be terrible. That’s why it’s so great!”
“Oh my god, I love that show!” Erin gasps.
“See? She likes it too.” I wave my hands at Erin like her opinion is all the proof I need.
Theo rolls his eyes at me teasingly. I try to focus on the next step of the lab we’re doing. We’re actually pretty close to finishing for the day. Theo’s attention wanders again, and he grins up at Jack. “Hey, Hollis. Did you know that Maggie is Jack’s aunt?”
Hollis glances at Jack. “Maggie from the diner?”
“I didn’t realize you guys knew her so well.” Jack laughs.
“Yeah, we usually go there at least three times a week,” Hollis says.
“And we’re turning Cricket into a regular too.” Theo grins and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Matilda already sighs in exasperation when she sees Cricket walk through the door.”
Jack bursts out laughing, and Erin turns to smile at him. Brennan bounces excitedly. “Wait, you guys eat at Jack’s family’s diner three times a freaking week!? Oh my god, that is so Riverdale! I love it!”
Hollis perks up. “Brody’s coming back.”
“We have to leave now.” Theo groans. He glances at the clock and grins down at me before quickly kissing me on the cheek. “See you in fifteen minutes, Cricket.”
The guys quickly slip out of the classroom. Mr. Brody walks in, still looking totally flustered. He apologizes and mumbles something about incompetent co-workers, and tells everybody to finish up their final steps on the lab. Once our test tubes are capped and put away on their shelf to settle over the weekend, he says we’re free to go.
“Oh my god, this was the greatest class ever. I knew Theo and Hollis were cool, obviously, but I didn’t know they were so funny!” Brennan laughs, putting the stoppers on our test tubes. “You are seriously the luckiest freaking girl in the world!”
“They totally love you!” Erin giggles as she finishes up her and Jack’s lab.
“They so do!” Brennan nods enthusiastically. “Holy crap, and I thought Cas was bad!”
“What do you mean?” I furrow my eyebrows.
Brennan’s mouth drops open comically, and his eyes widen. “Crap, I wasn’t supposed to tell you! Erin, help me!”
Erin leans over the table and lowers her voice. “Cas came into Brennan’s family’s shop last night, and he asked us what he should get for you because you were sad.”
I feel myself smiling like an idiot, and butterflies stir in my stomach. “Is that why you asked if I did anything fun last night?” Erin blushes and nods in embarrassment. I laugh. “Yeah, he came over and brought me these amazing chocolate things. It was really sweet. When he went home, he got online so we could play PUBG together.”
“Oh my god, that is so romantic!” Brennan sighs.
“So, your parents own The Sweet Shop?” I ask, and Brennan nods. “That’s so freaking cool! I need to visit again. I’m already almost out of chocolate!”
Since we’re all finished with our work, Mr. Brody lets us leave a few minutes early. I’m only a little surprised to find Theo and Hollis waiting for me in the hallway.
“Did you guys even go to your own class at all?” I ask, laughing.
“We went for the first ten minutes.” Hollis shrugs.
Theo wraps his arm around me and leads me down the hallway. I turn to glance at Erin, Brennan, and Jack. I really want to be friends with them. They’re so nice, and I get such a good vibe whenever I’m around them.
“Do you want to sit with us at lunch?”
“Are we allowed to?” Brennan asks hopefully.
“Of course, if that’s what Cricket wants,” Theo says, smiling at me softly.
Erin smiles at me. “Okay, we just have to get our lunches from our lockers. We can meet you guys in the cafeteria?”
Once we split up from them, I give Theo and Hollis a quizzical look. “I didn’t even think about this before, but why don’t you guys use lockers? I don’t even know if I have one.”
Hollis threads his fingers through mine and gives me a cute smile, “You have one. The number and combination are on your schedule. We don’t use them anymore because it doesn’t bother us to carry so many books around.”
He squeezes my hand, and I smile. The guys have been so sweet today. I keep thinking about the conversation I had with Theo this morning. He knows how I feel about them. I feel my magic pulsating under my skin, and I desperately need a distraction. I release a tiny bit of my magic and let a small gust of wind flutter around us. Hollis and Theo tense up and look at me in concern.
“Sorry,” I tell them. “It’s just been a few days since I’ve really used it, and it’s building up like crazy.”
For more than a week straight, I was using insane amounts of magic nearly every day. Now that I’ve been letting my gift rest for the past two days, and I’ve also been meditating, I’m feeling restless.
