Chapter 60 Is He Jealous?
737words
We each grabbed a tray and accepted our greasy offerings. I was piling the tomato sauce onto my meal when I got knocked against the counter out of nowhere.
"I'm so sorry," a male voice exclaimed. When I turned, I recognized him from Biology and English.
Derek towered over me in size, and I did not doubt that if Kayn didn't have his merman strength, Derek would have kicked his ass in a fistfight.
Not that Kayn was tiny at all, but Derek wasn't the guy anyone would pick a fight with.
"I'm really sorry," Derek repeated, raking his chocolate brown hair back with his fingers. "We were playing some stupid game. I didn't see you there."
I shook my head, offering a smile. "It's okay."
"Hi," he greeted Ella, who smiled at him in exchange. "So, how are you taking to Bowmore so far?"
I realized he was speaking to me, and I placed down the tomato sauce. "It's pretty good. I have nothing to complain about."
"That's great," he said and waved a hand at me. "You should try out for the cheerleading team. You look like you'd slay it."
"Me, cheerleading?" I sputtered a laugh. "I will literally kill the entire team with my imbalance."
He shrugged. "You can always learn."
"No, but thank you. It's not my thing."
"Then what is your thing?" Kayn appeared out of nowhere, slinging an arm across my shoulders. He glanced at Derek, giving him a long once over. "Hi, Derek," his voice sounded stiff.
"Hello, Kayn," Derek greeted before turning back to face me. "It's nice meeting you. See you around, okay?"
I smiled, shrugging off Kayn's arm. "See you around."
When Derek was out of earshot, I shoved Kayn against the arm. "What is your problem?"
"Me?" he feigned innocence. "I thought I'd say hello."
"Right," I snorted, picking up my tray as Ember appeared beside her brother.
"So, what did he want?" Kayn asked.
I pinned him with a glare. "Is this a habit of yours, minding other people's business?"
"I was just asking," he turned away, and an uneasy feeling crept into me. It felt a lot like...jealousy.
I snorted at his back as he walked away. "For real, Kayn?"
He didn't turn back or throw me with a smartass retort.
"Oookay," I shook my head.
Ember's eyes bounced between us. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, he's being weird again. Nothing new."
"So, uhm…" Ember hesitated, glancing at Ella. "Would it be okay if I sit with you guys today?"
Ella appeared uneasy. "I don't know—"
"Look, I know about the rumors flying around about me," Ember said. "Whatever you've heard, I promise it is not true. Ask Carly. I'm not some evil spawn that can do something to you."
Talk about straightforward.
Ella shifted, darting a hesitant look at me.
"She's cool, Ella, I promise."
Ella sighed and offered a smile. "Fine, let's go grab a seat before ours gets taken."
I didn't miss Belinda's death stare trailing my movement across the cafeteria. I wondered how much she knew about what went down the weekend or how she would feel about Kayn and me hanging out.
Pretty pissed off, no doubt.
I wasn't the only one who noticed.
"So, it looks like Belinda is still upset about what happened the other day," Ella piped up, placing down her tray onto our table.
Ember slid into her seat beside me. "Oh, it's about what happened over the weekend." Her eyes widened when she realized what she said.
I released a deep sigh, sinking into my seat, prepared for Ella's assault of questions.
"Oh. My. Gee," she squealed. "You still have to tell me what you and Kayn did this weekend. Spill it!"
"It's not what you think," I answered. "We hung out. That's all."
"Did you make out?" she looked way too excited about this.
Ember choked on her drink. "Ew, no."
"I second Ember," I nodded. "We went for a swim, but he was more annoying than anything."
"I see." I could tell Ella didn't believe me.
If only she knew I wasn't lying over the reason she assumed.
