Cricket (Cricket Kendall Book 1), page 10
“Um, well, I guess I might have overreacted.”
A giggle escapes my throat, and Cas looks at me like he’s physically in pain. “I’m sorry, okay?” He turns to Theo and says, “I didn’t realize she was the girl you’ve been fucking around with.”
Theo stares him down for several more seconds, and he turns to me with his eyebrows raised. “Do you forgive him?”
I blink in surprise. I feel like I don’t completely understand what’s happening. I don’t know if I should be embarrassed, angry, or what. I consider Theo’s question and look at Cas. He’s so stupidly beautiful, and he’s looking at me like his freaking life depends on my answer. I remind myself that this is Theo’s best friend, and Theo is my best friend now too. Cas can’t be that bad. Maybe he’d been having a really bad day when I bumped into him at the coffee shop. And even if he had yelled at me first, I definitely didn’t help the situation by escalating it the way I did.
I smile tentatively at him. “Yes, I forgive you. And I’m sorry too.”
Cas’s entire face lights up, and he beams at me. Holy fucking shit. His smile is blinding, and his eyes are even more gorgeous when he’s not glowering. And he has a dimple! A fucking dimple! Just one on his right cheek.
Theo and Hollis relax, and Theo ruffles my hair. “Okay! I know you’ve both been dying to officially meet each other over the past week. Cassian, this is Cricket. Cricket, this is Cassian.”
I snicker. “Cassian?”
He gives me a look. “Right, because Cricket is such a totally normal name.”
Theo chuckles. “All right, cut it out. All three of you have weird fucking names. It’s not a competition.”
I feel lighter and happier as I glance back and forth between the boys. I’m so relieved that Hollis and Cas have moved past our awkward, embarrassing meetings, and I can’t wait to get to know them better. I try to imagine them as wolves. Over the past week, I’ve gotten used to Theo in his wolf form, and I love that part of him so much. I wonder what Hollis and Cas look like, and if they’ll want to play with me in the forest like Theo does.
The boys are talking about their classes as we eat our lunches. I’m totally caught up in my thoughts, and because I’m also an idiot, I turn to Theo and blurt out, “Are you bigger than they are?”
Hollis coughs, and Cas stares at me in shock. Theo scrunches up his nose and grins down at me, even as his cheek turn red. I grimace when I realize how that sounded. “I didn’t mean...”
Theo laughs. His eyes gleam mischievously, and he smugly says, “I know what you meant. And yes, I am.”
Cas smirks at me and says, “Pretty sure that’s debatable. I think there’s enough time left before next period if you’d like to go find a nice private spot with me so you can compare.”
My brain seizes up for a split second, and a tiny, demented part of me wants to accept his offer. Theo and Hollis growl at Cas, and it brings me back to my senses.
“Ugh, god! That’s not what I was talking about.” I shouldn’t leave the house anymore. Every time I open my mouth, I say something mortifying.
Theo possessively puts his arm around my shoulders and glares at Cas. “Don’t talk to her like that. She was talking about the size of our wolves.”
Cas and Hollis comically sputter in unison. “What!?”
Theo and I look at each other. I raise an eyebrow, and he grins. He taps his fingers on the tabletop and says, “I’ve been ditching you guys for the last week so I could play in the forest with Cricket. You guys should see her out there. She’s fucking insane!”
Cas furrows his eyebrows and flares his nostrils a few times. “But she’s not, I mean, you’re not...”
I realize he’s trying to sniff me. Even though Theo sniffs me constantly, and he’s told me multiple times that I smell good, it still makes me feel self-conscious.
Hollis quietly asks Theo, “Does Hawthorne know?”
Theo stacks up our garbage and trays together, smiling like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Yeah. He wants to meet Cricket today. I figured we’d head over to his house after school.” He looks at me. “Is that okay with you?”
His uncle wants to meet me? The thought makes me nervous. I know he’s their alpha, and Theo had to ask his permission before shifting in front of me. Theo doesn’t sound worried though, so I trust that everything will be fine. I nod at him in agreement.
“I’ll be right back while I throw this away.” He gives Cas a pointed look and growls, “Be nice to her.”
As Theo casually walks away, Cas and Hollis stare at me. I smile sweetly, wondering if I should say something to break the awkward silence first. Luckily, Cas beats me to it when he glances down at his expensive-looking watch. “Jesus, there are only five minutes left before lunch is over. I have so many questions, I don’t even know where to start!”
Hollis leans across the table and lowers his voice to say, “I was trying to ask this before Cas walked up and distracted us. You’re a witch, right?”
I give him a lopsided smile and admit, “Yeah, I am.”
Cas looks at me like he’s horrified and runs his fingers through his gorgeous hair. “What!? I feel like I’m going insane right now. This entire lunch period has been totally fucked.”
Not going to lie, my feelings are kind of hurt. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I really hoped we could start over and be friends.
Theo slides into the seat next to me as Hollis curiously asks, “What’s your affinity?”
I beam at him, but Theo grunts and answers his question before I can. “Air. How do you know what an affinity is?”
“Aurora told me.”
Theo crosses his arms on the table and pouts. “That’s not fair. I didn’t know anything about witches before I met Cricket.”
“How is that my fault?” Hollis laughs, his sapphire eyes lighting up in amusement. “We’ve known Aurora for years. Weren’t you ever curious about the medicine she makes for the pack?”
Cas smacks his hands on the table. “What is going on right now? Why am I the only one freaking out?” The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, and Cas looks at me in panic. “Cricket, what’s your next class?”
I pull my slightly crumpled schedule from my back pocket and hand it to him. He snatches it away from me and looks over it hastily.
“Fuck, thank you.” He hands it back with a relieved smile, revealing his dimple again. “We have third period together. Plus, first and third together tomorrow too.”
The guys stand, and I stand up to join them, feeling totally awkward. My stomach flutters when I realize I’ll get to spend the next hour and a half with Cas. He sounds happy that we have classes together, but I have no idea how to act around him.
Theo hands Cas my backpack and levels a glare on him as he says, “Take care of her, and help her if she needs you to. Make sure you walk her to her fourth period class so she doesn’t get lost. And I swear to god, Cas, you’d better not be a dick to her.”
I put my hands on my hips and frown at them. I’m not a fucking baby. I don’t say anything because after what Hollis and Theo said earlier, I’m realizing this has something to do with their pack hierarchy. Standing here looking up at them together, I realize how tall they are. Theo is maybe an inch or two taller than Hollis and Cas, and I can barely tell any difference between the two of them height-wise.
Hollis glances down at me while Cas and Theo are still talking. He blinks and asks, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m so freaking short next to you guys,” I whine.
They smile at me, and Theo pats the top of my head. “It’s fucking adorable.”
Cas steps forward and grabs my hand. “Come on, we’re going to be late.”
The gesture surprises me, but I automatically thread my fingers through his. My skin tingles pleasantly at his touch, and I smile at Theo and Hollis as we walk away.
Chapter Fourteen
When we head upstairs to our French class, Cas lets me walk in front of him since the stairwell is hectic and crowded. At first, I’m pleasantly surprised at his gesture and the way he seems concerned someone might knock into me. But when I reach the top of the stairs, I turn around to find him staring at my ass. He’s not even trying to be subtle.
“Seriously?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
He gives me a flirty smile and grabs my hand. I’m tempted to snatch my hand away, but he’s cute and I’m weak.
“So, you and Theo. Is it serious, or more of a casual thing?” he asks nonchalantly, still raking his eyes over me in a lascivious manner.
I snatch my hand away from his. Cute or not, he has to be the biggest asshole I’ve ever met. My feelings are hurt, but I don’t want him to know how much his actions and words keep affecting me. I glare at him and ask, “What the fuck is your deal? Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
Without giving him the chance to respond, I yank my backpack out of his hands and storm away from him. It can’t be that hard to find the classroom without him. Even though I can feel his eyes practically burning a hole into the back of my head, I don’t look back at him once. I find the classroom at the end of the hall, and make a beeline for an empty seat in the back of the room next to a guy with shaggy, blond hair.
The guy looks at me with raised eyebrows when I angrily pull a notebook and pencil out of my bag, but he leaves me to it and doesn’t make conversation. A middle-aged woman with sleek, red hair is at the front of the room, writing in cursive on the whiteboard, and the other students in the class are mumbling as they find their seats.
To my dismay, Cas ignores all the empty seats and walks over to stand behind my desk-mate with a threatening scowl on his face. His voice almost sounds like a growl when he says, “Move.”
The guy sighs and slowly puts his stuff back into his bag, and he moves to another desk without argument. Freaking traitor. I refuse to meet Cas’s eyes when he sits down beside me, even when he scoots his chair as close to mine as possible.
“Cricket, please,” he whispers. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re only saying that so Theo won’t be mad at you.” I roll my eyes. “And because he used that weird voice to make you be nice to me.”
The bell rings, cutting Cas off from answering.
Our teacher introduces herself as Madame Jacquet. She passes out textbooks and our class syllabus while she takes attendance, and she emphasizes her number one rule that we’re only allowed to speak French while we’re in class.
While she speaks, I can feel Cas’s eyes on me. I still refuse to acknowledge him. I’m so irritated with him, I’m past the point of caring that he’s Theo’s best friend. He was a jerk to me when I first met him, and he’s still being a jerk now.
Madame Jacquet instructs us to speak to the person beside us about our summer vacations. She wants us to get back into the habit of speaking French, especially since most students will probably be rusty. The class quickly fills with chatter, half of it in English, to the chagrin of our teacher. I turn and glower at Cas.
He winces when he sees the look on my face. “Please, Cricket, let me apologize.”
“In French,” I say sarcastically in French.
He smiles in relief and grants my request. “I’m sorry, Cricket. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. You’re so pretty, and I keep saying stupid things every time I see you. I felt terrible after I yelled at you at the coffee shop. I went back yesterday, hoping to run into you so I could apologize. When I saw you with Theo and Hollis…”
He trails off, and I blink in surprise. I didn’t expect him to be fluent. My Grandma Marina lives in France, and I can speak French fairly well. But Cas speaks like it might be his first language, and his accent is so perfectly swoon-worthy that I feel myself melt.
His apology sounds sincere, so I decide to give him another chance. I give him a shy smile and admit, “I saw you with Hollis yesterday. When you walked into the bookstore, I panicked and hid until you left.”
“Really?” he laughs. “I guess I can’t blame you. Still, I hope you believe me when I say I am truly sorry. I know Theo is crazy about you. I’m not used to him being serious about a girl, but that doesn’t give me the right to flirt with you or treat you like—”
“Theo and I aren’t together.” I interrupt him.
He jerks back like I slapped him. “What? But, I thought—”
“No, no, no! In French, please.” We look up to find Madame Jacquet standing over our table with her arms crossed and an amused expression on her face.
Feeling way too embarrassed at being caught having that particular conversation, I look at Cas and clear my throat. “This summer, I moved here from Florida to live with my aunt. I drove here with my older brothers, Killian and Emerson. They go to school in Denver. A few days after I moved here, I made friends with a boy named Theo.”
Cas smiles and follows my cue. “This summer, I went camping in the mountains with my friends and family. When we came home, my sister got married, which made my mom angry. I also spent a lot of time hiking with my friends, Theo and Hollis.”
“Monsieur Seymour, you are wasting your time here. I must ask you again to consider switching to AP French. This class will be no challenge for you!” When Cas shrugs at her, she turns her gaze to me. “You’re fluent as well?”
“My grandmother lives in France, so...” I let my sentence trail off awkwardly.
Madame Jacquet sighs, shakes her head at us one last time, and walks away mumbling under her breath.
Cas snickers once she’s out of hearing range. I grimace at him and whisper in English, “God, she’s scary.”
“Yeah, it really pisses her off that I won’t take her stupid AP class. She was bugging the crap out of me about it all last year. My mom is French, and she speaks it at home.”
“That’s really cool!” I grin at him. I let my eyes slowly wander over his face. Are all werewolves this good-looking? I’m crazy attracted to Theo, Hollis, and Cas, and I’ve had intense reactions to seeing and meeting all three of them. It’s obvious they’re all attracted to me too.
Cas’s eyes soften. I don’t miss the split second he glances down at my lips. He growls quietly and asks, “You’re really not dating Theo?”
“No, but we’re...” I shake my head, at a loss. I don’t know how to describe how I feel about Theo.
Cas pulls away, keeping his voice at a whisper. “The girl you saw at the café with me is my ex, Sara. I might be a piece of shit for flirting with you while I thought you and Theo were a thing, but I promise I don’t have a girlfriend.”
My stomach flutters as relief washes over me. It’s so messed up, because it’s not like anything’s going to happen between me and Cas. Certainly not anytime soon, anyway. He’s Theo’s best friend, and the way I feel about Theo, Cas, and Hollis is getting more complicated by the second.
“Oh.” That’s all I can think to say. I’m a freaking idiot.
His eyebrows furrow, a guarded expression taking over his face. “You’ve really seen Theo shift?”
I can’t help the smile that crosses my face. “Yes.”
He shakes his head in astonishment. “We’re not supposed to be able to tell or show anyone.”
Madame Jacquet is still walking around, listening and talking to other students. Nobody is paying attention to us, so I smile at Cas and whisper, “I think my aunt has known about your pack for a long time. She told me about you guys when she introduced me to Theo, and Theo had to ask his uncle’s permission before he shifted in front of me the next day.”
“Do you, um…” Cas stumbles over his question, nervously brushing his fingers through his hair. “Are you allowed to see us? Me and Hollis? I mean, do you even want to?”
“Are you serious?” I grin at him like a lunatic. “Of course I want to.”
Cas gives me a blinding smile that makes the butterflies in my stomach multiple by, like, a million. Madame Jacquet brings attention to herself at the front of the room, and we continue with the lesson. She gives us homework too, which sucks. But at least I don’t need to worry about it tonight, as I don’t have this class again until Wednesday.
When the bell rings, Cas asks to see my schedule again. He looks it over with a frown. He’s making me feel anxious, so I quietly tell him, “If your next class is too far away from mine, it’s not a big deal. I’m sure I’ll get there just fine on my own.”
His eyes snap up to meet mine. “Actually, I have physics next, so it’s pretty close to where you’re going. I just wish one of us was in there with you. You’ve got two classes without any of us tomorrow too.”
His concern gives me a warm feeling I didn’t expect, and I laugh. “That’s okay. It won’t kill me to be by myself. Which classes did you say we have together again?”
He tells me, and I scribble his name down next to our three shared classes—French, US Government, and Art History. He automatically picks up my backpack and puts it over one of his shoulders with his bag. He doesn’t take my hand this time, but he keeps his hand on my back as he leads me through the hallways and down the stairs to the science wing.
Once we’re near the door of the classroom, Cas hands me my backpack and smiles down at me. “Wait for me here after class, okay?”
Before I can agree or say anything at all, a girl crashes into Cas and throws her arms around him tightly. I recognize her as the girl from the coffee shop, and I tense up as I watch them. Did Cas lie when he told me she’s his ex?
“I haven’t seen you all day,” she whines, rubbing her cheek against his chest as she pouts up at him.
He holds his hands out, careful not to touch her, and gives me a panicked look. “Sara, I don’t think...”
