Cricket (Cricket Kendall Book 1), page 28
“Don’t worry, our wolves are getting jittery too. We’re going to have so much fun later!” Theo says.
“Where should we take her today?” Hollis asks.
Theo and Hollis discuss different places in the area where they go to shift. Cas meets up with us right before we walk into the cafeteria, and he pulls me away from the guys.
“She’s sitting next to me today. It’s my turn.” Theo growls.
Cas scowls at him and keeps walking with me to the lunch line. He asks me how second period was, and I tell him about Hollis and Theo crashing my class. He laughs and teases me. When we get to the table, he sits right across from me and gives me a flirty smile. Hollis sits beside him, and Theo sits next to me. We’ve only been sitting down for a couple of minutes when Brennan loudly crashes down into the seat next to me.
“Okay, I’ve been thinking about this really seriously. What’s your favorite ship in Harry Potter?” Brennan asks.
“Um, what are you doing?” Cas stops eating and gives him a weird look.
“Cricket said we could sit with her.” Brennan giggles nervously.
Erin sits down next to Cas, and he turns to give her the same weird look. She smiles nervously at him, and I notice her blush. Jack puts his food down in between Cas and Erin and awkwardly shoves himself into the seat. Erin is forced to scoot over, but Cas doesn’t move. He smirks at Jack and turns to me with an amused expression.
“Canon or non-canon?” I smile at Brennan.
“Either!” Erin says, joining the conversation. “My favorites are Snape and Lily, or Draco and Hermione.”
“I’m complete trash for Draco and Harry,” Brennan says, shoving food into his mouth.
When I giggle and open my mouth to answer, Cas interrupts me. “Cricket, what the fuck is shipping?”
“It’s when you’re rooting for a relationship between two characters in a book or TV show. A ship is a potential relationship between two fictional characters.”
Cas gets a wolfish grin on his face and looks at Brennan. “This kid said he’s shipping me and you together, Cricket. I didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about.”
Theo chokes on his food and stares at Brennan in shock. “What the hell, Brennan? Me and Cricket are way cuter together than her and Cas!”
“Obviously not.” Cas smirks, looking way too fucking proud of himself.
I roll my eyes and look at Brennan. He’s blushing like crazy and looks super nervous. “Just ignore them. They’re idiots. My favorite ships are Sirius and Remus, and Fred, George, and Hermione.”
“You want Hermione with both Fred and George?” Hollis laughs in surprise.
My cheeks flush in embarrassment, but I smile and raise my chin up in defiance. “So what?”
Hollis and Theo grin at each other. Oh my god, Theo told him what I said. I just know it. I try to ignore them, focusing on lunch and my conversation with Brennan and Erin. We talk about different fictional ships and other fandoms.
Hollis, Theo, Cas, and Jack watch us quietly. When I look at them, Theo scrunches his nose and tugs on a strand of my hair. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Blame Erin and Brennan.” Jack grunts. “They can go on like this for hours.”
“It’s still weird to see Cricket acting like such a girl.” Cas chuckles.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I narrow my eyes.
“Have you not noticed that she’s a girl, Cas?” Theo grins mischievously.
“Of course I’ve fucking noticed.” Cas scowls, his cheeks reddening. “I just meant she’s like us. She eats a shit ton of food and plays video games, and her feet are always dirty.”
“Thanks, Cas.” I snort.
Hollis glances at him sideways, and Brennan and Erin giggle. Cas stares at me wide-eyed. I kick his foot under the table and smile at him so he knows I’m not mad. Now that I know him better, I know he says things out loud without thinking. Sometimes things come across differently than how he really means them. Besides, after snuggling up with him on Aurora’s couch last night, I don’t doubt for a second he’s somehow unaware I’m a girl.
Cas visibly relaxes and smiles back at me. We continue eating and talking, and I’m happy to see the guys trying to include Brennan, Erin, and Jack in their conversations. About halfway through lunch, a skinny, dark-skinned boy with glasses walks over to our table and awkwardly clears his throat.
“Bro, you were fucking awesome!” Theo fist-bumps the guy. “Alright, point out the chick you’re into.”
I stare at them in confusion, and Hollis leans over to explain. “Thomas works in the front office second period. That’s how we got out of class so we could come and visit you.”
“Seriously? You guys made him help you cut class just so you could come and bug me?” I raise an eyebrow at them.
“We had something else we needed to take care of, but bugging you was a bonus!” Theo wraps his arm around my shoulders and grins.
Theo looks at Thomas expectantly, and Thomas subtly points out a girl a few tables over. I can only see her profile, but she’s pretty. She has dark, curly hair, light brown skin, and she’s laughing with a group of her friends.
“Dominique Rivera, huh? Nice.” Theo chuckles. He pulls his phone out and scrolls through his contacts. “Here, I’ll give you her number, and I’ll tell some people to start casually mentioning your name around her. Cool?”
Thomas beams and nods his head in excitement. Cas scoffs at Theo. “Of course you have her fucking number.”
Theo goes still, and his entire face turns red. He turns to me with wide eyes, looking guilty as fuck. I grin when I realize this is obviously a girl he’s slept with before. Theo clears his throat, gives Thomas the girl’s number, and thanks him again. He’s still blushing like crazy, and he won’t even look at me.
“Oh, come on.” Cas grunts. “You’ve slept with half the girls in this school. How long did you think it would take before Cricket noticed one of them?”
“Fuck you.” Theo snarls, a sullen expression on his face. “How are you going to feel when she comes face to face with one of the girls you’ve slept with?”
Cas waves him off. “Cricket’s already seen Sara with me twice. She even shoved her away from me on the first day of school. It was fucking awesome.”
As if he just summoned her, Sara appears and wraps her arms around Cas’s neck.
“Cas!” She drawls his name out and pouts. “You haven’t invited me to sit with you all week!”
She’s even prettier than I remember. I haven’t run into her since Monday outside of my astronomy class. She’s wearing super tight skinny jeans, a pretty lace blouse, and heels. Her hair is long and styled perfectly, and her makeup is flawless. I can’t help comparing myself to her. We’re so different.
“Why the fuck would I? I told you, we’re done.” Cas gets a disgusted look on his face and flares his nostrils before pushing her arms away from him.
She huffs at him, runs her fingers through his hair, and seductively murmurs, “Come on, I know you miss me. Didn’t you like the picture I sent you last night?”
I feel myself getting angry, and I kind of want to punch this girl. But I just watch Cas calmly. He meets my eyes, looking just as angry as I feel. I know his anger isn’t directed at me. “I fucking deleted it and blocked your number. Leave me alone.”
“Well, you know where to find me. Let me know when you’re done chasing after your best friend’s slutty girlfriend.” Sara puts her hands on her hips and glares at me. “Just so you know, he always comes back to me when he’s bored. He just fucked me a few days ago, and I can promise it won’t be long before he calls me again, too.”
I don’t want to hate her, but she’s making it really fucking hard. I can’t be mad at Cas for his past relationship, no matter how recent it was. Rationally, I understand that Sara is jealous, and she’s just trying to intimidate me. But god, she’s awful.
The guys tense up. They look seconds from exploding in anger. I feel Theo trembling next to me, and I worry that one of them is going to freak out and shift by accident. Before I open my mouth, Brennan stands up next to me in outrage.
“Don’t talk about Cricket that way! You’re the one sending slutty pictures of yourself to a guy that is clearly not interested!”
“No one asked your opinion, you spazzy little faggot.” Sara sneers.
Theo, Hollis, and Cas growl quietly, and Cas finally stands up to face his ex-girlfriend. He gets really close to her, a furious and terrifying expression on his face. “Don’t ever fucking talk about Cricket or her friends like that again. She means more to me than you ever did. You’re nothing to me.”
“We’re good together. I know you still want me.” She glares at him, but she doesn’t look nearly as confident anymore.
She scampers off, her high heels clicking against the floor of the cafeteria. Brennan slowly sits back down beside me. Cas remains standing beside the table. His hands are shaking, and he lets out a shaky breath. “Can I sit with her for a second?”
Theo raises his eyebrows at me, and I stand up and walk around the table. Hollis gets up to make room and sits next to Theo. Cas pulls me down in the seat beside him and wraps his arm around my waist. I lean into him and smile, and he seems to calm down. When I look back up, Hollis and Theo are watching us with strange expressions. Brennan’s eyes are wide. I can’t see Erin’s or Jack’s faces, but I’m sure they’re equally shocked by my weird friendship with the guys.
“Okay.” Theo takes a deep breath and puts his hand on top of Brennan’s head. “He’s under our protection now. If either of you see or hear of anyone fucking with him, let me know immediately. Clear?”
Hollis and Cas nod. Brennan’s cheeks flush, and he lets out a nervous laugh. “What?”
“You defended Cricket,” Hollis says, like it’s obvious. “That means a lot to us.”
“Holy shit. I’ve heard that you guys are intense, but seriously! You guys are insane.” Jack laughs hysterically. When Cas turns to glare at him, he quickly adds, “In a good way!”
“Yeah, I guess we kind of are.” Theo scrunches his nose and laughs. He gathers our garbage and lunch trays, and he asks Brennan, Erin, and Jack if they need anything thrown away too. Once he has everything together, he gets up to walk over to the trash cans.
Cas still has his arm around my waist, and he squeezes me lightly. “We should probably get ready to head to class now so we’re not late again.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Friday after school, I’m walking out of my astronomy class with Erin when Cas comes running down the hallway and picks me up in a hug.
“Looks like you made it through your first week at Emery Ridge, babe.” Cas gives me the cutest smile, holding his hands on the backs of my thighs so I’m looking down at him.
“Longest, craziest week ever.” I turn to grin at Erin. “I’ll see you later!”
She waves at us before heading in the opposite direction down the hallway. I press my forehead against Cas’s and let my hair fall around our faces.
“Who knew that within one week, I’d become best friends with the guy that screamed at me over some spilled coffee.”
Cas laughs and rubs his nose against mine. I pull my head back and give him a teasing smile. He walks toward the exit, still carrying me.
“I know, I’m so smooth. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever fucking seen, and I was so distracted. I was beating myself up so bad for being such a fucking idiot and starting a fight with you.”
My heart flips, and I open my mouth to make a flirty remark in return. But my phone vibrates in my back pocket. Instead of putting me down, Cas smirks and pulls my phone out for me.
The caller ID shows Aurora’s name. She rarely calls me. Since I’ve moved here, she’s been extremely lenient about letting me do pretty much whatever I want. I answer the phone with just the slightest hesitation.
“Hey, Ror. What’s up?”
“I’m so sorry to bother you. I know you probably have plans with the boys, but can you please come by the bookshop for a little while?”
I stick my bottom lip out and pout at Cas. “Sure, no problem. What’s wrong?”
She sighs. “Luca had to run home for a family emergency, and I’m double-booked with two different groups for tarot card readings.”
I’m a little irritated, and part of me wants to suggest she call Paisley instead. But Aurora has been totally amazing. She’s barely asked me for anything in return for letting me live with her.
“Can the guys hang out at the shop with me?” Cas smiles when I ask Aurora the question. He’s still carrying me. We’re outside, and I see Hollis and Theo walking toward us from the corner of my eye.
“Of course! I really appreciate it.” Aurora sounds relieved.
I tell her we’ll be there in a few minutes and end the conversation. As soon as I hang up, Cas takes my phone and puts it in my back pocket for me. I raise an eyebrow at him. I’m pretty sure he just wants an excuse to touch my butt.
“Change of plans, guys. Cricket’s getting stuck working at Flora & Feathers tonight,” Cas tells Hollis and Theo.
Theo pouts, but Hollis smiles at me. “That’s okay. We’ll keep you company.”
Theo reaches out to take my bag off my back. I let him slide it off my shoulders, and Cas squeezes me lightly. I know he’s not putting me down anytime soon. I wrap my arms around his neck.
“We’ll be able to stay out later since it’s Friday. It’s not a big deal,” Cas says.
Yesterday, we stayed in the forest until after dark. We had so much freaking fun, and my magic feels even stronger than it did before.
Theo tickles the back of my knee and scrunches his nose up when it makes me giggle. “Are we heading over there now, little witch?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. Did any of you guys need to go home first for anything?”
They shake their heads, and Cas opens the passenger door for me. Once I’m sitting down, Hollis roughly shoves Cas out of the way and gives me a wicked grin. He leans into the car and buckles my seatbelt for me. Cas shoves him back and growls, which only makes Hollis grin even wider.
“You are such a fucking dick, Hollis.” Cas growls. He has the meanest scowl on his face.
Hollis growls back, but he’s still grinning like an idiot as he leans in close to my face. He quickly kisses me on the cheek. Cas makes a terrible snarling noise and shoves in front of Hollis, and he kisses me on the cheek too.
I’m completely horrified, and maybe just a little turned on. I turn my head to look at Theo, whose eyes are wild and bright. Hollis and Cas are still shoving each other and growling like fucking animals.
“Can we please just drive away without them?” I hiss at Theo.
He bursts out laughing and presses down on the horn until Hollis and Cas stop fighting. Theo uses his alpha voice, but he still sounds amused. “Get in the fucking car, idiots.”
They listen, thankfully, and we finally pull out of the school parking lot. I’m sure my face is still flushed. Theo reaches over to ruffle my hair. “Don’t worry. Hollis just likes to mess with Cas every now and then. It’s really easy to get him riled up.”
Hollis snickers, and Cas growls at him again. I whip around in my seat and glare at them. “Stop it! Jesus, you guys are like toddlers!”
“Okay, mom.” Cas rolls his eyes at me defiantly.
I glare at Cas and flip him off. Theo bursts out laughing, his nose scrunched adorably. Hollis laughs too, grinning back and forth between me and Cas. Cas looks pretty determined not to smile, but it only takes a few seconds for him to crack.
When we park in front of Flora & Feathers, I fling my car door open before any of the guys can. Aurora is with a customer at the register when we walk in. Theo sets my backpack behind the counter and stands with me and the guys beside the long bookshelf with the sliding ladder.
After the customer finishes making her purchase, she smiles at us and makes her way out the door of the shop. Aurora beams at us. “Listen, I really appreciate this. I really don’t think you’ll be held up too long.”
Her phone rings. She answers it and motions to me she’s going to step upstairs. I walk over to step up on the ladder, and I use my magic to push it back and forth.
“Sorry, guys.” I sigh. “I know this will be super boring for you.”
The guys smirk at each other, and Theo clears his throat. “I guess you haven’t realized this yet, but I don’t think it’s possible for us to get bored when you’re around.”
“Seriously, I have fun watching you take notes in class.” Cas grunts like he’s annoyed.
Hollis walks over and puts his hands on either side of the ladder so it stops moving. He chuckles. “Is this what you were doing the first time I came in here and saw you?”
“Yeah, I was seeing how fast I could get from one end to the other.” I laugh.
Theo and Cas snicker, and Hollis gives me a lopsided grin. “If I’d known that, I might not have been so nervous. I thought you were so cool and collected, and I felt like an idiot the whole time I was in here.”
“You guys should have seen her the first time I met her. She walked in here completely covered in dirt from head to toe, and she was so fucking confident. It really threw me off and freaked me out.” Theo laughs.
“Really?” I laugh in surprise. “You didn’t act like it. You made fun of me for being covered in dirt!”
“Why the hell were you covered in dirt in the first place?” Cas asks.
When I realize Hollis looks equally confused, I perk up. “Oh, Aurora has a garden out back. That’s where she grows all her herbs and stuff. Want to see it?”
I don’t think Theo has seen the garden either, now that I think about it. They follow me through the bookshop. The back door is down a little corridor where a small bathroom is located for customers, and there’s a little cat-door cut into the door so that Stella can come and go as she pleases.
