Cricket (Cricket Kendall Book 1), page 9
I notice Hollis flare his nostrils as he avoids looking up front. I remember what Theo said about Paisley having a crush on Hollis. There’s still an empty seat behind Hollis, and Paisley makes her way toward it, never taking her eyes off of him. I wave as she gets closer, but she completely ignores me and gives Hollis a sweet smile.
“Hey, Hollis. How was your summer?” She is positively glowing as she smiles at him. I’ve never seen her look so happy before, and I feel a weird mix of pity and jealousy while I watch her.
Hollis hesitates briefly before he turns his chair so he can talk to her easily while still facing me. He politely says to her, “It was alright. How was yours?”
She giggles and flips her hair. “It was good, but I didn’t see much of you at the bookshop.”
Hollis raises his eyebrows and glances at me before asking her, “You’re still working there?” She nods in confirmation, and he adds, “Then you know Cricket.”
Paisley openly glares at me. I’m taken aback at her hostility. I know Paisley likes Hollis, but she doesn’t need to be rude to me just because I’m sitting next to him. The teacher claps her hands to draw everybody’s attention to the front. Hollis turns around, keeping his chair slightly angled toward me.
“Good morning, everybody! I’m Mrs. Whitley. Welcome to British Literature. I’m going to pass around our reading list for the year, along with a seating chart. Wherever you’re sitting now, that is going to be your seat for the rest of the year.”
Hollis and I grin at each other. It really seems like he wants to be my friend. While the syllabi and seating chart are being passed around, Mrs. Whitley tells the class a little about herself and how she spent her summer. When the person sitting in front of me turns around to hand me the seating chart, Hollis reaches over me and takes it instead.
“Hey!” I grumble quietly.
He glances at me and then writes both our names down in our spots. “What’s your last name?”
“Kendall. And I can write my own name, thank you very much.”
He smirks. “She needs to be able to read it, Cricket.”
I scoff, but it makes me happy that he’s teasing me. He holds the paper up for me to double check he spelled my name correctly, and hands it back to Paisley without looking at her.
Mrs. Whitley goes over the reading list and outlines her lesson plans over the course of the year. Since this is an honors class, it’s more fast-paced than the regular grade-level classes. There are twelve books on our reading list, and I’ve already read a few of them. When the seating chart makes its way back up to the front of the room, Mrs. Whitley says she’s going to read our names aloud so she can try to memorize our faces as she takes attendance.
She beams at Hollis when she gets to his name. “I had your brother in my class a couple of years ago. How’s he doing now?”
Hollis shrugs. “Ezra’s good. He’s studying at University in Boulder, and he just got married last spring.”
She smiles softly and asks, “Are you as much of a reader as he was?”
Hollis chuckles and nods, and she moves on to my name next.
“Cricket Kendall?” I smile and nod, expecting her to comment over how weird my name is. Instead, she surprises me by asking, “You’re not related to Aurora Kendall, are you?”
“She’s my aunt.”
“Ah, I love her bookshop. I’m a regular customer there.” It’s nice to hear that Aurora’s shop is well known, and that she has such a positive influence in the community of Emery Ridge.
The rest of the class period passes by quickly. Mrs. Whitley seems sweet, and she’s very passionate about the subject she’s teaching. I’m able to talk quietly with Hollis, and I can already tell I’m going to like him. I can feel Paisley glaring at the back of my head during the entire class, but I do my best to ignore her.
When the bell rings, Hollis picks my backpack up again.
I put my hands on my hips and frown at Hollis. “You know I can carry my bag, right?”
“No way. Theo will kill me if he thinks I’m not helping you.” He chuckles when I don’t budge and adds, “Besides, I want to.”
We step out into the hallway, and it’s much more crowded than it was earlier. When somebody accidentally bumps into me, Hollis immediately wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close to him. It surprises me, and I feel a zing go through my body when he touches me. Hollis tenses up and looks down at me with a heated gaze. I feel myself shiver involuntarily and I bite my lip. I’m suddenly curious about what it would feel like to rub my cheek against his scruffy jaw.
Hollis snaps out of it and pulls his arm away. “Sorry.”
Ugh, seriously, what is wrong with me? Why does Hollis have such a crazy effect on me? I give him a lighthearted smile, trying to play it off. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
He smiles and hesitantly presses his hand against my lower back as he continues leading me through the hallway to my next class. Theo’s already waiting outside of our Statistics classroom. He’s talking and laughing with two other guys, but when he sees us, he grins and picks me up in a hug.
I laugh as he squeezes me, and he asks Hollis, “Well? Did she survive?”
Hollis smiles and hands Theo my backpack. “Yeah, she was fine. The teacher loved her.”
“Of course she did.” Theo ruffles my hair and keeps his hand on top of my head as he turns me toward the guys he was talking with before. “Hey guys, this is Cricket.”
Their names are James and Xavier. They’re both fairly tall and muscular, though not as much as Hollis and Cas are. James has blond hair and brown eyes, and Xavier has dark skin, light green eyes, and short hair.
Xavier gives me a friendly smile, and James smirks as he looks me up and down. He looks up at Theo when he’s finished inspecting me and holds his hand out for a fist bump. “Nice, bro.”
I make a choking noise and smack Theo’s arm away from me in outrage. He shrugs and gives me a stupid ass grin. “What? You’re hot. Right, Hollis?”
Hollis shuffles awkwardly and says, “Um, I’ve gotta get to class. See you guys at lunch!”
Theo laughs and pushes me into the classroom. The seating in here differs from my last class, with five rows of individual desks. Theo directs me to a seat somewhere in the middle of the room and gently sets my backpack on top of it. He sits in the seat behind me and gives me a lopsided smile.
I ignore him and pull out a new notebook and pen to set neatly on my desk. Theo leans over and tugs on a strand of my messy hair. “Aww, come on. Don’t be mad at me. I was only teasing you!”
When I turn around to glower at him, he’s pouting. It’s so freaking cute that I can’t help but lose my resolve and smile softly at him instead.
He grins and taps his fingers on the back of my chair. “So, tell me the truth. Was Hollis nice to you?”
“Yeah, I like him. He’s quiet, but you did embarrass the crap out of him first thing this morning.”
Theo snickers. “I can’t wait to tell Cas about that.”
“That’s not very nice,” I tell him indignantly.
“Don’t you have older brothers, Cricket? Are you telling me they don’t tease you like that?”
He’s right. Killian and Emerson are just as bad. The bell rings and the teacher, Mr. Orzel, promptly introduces himself and begins taking attendance. He hands out textbooks and a class syllabus and jumps straight into a lesson. Throughout the lesson, Theo periodically tugs on my hair, brushes his hand against my neck or shoulders, or kicks his foot against mine under my desk. Every time he touches me, I automatically lean into it. We probably look like a couple, but it feels so natural to be touchy-feely with Theo.
Toward the end of class, we have a few minutes to talk amongst ourselves. I turn around to face Theo and groan dramatically. “God, the classes here are so freaking long.”
My old school went by a traditional schedule, where we’d have seven classes per day that each lasted about fifty minutes. Emery Ridge High School goes by a block schedule instead. We have eight classes total, but they’re split so we only have four classes per day. That also means the classes are ninety freaking minutes long!
Theo scrunches his nose up and chuckles. “You get used to it. Besides, we’re pretty much halfway through the day already.”
The girl sitting next to Theo leans in slightly and smiles at both of us. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I just wanted to say that you guys are adorable together.”
It sounds like she’s being sarcastic or teasing us, but Theo grins at me and turns to look at her. “Thanks, Chloe. Cricket’s my best friend. She just moved here from Florida a few weeks ago.”
Chloe blinks in surprise at Theo’s genuine response. “Oh. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Cricket.”
“Nice to meet you too!” I smile at her. “So, how long have you known Theo?”
Chloe laughs. “Well, pretty much forever. We’ve been in the same classes together since we were in kindergarten.”
I smile wickedly at Theo and beg Chloe, “Tell me something embarrassing about him!”
Theo chuckles and shoves my head playfully. Chloe beams and says, “Hmm, let’s see. Oh! In sixth grade, he cried in the middle of class when the teacher was reading Where the Red Fern Grows out loud.”
“Aww, god. I don’t know if that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard, or the most pathetic.”
Theo puts his hand up to block my view of Chloe and grunts. “Okay, you’re not talking to Chloe anymore.”
I push his hand away and grin at her, and we both giggle. Chloe seems sweet, and she’s really pretty. She has thick, curly auburn hair, freckles, and black-framed cat-eye glasses. She talks with me and Theo for the next few minutes, and I find out she’s in my yoga class.
When class ends, Theo walks beside me to lunch, carrying my backpack again. It’s a sweet gesture, but it’s honestly starting to annoy me. We meet up with Hollis just outside of the cafeteria, and he grins when he sees us. We get there earlier than most people, so the lunch line isn’t very long. When Hollis grabs two lunch trays instead of one, I raise my eyebrows curiously.
“Our friend Cas is coming from the other end of the school, and he has to stay a few extra minutes to talk to the teacher,” he explains.
My heart drops into my stomach, but I keep my mouth shut. I’m, like, ninety percent sure Cas is the guy I spilled my coffee on at The Little Owl Café. Hopefully, he’ll find the situation funny once he realizes who I am. Everything turned out okay with Hollis, so why shouldn’t it be different with Cas? Still, I can’t help but feel nervous.
Every time I try to grab something to put on my tray as we go through the line, Theo grabs it before I can. I know he’s just trying to help, but this is getting ridiculous. I glare at him and say, “Ugh, stop it already!”
He blinks at me and furrows his eyebrows in confusion, his hand hovering over the carton of milk I’d started to reach for. “Stop what?”
I gesture to the lunch tray and my backpack. “You’re making me feel totally useless. I can carry my own shit and pick out my own food, for fuck’s sake.”
Theo’s face breaks out in a crazy grin, and his eyes dance in amusement. “How about this? I’ll let you carry your own tray all the way to the table.” He looks up at the lady running the lunch line’s register and points down the line to our trays. “All four of these together, please.”
I breathe angrily out of my nose, and then I notice Hollis shaking in silent laughter next to me. “What are you laughing at?” I snap at him.
He keeps laughing and raises his hands in surrender. “Nothing!”
I follow Theo to a lunch table near the corner of the room, and Hollis follows closely behind me. As soon as I set my tray down, Theo pulls me down beside him and against his side. Hollis sits down in front of Theo and leaves the tray for Cas in front of me.
“Will you stop getting mad at me already? You’re going to drive me crazy!” Theo whines, nuzzling my hair.
“Me? You’re the one driving me crazy!”
Theo gives me puppy dog eyes and pouts. “I’m just trying to help you. I don’t mean to make you feel useless. I’m just used to, well, I’m kind of the leader in our group.”
I glance between him and Hollis, and Hollis shrugs and smiles at me. “It’s true. He’s always like that.”
So, is it like a wolf thing? I guess I can’t fault him for that. Plus, he looks really fucking adorable pouting at me right now. I lean against him in defeat and sigh. “Alright. I’m sorry.”
Theo smiles, pleased with himself, and squeezes me tightly before scooting a couple of inches away. He picks up my slice of pizza and gives me a playful, wolfish grin. “Are you hungry, little witch?”
He brings the pizza closer to my mouth like he’s going to feed me. “I swear to God, Theo...”
His eyes gleam with mischief, and he moves the pizza closer to me. Is he seriously challenging me after I just forgave him? I use my magic to block his hand from coming any closer. When Theo realizes what I’m doing, he scrunches his nose and laughs in delight. He presses against my magic as hard enough that I can see the muscles in his arm bulging.
Hollis puts his pizza down and stares at us in bewilderment. I give him a sweet smile and bring my focus back to Theo. He’s still laughing, and now he’s using his entire body to press against the barrier I’ve made. I can’t believe he’s doing this here in front of people. I quickly glance around, thankful that nobody except for Hollis is paying close attention. If he hasn’t figured it out by now, he’ll find out soon enough anyway that I’m a witch. Besides, I know he’s a werewolf, so it’s only fair.
I smirk at Theo and push back against him with my magic so he’s forced to bring the pizza closer to his mouth. He’s still fighting against me, but I only feel a very slight resistance. Between his giggling, he chokes out, “Goddamn it, Cricket.”
I force the air to smash the pizza against his mouth. I’m careful not to hurt him, but it makes a huge mess.
He laughs and wipes his face with a napkin. “Okay, I deserved that.”
I take a bite of his slice of pizza, since mine is ruined now. Hollis stares at me with wide eyes and leans across the table to ask, “So, are you really a—”
He’s abruptly cut off by a familiar voice. “What the fuck are you doing with her?”
Chapter Thirteen
I look up to meet the glittering green eyes of the guy from the coffee shop. I knew it was going to be him, but my mouth still drops in surprise. He’s even more gorgeous than I remember with his raven black hair swooping across his forehead and around his ears perfectly, and his emerald eyes locked on mine intently.
Theo frowns. “What took you so long? Your pizza is getting cold.”
Cas sits down across from me, his eyes never leaving my face. He doesn’t even glance at Theo or Hollis when he says, “You didn’t answer my question. What the fuck are you doing with her?”
Holy crap. He’s still mad about the other day? My cheeks flush in embarrassment, but I don’t break eye contact. I still can’t believe that I somehow met both of Theo’s best friends without realizing it, and in the most awkward situations imaginable.
Theo places his fingers under my chin and tilts my head up to meet his eyes. He barks out a laugh when he sees my expression. “No fucking way. When did you two meet!?”
Cas looks at Theo like he’s from another planet. Hollis smiles and bites his lip, trying to hold back his laughter. Cas meets my eyes again, and even though he’s scowling, it looks like his cheeks are turning as red as mine. I shove the rest of my pizza into my mouth so I don’t have to answer any questions yet.
Theo sees what I’m doing and snorts. “Nice try, Cricket. Hurry and chew your food, and then tell me what happened.” Underneath the amusement, I can feel that compelling, authoritative tone in his voice.
“Cricket? Is that your name?” Cas gives me a disgusted look.
I glare at him in return, swallowing the last of my pizza. Theo and Hollis are still staring at me, waiting for me to speak. I exaggeratedly clear my throat and say, “Well, the other day, I sort of bumped into Cas at that coffee shop next door to Flora & Feathers.”
Cas growls. “You didn’t just bump into me. You spilled your entire fucking coffee on me and then screamed at me like a psychopath!”
My jaw drops. I’m still super embarrassed about the whole incident, but it’s not fair that he’s trying to pin all the blame on me. “What? You started it, asshole!”
His nostrils flare and his eyes widen. “You didn’t even apologize!”
“I would have if you hadn’t started yelling at me! And like I said before, it’s not my fault you don’t understand the concept of personal space!”
“I was only standing that close because I was walking over to ask for your number!”
“What?” I laugh in surprise. Was he seriously going to ask for my number while he was with another girl? I don’t know whether to be flattered, angry on that girl’s behalf, or impressed with the balls this guy has.
Cas grimaces, and his face entire turns red after he realizes what he’s said. He glances at Theo and Hollis, who are staring at us in shock. Cas suddenly seems very interested in the food sitting in front of him, and he shovels a handful of fries into his mouth.
Theo taps his fingers on the table, a dangerous expression taking over his features. “Let me get this straight. You went into the café, saw Cricket, thought she looked cute, and decided to ask her out. She accidentally spills her coffee on you, and you decide, for some unknown fucking reason, to yell at her? In public, in front of other people?”
He sounds furious. Even Hollis is glaring at Cas. I don’t understand it, but I’m torn between feeling relieved that they’re taking my side, and feeling bad that we’re ganging up on Cas.
