Burn Before Reading(77)

"I just - showed up!"

Taryn sighed. "C'mon, there has to be something. Why would they talk to you, of all people?"

She might as well have just reached out and punched me in the gut.

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, sorry, but you're not exactly -" Taryn eyed me up and down. " - good material."

I was suddenly acutely aware of how little makeup I had on and how much they had on.

"Material? For what, exactly?"

"Taryn has a huge crush on Wolf," Anna smirked. Taryn slapped her shoulder, looking scandalized.

"I do not!"

"She wants to marry him."

"I do not!" Taryn slapped her again, then giggled madly.

"She just wanted some pointers, so, you know, she could get to know Wolf better."

The two girls shared a look at the word 'better'. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Why ask me about all this?" I asked.

"Because you're the only one they've talked to regularly in like, all of their high school career!" Anna insisted. "Wolf isn't going to be here in Lakecrest forever, you know. In two years he's going to college, and guys like him - trust me, my sister told me all about this - guys like him go to college and get snapped up by some pretty, clever girl instantly, and before you know it there's rings on both fingers and babies happening."

"And cars being bought," Taryn added. "And dresses. Whole closets of them."

I gaped. "You're - you're talking about him like he's some kind of cash cow!"

"Well, it doesn't hurt that he's hot," Anna mused. "If you like the whole 'irritated and arrogant and don’t know how to cut my bangs' thing."

"And I definitely do," Taryn smiled.

They were talking about him like he was some kind of....thing, like a piece of furniture or an art installment that could be acquired. I shook my head.

"Listen, I don't have any pointers for you, okay? So just leave me alone."

"Oh, come on! There’s gotta be something you did right to get Wolf's attention -"

"She said to leave her alone," A familiar voice cut through. "You heard her. Now get out of here, before I show you how to. With my foot. Repeatedly."

I looked up to see Keri, the girl who sat with me at lunch. She had a tube top on and nails nearly long enough to be called claws. Anna and Taryn looked between her and me, and finally Anna scoffed.

"Fine. It's not like we need her for Wolf anyway. There are two more brothers, after all."

They peeled away, whispering and laughing between each other. Keri's face dropped its hard edges as she approached and smiled at me.

"Hey. Sorry about them."

"It's okay," I shook my head. "I mean, it's not okay, they're awful, and -"

"Oh, they aren't the worst of the bunch."

"They aren't?”

Keri rolled her eyes. "There's a whole bet going on among the Junior girls about who will be the first to sleep with Wolf. Proof required."

I wrinkled my nose and Keri made a gagging motion.

"Anyway, I saw them hovering over you like vultures and had to do something. I hate 'em."

"Thanks. I owe you."

"I take payments in extra helpings of chocolate cake from the cafeteria, thank you very much."

I smiled. "It's a deal."

A shrieking sound of ‘KERI!’ came from upstairs, and Keri sighed.

"I gotta go. Come find me around later, okay?"

I nodded, and she left upstairs. I made my way into the theater room cautiously, the darkness pressing in on me. It wasn't very big, enough to seat about twenty people or so, but it looked and felt exactly like a movie theater - velvet seats, popcorn machine, and massive screen included. Even the making-out couples were there. I spotted a lone figure in the very front row of seats, the flickering movie highlighting his golden hair. Fitz. Definitely Fitz. His eyes were riveted to the screen - an old Godzilla movie playing with shrieking gusto. I slid into the seat next to him.

I tried to discern how he was feeling through the obvious physical signs - his eye were heavy-lidded, his body was relaxed. He must've been coming down off whatever high he had when he answered the gate intercom. His shirt was drink-stained and crooked and made of pure red silk, hiked up enough to show his stomach and fabulous pink-heart pattern boxers.

"What do you want?" He grunted. His sour mood was nothing like his usual saccharine smiles.

"And here I was, expecting a hello, or a nice to see you, or maybe even an ‘eek’!"

He slanted his eyes over to me. "You don't look that bad."

"Sometimes I do."

"True. Sometimes you look like shit. I've seen your outfits when we aren't in Lakecrest uniform - you have no sense of style."

"Thanks."

"I'm serious - you wouldn't be half-bad with the right skirt. Seamus's dress was the best thing that could've happened to your fashion-starved soul."

"Well at least your priorities are still intact," I reached out my hand to feel his forehead. It wasn't warm. He frowned, all of his freckles frowning with him.