Page 34 of Hooves & HeartStrings

“Hey, guys. Are you two ready to go?” Sawyer asks then gives me a funny look. “Stop looking at me like that. What the hell do you want?”

“So, you know how you're the track team's equipment manager?” I grin.

“Yes. And stop smiling like that. It’s creepy. Like I said, what do you want?”

“Brooks and I would love you forever if you could make it so that me and Marley were roomed together and Stacy and Brooks were roomed together. Do a bestie a solid, please! I’m dying, Sawyer, I need my mate and she won’t give me the time of day. This way, she has to talk to me.”

“And how can I win Stacy over, if we can’t spend any time alone together,” Brooks says. We both give her puppy dog eyes, sticking our lips out in a pout.

She looks between us and sighs. “Fine. Look, I’ll try and see what I can do. But if the girls end up not comfortable with it, then we change back, understood?”

We both nod. “Thank you, bestie!” Brooks wraps his tentacles around Sawyer and squeezes.

“Careful there.” I chuckle, finding Stacy watching us. Well, more like glaring at Sawyer. “Looks like someone is a little jealous.”

Brooks lets Sawyer go and looks over at Stacy, who then shoots Brooks a glare before getting on the bus.

“You think so?” Brooks asks, sounding hopeful.

“Yeah, man.” I laugh. “I think she likes you more than she’s willing to admit. Maybe she’s not used to relationships and the idea scares her?”

“Well, I’m in it for the long haul. I’ll wait until she’s ready. I’m not going to give up.”

“That's my man.” I clap him on the back.

“You two are crazy and I’m going to leave. I gotta get on that bus,” Sawyer says. “I’ll let you know what's going on when we get there.”

She leaves, jogging toward the bus. “We better get on, too,” Brooks says.

When we get on, Brooks slips into an empty seat, but I head back to a different empty one.

“Dude.” Brooks shoots me a look over his shoulder.

“I’m sitting with Marley,” I tell him.

“Does she know that?”

“Nope.” I chuckle.

Luck just seems to be on my side, because by the time Marley gets on the bus, it’s full. And the only empty seat is the one next to me.

She looks around, trying to find a place to sit, and when her eyes land on me and then the space, she pauses for a moment.

“Relax, Mar, I’m not going to bite,” I tell her and reach out to grab her hand. “Sit.”

She stumbles onto the bench with a gasp. “Don’t manhandle me,” she mutters, sitting up.

“Sorry, sometimes I forget my own strength. I’m used to being around other monsters.”

“It’s fine.”

“So,” I start as the bus pulls away. “How’s Steve?”

“What?” She looks at me with furrowed brows.

“Steve. You know, your new bestie.” The words sound as bitter as my soul is right now.

Seeing her working closely with that creep pissed me off. I fucking hated seeing him smile at her, flirt with her. She seemed to be all about the work, but Steve didn’t take the hint. If anything, it made him work harder.

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