Page 90 of Dare To Take

No, not yet. Maybe I’m being selfish, but I want to read to the end. She had a friendship with Eli and Kellan. One I don’t understand. But she became an outcast because of it, and I need to know what it was like for her to be here at the academy.

Maybe it will stop me from feeling so alone.

Chapter 57

Eli

I dump my bag at my feet and drop heavily onto the chair opposite Kellan. His eyes lift from the magazine he’s reading, and one eyebrow quirks up.

“I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

“Why not?”

“You haven’t shown your face anywhere other than classes for days.”

“Only because I didn’t want to be arrested for murder. I’m over it now.”

His shoulders move as he laughs. “Sure, you are.”

“Shut up and get me a coffee.”

He flips his magazine closed and stands, presses his palms together and bows. “Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”

I shake my head, laughing, and he winks at me before he steps away from the table, only to stop. “Oh, look. My favorite chew toy has come for lunch.”

I follow the direction of his gaze to see Miles Cavanagh walking through the doors. He’s scowling down at his cell and doesn’t see Kellan glide out from between the tables to block his path.

“Well, hello there, pretty boy. What can I do to turn that frown of yours upside down?”

Miles’ reaction is comical. He comes to an abrupt stop, his cell falling from his fingers to hit the ground. His face turns red, then white, before settling on a shade of puce I don’t think I’ve ever seen on a person before.

“Fuck off, Fraser.” Jace unfurls himself from his chair and stands.

I do the same and move to stand beside Kellan. My eyes flick down to the garish red cast the football captain still has on his arm.

“Aren’t you due to get that removed next week? I’d hate for you to make a decision that means you’ll lose one cast only to gain another two.”

The cafeteria slowly falls silent as other students notice the stand-off. One by one, the rest of Jace’s friends stand to join him. Except Bret, who stays where he is with his black eyes and taped-up nose. I toss him a smile and touch the side of my nose. He ducks his head and looks away.

No one reported Kellan as the culprit. Bret claimed it was an accident during football practice. Not that Kellan would have cared if he had been hauled in front of the principal for it.

Jace, Evan, Brad, and Kevin fan out behind Miles. I prop my hip against the edge of a table and fold my arms. Kellan is smiling, his gaze still on Miles.

“Is this what you want to do, pretty boy?” His voice is silky, rich with amusement.

Miles shakes his head. “No one needs to get into a fight. Kellan is just being an ass, as usual.” He shoots a glare at my friend and pushes past him.

Kellan laughs. “You guys are so uptight. You need to get laid more often.” He turns to me. “Coffee, you said, right?”

“That’s right.” I don’t move from my position.

Kellan is about to turn his back on five people, and I’m not going to let that turn into a mistake. Jace looks at me, then Kellan, and finally Miles.

“Leave Miles alone, Fraser. This is your only warning.”

Kellan gives him a two-fingered salute, smirks, and walks toward the food counter. I stay where I am and watch as the five of them walk out of the cafeteria before going back to my seat. When Kellan returns with food and coffee, I nail him with a glare.

“Why do you keep trying to force Miles to acknowledge you in public? You know he’s never going to do it.”

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