Page 16 of Alpha Theo

Theo:hey kid

I stare at the screen for a full two minutes before I follow it up with another.

Theo:it’s Theo

I keep staring at the screen, the minutes dragging on. Maybe she’s asleep. I toss my phone down onto my bed, stare at the ceiling.

Then it vibrates next to me.

I lunge for it, swiping to unlock it, blinking at her reply.

Brooke:Hi.

Well that was certainly short and sweet.

I heave a sigh.

Now what?

Theo:just wanted to say I didn’t mean to upset you today.

The little bubble shows up that indicates she’s typing, then disappears. Then pops back up, then goes away again. I groan, tugging at my hair as I await her response.

Brooke:Is that supposed to be an apology?

I groan again, typing out another message.

Theo:FINE, I’m sorry. I was just joking around.

She makes me wait several minutes before she responds again.

Brooke:It doesn’t feel good to be the butt of someone else’s joke.

Theo:butt. heh.

Brooke:You’re immature.

Theo:so I’m told.

She doesn’t send any response, and I rack my brain trying to think of something, anything to say. I’m at a loss, so after about ten minutes, I just toss my phone back on my bed.

I don’t even know why I apologized. I can’t remember the last time I apologized to anyone, for anything.

I feel marginally better, though. Less shitty. Maybe she does, too.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Theo

“Sup, nerds?” I greet as I walk into the IT hub the next afternoon. I’m really settling into this new gig as the liaison- it isn’t half as boring as I expected now that I’ve made it my mission to bed Brooke Eastwick.

Speaking of Brooke, she doesn’t even glance up at me when I walk in. I make my rounds to the other desks, asking the geeks if they have anything to report back to Gray, and by the time I get to her desk in the back of the room she still doesn’t acknowledge me.

What gives?I apologized for yesterday. You’d think a self-proclaimed ‘nice girl’ would be a little more gracious.

Instead, it seems she’s giving me the cold shoulder today. She doesn’t say anything when I drag a chair over to her desk, sink down into it. Doesn’t respond when I greet her with a “hey kid”. Doesn’t flinch when I kick my boots up on the edge of the desk. Doesn’t comment when I tear open the wrapper of my protein bar and start eating it.

Okay, now I’m bored.

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