Page 290 of Vile Boys

Blaine coughs. “Should I put a bullet hole into your body, see how you take it?”

“Please don’t,” Caleb retorts, snorting.

“Thought so. Now get your hands off me, piglet.”

Caleb narrows his eyes at him. “You what?”

“Okay, enough, enough,” I say, laughing it off. “You guys can throw fits at each other when everyone’s healthy and back at Spine Ridge.”

Caleb rolls his eyes. “You sound just like Ares.”

“Maybe you just require a hard hand from time to time,” Blaine says, winking.

“Says the guy who enjoys getting choked out by small girls,” Caleb retorts.

I scoff. “Who are you callingsmall?”

Blaine laughs out loud, but it swiftly turns into a moan from the pain, and then a sigh. “I really should not be laughing. Stop making all of this so goddamn funny.”

“Whoops,” I say, hiding my snort.

“How’s Ares?” Blaine asks.

“Don’t know. He’s still in recovery,” Caleb answers.

“But he’s alive?” Blaine chucks the book aside and sits up straight even though it hurts to watch him struggle.

“Wait a second, what are you doing?” I ask.

“I want to go see him.”

“Fuck no, not in your condition,” Caleb growls.

Blaine pauses and looks up at him. “Since when do you care about my well-being?”

Caleb just stares him down for a moment, but slowly a clear blush begins to appear on his cheeks, and it makes me giggle. “I don’t.”

Blaine seems stupefied. “You care about me?”

“No!” Caleb frowns.

“You’re blushing,” I say.

“No, I’m not.” Caleb rubs his cheeks. “It’s just fucking hot in here.”

I laugh, and Blaine grabs Caleb’s cheek. “Cute.”

Caleb swats him away. “Stop. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Good,” Blaine retorts. “But now you look like a real piglet.”

Caleb’s face tightens, and his eyes begin to twitch. “I’m going to kill you after you’re out of this bed.”

I burst out into laughter, and so does Blaine, who immediately regrets it of course.

A knock on the door makes us all pause as a nurse clears her throat. “Mr. Torres is awake now. You can go visit him.”

“I’m coming too,” Blaine says.

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