Page 14 of Vexing the Viper

"I said I was fine."

"Niko, I'm your best friend, I know you better than anyone else. I know when something is bothering you. Talk to me. Please?"

"It's only week three of the semester, and I've already been stared and whispered about so many times. The amount of snickers and giggles I hear before the prying eyes is astronomical. It's fucking ridiculous, Mateo. I hate this." I drop my head to my chest, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I’m sorry, man. And I get it. The stares and whispers have to be tough, but not all humans are like that. There are some pretty amazing ones out there, you just need to give them a chance."

"I'm trying."

"No, you're not. You've hated them since the second you heard they were being accepted to Creelin U. You judged them all. How many walk by you and don’t stare or whisper?"

I think back to the past week and every time I walked past any humans. Yes, there have been some that were staring, but there were also some who said hi, gave me a high five, or nodded at me.

"Okay, maybe not all of them are bad. I suppose. But it still fucking sucks."

"And I'm not trying to negate your feelings, but I don't want it to ruin your whole year. It's only week three; we still have so much more to get through.”

"Fine, I'll try not to let them get to me too much." Easier said than done, but I really don’t want to spend my last two years at Creelin U in a state of hatred.

"You could start with being nicer to King."

"Why?"

"He hasn't really done anything wrong to you. Besides the fact he's a human that plays baseball."

"Pfft. He's done a lot more than that."

"Like what?" He crosses his arms over his chest and stares me down.

"Well, um..." I think hard, trying to find something to say since I know he won't let this go. I can’t tell Mateo that the only reason I’m being mean to King is because I’m attracted to him and I don’t know how to handle those feelings. I’ve never been captivated by a human before. Are things the same as being attracted to another monster? "He's so damn messy, and you know how much I hate clutter."

Mateo barks out a laugh shaking his head. "For someone whowasthe untidy one last year, it's hilarious that you're so dead set on labeling him as being the messy one now."

"What the hell? I wasn't messy."

"You were the messiest of us. Your vipers molted all over the bathroom. But suuure, you're not messy. What else has King done, then?"

"Other things," I mutter, hating that I’m scared to tell him the truth.

"Well, you should still try to be nice to him."

"Yeah, sure," I tell him, darting my eyes away from him. “Maybe.”

After eating lunch with Mateo,I decide to grab a sandwich from one of the shops and take it to Dad. I know that once school starts and practice gets going, he easily forgets to eat.

I head toward the Athletics Center, going straight to his office. I walk through the locker room, noting it's empty. I round the corner, making my way to his office and slumping when I see the lights are off and the door is shut. Which only means he's still out on the field.

I head back through the locker room and go out to the baseball field. I've been here so many times to visit my dad, but I usually don't come to the field, only his office. Walking up the stairs, I come out at the top of the field, seeing tons of players in various positions. My eyes drift over them, looking for no one in particular.

Liar.

I know exactly who I'm looking for.

I'm about to assume he's not there when a movement behind home plate catches my eye. He rips the mask off his face, his hand coming out in front of him to catch the ball. He bends down and swipes his hand to tag out the person that was sliding into the base. He throws his fist into the air, yelling out loud. The pitcher runs down from the mound and hugs him, then slaps him on the back.

My eyes track down to the tight pants he's wearing, showcasing his ass perfectly. Fucking hell, how can someone who annoys me be so damn attractive? I really hate how much he turns me on.

As if sensing my presence, he spins in place until he locks eyes on me. He offers me a small wave and I smile back, giving him a quick head nod.

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