Page 104 of Counter Bet

“Don’t Dallas,” Ben starts, but I hold my hand up, silencing him.

“I hurt her, so it’s me who should go talk to her. I need to sort this mess out.”

April’s eyes shine with sympathy. “You only did what you thought was best. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Emily will come around. She just needs time.”

I shrug. “Maybe, but she’s not responding to my text messages, so I need to find her.”

Ben paces like a caged animal, tugging his green hair.

Steph side-eyes me before crushing the joint beneath the heel of her shoe. “Let’s go find our princess.”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to help.”

“You’re my friend, Dallas. I’m here for you.” She gestures to the others. “We’reallhere for you.”

* * *

“Well, we found her,” Matt says drily behind me when we enter the bustling cafeteria. “And who is sitting next to her? Jack, of course.”

Josh nods, rocking back on his heels. “He’s like a flea infestation.”

April pulls a face. “Sometimes you’re so fucking random. A flea infestation?”

“Matt, you get what I mean, don’t you?” Josh asks, thumping him on the shoulder.

“No, not really.”

Josh stares at him and then April. “Fleas are hard to get rid of. You have to blast them with a ton of chemicals, and even then, it’s likely to fail.” He points to Jack, who’s leaning in close to Emily. “He’s a flea!”

Jack’s laughter travels across the cafeteria.

I suck on my teeth as annoyance flares up inside of me. “Or a disgusting tick on the underside of your boob that you don’t find until it’s big and juicy.”

Ben stares at me. “What the actual fuck?”

I shrug. “It happened once.”

Nina looks thoughtful. “I read somewhere that lemon repels ticks.”

“Right,” I reply, dragging the word out. “I’ll make sure to rub my boobs with lemon from now on or keep a couple of slices stashed in my bra.”

“It’s an idea,” she agrees.

I roll my eyes.

“Why are they so comfortable together?” Ben growls, his jaw ticking.

“Well,” Josh says, scratching the back of his neck. “Probably because you let him bust a nut on her tits.”

We all turn to stare at him.

He looks confused. “What? It’s an ice breaker.”

“An ice breaker?” Ben laughs incredulously. “It wasn’t a fucking group interview.”

Josh shrugs. “An ice breaker nonetheless. Is he or isn’t he whispering in her ear right now, and is she, or isn’t she laughing?”

“This conversation is stupid,” I sigh, rubbing my face. “I’m going over there to talk to her.”

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