Page 44 of Evil Boys

“Too late to take it back, Milo,” he says.

“How do you always rope me into spilling all my secrets every time we drink?” I groan in dismay.

“Tartarus trade secret,” he muses, planting a firm hand on my shoulder. “But don’t be a creep.”

“Me? A creep?” I laugh.

But he just stares at me with a lifted brow. “We both know how you latch onto things.”

I frown. “Nah, I never stalk people. That’s Kai’s thing.”

“I’m not talking about stalking. I mean, clamping down on something and becoming thoroughly fixated.” He suddenly reaches into my pocket and fishes out my nunchucks. “Like these, for example.”

“Hey, give those back!”

I try to snatch them away, but he holds them up high. That motherfucker is using his height against me.

“You learn how to use nunchucks, and now you’re carrying them around everywhere,” he muses. “You latch onto things … only now it’s a girl.”

“You’re the one who taught me,” I retort, and I jump up to steal back my nunchucks. “And this girl is not just a fun side project.”

“All I’m saying is … be careful.” He grabs both my shoulders, leaning down to look me in the eyes. “I’m not your enemy, Milo. I’m a friend who cares. Don’t forget that.”

I nod. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“What kind of a friend would tattle?” He winks. “Anyway, I have to go to class. Talk to you later?”

“Yeah,” I say.

“And if you really want her that badly, why not just go talk to her?”

He turns and walks away with a casual wave, always with that same flair that makes me snort.

Well, if he gave me the go-ahead, maybe I should go for it.

The cold, crispy air waving through the leaves above me is my signal. But right as I step out from behind the tree, my shirt is pulled up to my neck. My fingers scratch at my neck as the fabric is choking me.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?”

Kai pulls me behind the tree and shoves me into the trunk, and I groan with both pain and excitement. Because good God, he knows how to pack a punch. Too bad for him he doesn’t swing that way, or I would’ve let him get some.

“You almost got me hard,” I groan, laughing.

He smacks the bark behind me. “This isn’t a joke, Milo.”

“I wasn’t joking,” I muse.

He looks around for a moment to check if anyone is watching us.

“What were you thinking?” he asks. “Heading right for her?”

I shrug. That’s my problem. I usually don’t think. At all.

Sometimes it’s a curse; sometimes it’s a blessing.

“What was your plan, anyway?” he scoffs, pointing at her. “Just walk up to her and be like ‘I know what you did’?”

I smile. “You make it sound like that movie. What was that name again…?” I snap my fingers when it hits me. “I Know What You Did Las—”