Page 90 of Withered

“What?” I tilt my head towards Jake.

Tyler smirks while Kristy looks at them with a confused gaze.

“You made the soccer team?” I ask Jake, who is glaring at Tyler.

“Yeah, this fucker told me a few days ago,” Jake answers, gazing at me, and I roll my eyes at his words.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask him, a little hurt that he kept such good news from me.

“There was so much on my mind; it must have slipped,” Jake says, and I get him.

His mom is urging him to meet his dad. And, with all his past coming out in bits and pieces, this is only a small piece of good news.

Tyler chimes in again, clearly amused by whatever is going on. “I want my best player on the pitch as acaptain. It’s not every day I get to boss you around.”

Jake throws his fries at Tyler, who dodges them quickly. I swat at his arm for doing that.

“Wait…What?” Kristy turns to Tyler the same way I turn to Jake.

“You are thecaptainof the soccer team?” Kristy asks Tyler.

Okay, so she didn’t know. These guys are the worst. They keep all the good news to themselves.

“Yes, babe,” he says it with a smile on his face. Kristy squeals in delight before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him.

We split up after lunch because we have different classes. Jake follows me every step of the way until we arrive at my locker. As I take out my books, Jake leans against my locker.

“Will I see you after school?” Jake asks, turning his head towards me.

A surge of confidence washes through me, and I smirk at him, saying, “Can’t you stay away, Henderson?”

He chuckles withthat damn smirk. “It’s difficult when all I can think about is you in that lacy bra of…” I shut him off right away by putting my palm over his mouth.

My eyes widen, and my mouth hangs open. I frantically look around to see if anyone heard him or not. A few people stare at us, but they are rather far away. That was dangerously close.

He swipes his tongue across my hand, and I pull away. “Ugh, Jake. What are you, five? Do I need to get you some ice cream?”

He laughs lightly, showing that cute dimple. “Nope. Why would I want fucking ice cream when I have you? A. Full. Course. Meal.”

With each word, he moves closer and closer until he's directly in front of me. He gives me a once-over as he takes in my appearance shamelessly. I’m wearing a simple black top with high-waisted black and white check-pattern trousers that elongate my legs. His gaze lingers on my legs for a while longer before meeting mine. His comment confuses me at first, but then it dawns on me.

He steps back, smirking, and says, “Trust me, this tongue works wonders.”

“You need Jesus,” I say, shoving him slightly.

When the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, he walks in the opposite direction. “Later on, Evans.”

Because I'm mostly in my own universe, physics flew by. It’s now time for English.

I walk into the classroom and see Tyler already at the back. When he sees me, he smiles and waves. I move through and take the seat next to him.

After a few minutes, Professor Caleb enters, and the class resumes. Tyler still believes he is strange for some reason, while I try not to think about it too much.

After class, Professor Caleb calls me, and Tyler gives me theI told you he is a weirdolook. After speaking to him, I meet Tyler outside the class, who asks, “What did he say?”

“He was just asking about the assignment, and he gave me a topic to work on.” I waved the file the professor gave me.

“Don’t you get some weird vibes from him?” Tyler starts walking in the direction of our lockers.

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