“So, what is function of this equation?” Macey asked, pointing to one of the math problems on the piece of paper in front of me. I stared down at the worksheet, almost willing it to grow a pair of legs and walk away. We had been in the library for over three hours now doing homework and studying, and my head was about to explode. My eyes were going crossed from staring down at my work this entire time.
Right now, Macey was trying to help me with some difficult math questions, but I just couldn’t seem to get it. Math was definitely not my strong suit, and by now I just wanted to rip my work into shreds. No matter what Macey did to try and explain it to me, I couldn’t get the right answer. In the last thirty minutes we had only done one problem. One!
“I don’t know,” I mumbled from between my arms on the table.
As much as I loved Macey and knew she was just trying to help, I wanted to stuff a pillow in her face. She wouldn’t let me give up, which was a good thing but also aggravating. It wasn’t like Macey didn’t know what she was talking about, because she did, but the way she was explaining it just wasn’t clicking for me. In that moment, I never needed my brother so bad.
Whenever I needed help with math homework, either Luke or Ethan would help me. Something about the way they explained it just clicked and I got it. Especially with Luke—he just knew the right things to say and was usually the one to help. But sadly, both him and Ethan were busy right now heading to their next football game. With it being an away game, Macey and I were the only ones here. Even Amy could go with the cheer team.
It was Friday afternoon, a full week after the party and a full week after seeing Gage. The week had flown by pretty quickly thanks to surprise quizzes, tons of homework and essays, and studying for future tests. It was like the professors all got together and thought it would be a great idea to have multiple tests on the same day. Hence the three-hour study session.
The only time I had seen Gage was during English class Monday and Thursday, but since both of us were so busy, we hadn’t said more than ten words to one another. It sucked that we only had two classes together and I still didn’t even have his phone number; I was kicking my butt for that one. It was strange how I missed him even though it had only been a week. For some odd reason I just wanted to talk to him, even if it was just for a few minutes.
I didn’t see much of my brother or Ethan either. Everyone was trying to stay afloat with assignments, and the boys had practice on top of everything. The one time I did see them was when all four of us went to dinner on Wednesday.
At first, the dinner was awkward, since there seemed to be tension between Ethan and I, and surprisingly between Macey and Luke. But thankfully it passed, and we returned to our normal selves. Ethan had apologized for leaving me alone on the dance floor. As much as I wanted to hate him for it, I wasn’t mad at all. In fact, I was kind of glad. Glad that it happened because if it hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a good time with Gage instead. It was weird, but I couldn’t explain it. In some ways I was stupid for forgiving Ethan so easily, but it was just who I was. I forgave and forgot; it was better that way instead of holding a grudge against him forever.
The day after the party, we stuck to staying at home. Macey didn’t even stumble in until five that morning, wearing the same clothes she had on the night before. I knew she had hooked up with someone, but every time I brought it up she just changed the topic or didn’t answer. She either regretted it or she hadn’t wrapped her head around it yet. I knew she would tell me eventually, so I didn’t push it. Because she was dead tired and hung over, she didn’t ask where I went, and for that I was glad. I doubted she even knew I left so early anyway.
“Carter, what is the function?” Macey urged me.
“I don’t know and I don’t care. Can we be done?”
“No, just one more.”
“But it is a Friday, Mace! I don’t want to be here anymore.” That was a big deal for me to say. I usually could spend hours here at the library, but that of course was only when I wanted to read for pleasure, not do homework. “I’ve got all weekend to do it.”
Macey was quiet for a few minutes before mumbling “fine” under her breath. I took it as a victory. If I continued doing any more homework, my head would explode, and it didn’t help that I hadn’t eaten in a while.
“So, since we are done studying, what do you want to do now?” she asked, leaning back in her own comfy chair. I was sitting on another. That was one nice thing about this library:The chairs were super comfortable.
“How about we eat?” I offered, already drooling at the thought of pizza.
“Carter, it is only three. If we eat now, we will be hungry in a few hours,” Macey said, reasoning.
“You’ll be hungry,” I muttered in reply meaning for it to be an insult, but instead it made me look stupid. Oh, you know, the usual.
“We could go work out or something, then eat.” Tilting my head so I could see Macey, I gave her a look. We both knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“We could—” she started to say, but my cell phone rang loudly, interrupting her. Since I forgot to turn down the volume, Every Avenue’s song “Someday, Somehow” came blaring through the speaker. People around us turned and glared at me. Not even bothered by it, I ignored them and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey Care-bear!” said a familiar voice through the phone. I sat up straight and let a smile take over my face.
“Dylan!”
“Someone is excited to hear from me, I see.”
“Of course. You are my knight in shining armor, Dylan,” I teased.
“Well, this knight is wondering what you are doing at the moment.”
“Just sitting in the library. Why?”
“How would you like to come hang out with me? Gage is currently in class, so I am super bored,” Dylan pleaded. I could practically see him pouting through the phone.
“Want to go hang out with Dylan?” I asked Macey.
“Which one is Dylan again?” she asked.
“Gage’s friend,” I supplied.
“Sure, why not?” Macey shrugged, grabbing her things.
“Sure. Macey and I are free,” I said in reply to Dylan.
“I’m going to pass the library in just a minute. Want to meet me down here?”
“Sounds good. We will be down in a minute.” After I said a quick goodbye, Macey and I gathered our things before leaving our table and heading out. There wasn’t anything else to do anyway. Plus, Dylan was good company.
It didn’t take us long to leave the library and find Dylan leaning against the side of the building waiting for us. Seeing him, I didn’t realize how much I missed seeing other people besides my inner circle of friends. It had been a little while since I’d seen Dylan last; it was almost like he was a stranger.
“Is that who I think it is?” Dylan yelled, pushing away from the wall. “Is that the one, the only, Carter Miller?” He placed a hand to his chest and made his eyes go really wide. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“If we are greeting each other like this, I’m on board.” I grinned at him.
“Of course you would.” Macey elbowed me. I went to reply, only to be grabbed and lifted off the ground. Dylan had his arms wrapped around my waist tightly and was moving us around in circles. My laugh echoed as I held onto him, not wanting to be dropped.
“Dylan, put me down!” He twirled me around for another second before finally setting me back on my feet. I giggled and slapped his shoulder. “Thanks for that.”
“No problem.” He grinned back at me. “Your turn?” He looked over at Macey, who took a step back and shook her head.
“So what did you want to do?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Well, Gage gets out of class in half an hour, then he has a fight around seven or so. How about we go to my place until he comes back, then we can go eat?” Dylan offered. As much as I wanted to eat right now, I found myself nodding. Neither Macey nor I had any plans whatsoever.
“Fine by me,” Macey said. We followed Dylan as he led us to where he lived. I figured he lived on campus and probably with Gage, although I wasn’t entirely sure.
“So, Gage has a fight?” I asked as we walked.
“Yeah, and the guy is pretty hard to beat. He has only ever lost two fights, and he has a few inches on Gage.” Not an ounce of worry was evident in Dylan’s tone.
“Aren’t you worried for him? What if he gets really hurt?” I found myself asking. I mean, if this guy was bigger than Gage, I didn’t think it would end well, no matter how good he was.
“Not worried at all. Gage knows what he is doing. Plus, this guy is an amateur anyways.” He waved me off.
“Like that helps,” I muttered under my breath.
We walked for another five minutes before coming to another dorm building. It actually wasn’t far from our building, surprisingly. It was one of the newer dorm buildings that was remodeled over the summer, just like ours.
“Welcome to my humble abode.” Dylan opened the door and gestured for us to enter. Not knowing what to expect, I took a deep breath, not wanting to smell the stink two boys could conjure up.
When I walked inside, I didn’t expect the place to be so…clean. It kind of had the same layout as our place, but the kitchen and living room seemed larger. I had assumed the living room would be a mess of clothes, plates, and bottles, but instead it was spotless. There were a few pillows on the couch, and below the flat-screen TV I could see multiple gaming systems. From where I was standing I could even see the kitchen wasn’t dirty at all. There were a few plates in the sink, but that was it. It might even be cleaner than my place. Very uncommon when it comes to guys.
“This is—” I started.
“Really nice.” Macey finished for me.
“And clean.”
“What, you think all guys like making messes?” Mace and I shared a look but didn’t say anything. Dylan rolled his eyes at us but pushed it aside. “Do you want anything to drink? We have Coke, water, alcohol.”
“Really? Alcohol? It’s three in the afternoon!”
“So? It is happy hour somewhere, sweetheart.”
“I’ll just have water,” Macey said.
“Me too.”
I gently set my book bag on the ground by the door and made my way to the couch. It looked beyond comfortable, and I just had to see for myself. The dark leather was my weakness, apparently.
“Here,” Dylan said just as I sat down. He didn’t even give me a heads up before he threw a water bottle at me. Thankfully, I caught it just in time, throwing him a glare.
“So, what are you majoring in, Macey?” Dylan asked as soon as both of them sat down beside me.
Those two started talking, leaving me to just sit there. When the conversation drifted from school to more personal things, I started tuning them out. Taking my phone out, I scrolled through my Facebook, catching little bits of their conversation. A good fifteen minutes had passed when my stomach growled loudly. Dylan and Macey snapped their heads in my direction, almost like they hated the interruption.
“What? I’m hungry.” I put my hands up.
“There is stuff in the cabinet. Go grab something before your stomach alerts everyone in the building,” Dylan said, motioning to the kitchen. Inside, I cheered at getting something to fill my stomach.
I felt awkward going through someone else’s kitchen looking for food, but having Dylan’s permission lessened the feeling. Plus, my stomach was not taking no for an answer. Noticing they had my favorite cereal, I called over to Dylan.
“You sure I can eat something? I don’t want to eat your food.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry. Have whatever you want.”
Not asking again, I began searching for a bowl to eat my cereal. When it came to Cinnamon Toast Crunch, I could eat it forever. Definitely the best cereal, in my opinion.
It literally took me five minutes to find a bowl and a spoon. I had to open every cabinet before I found a plastic one I could eat out of, and the same thing happened with the silverware. I was so focused on pouring out my food that I almost missed hearing the front door opening. I swear I was almost drooling as I poured milk, oblivious to everything else. When it came to food, nothing else mattered. I didn’t even wait to sit down before I was eating the cinnamon goodness.
“What are you doing?” someone asked me. I turned my head to see who was talking. I could feel milk dripping off my chin, but I ignored it.
“Huh?” When I saw who was leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile on his face, I choked.
“Are you eating my cereal?” Gage asked, looking at my bowl. I quickly swallowed before answering.
“No?” It came out more as a question.
“That is my cereal.” He glared over at me, almost as if I just stole the best thing that had ever happened to him.
“Uh…” I stared at him, not knowing what to do. Dylan said I could have whatever I wanted; how was I supposed to know the cereal was Gage’s?
“You can’t just eat what’s mine!”
“I didn’t know you owned Cinnamon Toast Crunch.” I couldn’t help but make him even angrier as I brought another spoonful to my mouth. I chewed slowly, biting back a grin. Gage stared at me like I had just killed someone. His jaw was clenched, and his brown eyes were narrowed at me. I don’t know why I did it, but I just did.
“No one eats my cereal.” It was hilarious watching him get so upset over me eating cereal.
“It’s not like I ate the entire box. There’s more right there.” I pointed to the box on the counter with my spoon.
“You realize how rude it is to go through people’s kitchens without them giving you permission?”
“Dylan told me I could.” I defended myself. It wasn’t like going into people’s kitchens was my thing.
Gage turned to look at Dylan, who was staring at us along with Macey. I had almost forgotten they were here.
“What? I didn’t think she would eat that kind of cereal. I thought she’d be normal and eat my Fruit Loops.”
“Normal?” I called out.
“I personally don’t like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It tastes weird. Fruit Loops are the best,” Dylan said.
“See, I say Lucky Charms are the best. But I am with you on the Toast Crunch,” Macey commented.
“How can you not like this?” both Gage and I exclaimed at the same time. We both looked at each other in surprise.
“Well, Gage, you finally found another person who likes the same cereal,” Dylan said before turning away and talking again with Macey. I rolled my eyes at them while crunching away on my cereal. My stomach was finally settling down, but I knew I had to eat a real meal soon.
I was once again caught up in myself and almost didn’t notice that Gage had grabbed a spoon until my bowl was suddenly ripped from my hands. My spoon hovered in thin air, almost to my lips. My head snapped in Gage’s direction; he was beside me, but after grabbing my food, he took a few steps away from me.
He shot me a grin as I stared at him in shock. He stole my cereal! My eyes narrowed at him as he smugly ate from my bowl. I ate what was on my spoon before turning to him.
“You did not just steal my bowl!” I pointed my spoon at him threateningly.
“What are you going to do about it?” He raised a perfect eyebrow at me. Stupid guys and their perfect features that all girls want.
“Give my cereal back. I am starving.” I reached out for it, but he took a step back out of my reach. “Don’t move!” I growled.
“Wow, I’m so scared.” He made a face at me. He continued munching on the cereal, all the while staring at me knowing he was making me mad. He definitely was getting me back for teasing him a few minutes ago.
“Why couldn’t you just get your own bowl!” I whined and even stomped my foot like a five-year-old.
“Because this is more fun.” He grinned over at me. Having had enough, I lunged for him. Gage of course anticipated my move and stepped to the side, dodging me.
“Seriously?” I ground my teeth and made for him again. I ended up chasing him around the kitchen and even in the living room for the next few minutes. Right when I thought I had him, he would either shove me to the couch or hold the bowl above his head knowing I couldn’t reach that high. Curse my shortness or curse his tallness.
“Gage!” I yelled as we came to a stop with him on one side of the couch and me on the other. Macey and Dylan sat there staring at us, amused. We were definitely entertaining them.
“Carter!” He mimicked back at me.
“I am going to slap you so hard,” I warned him.
“Princess, you are as terrifying as a butterfly,” Gage deadpanned.
“Hey, I can be terrifying.”
“Sorry, Car, but you can’t,” Macey said, sending me an apologetic look.
“Traitor!” I hissed at her.
“I want my cereal back!” I looked back at Gage.
“Too late.” I watched wide-eyed as he tilted the bowl and drank the rest of the milk. Apparently, he’d eaten the rest of the food as we’d been running around.
“You evil, evil person!” I shook my spoon at him. Somehow, I still had it in my hand.
“Mmmm.” Gage smacked, even licked, his lips as he finished.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
“Well, you started it by eating my cereal first.” I opened my mouth to say something when Dylan spoke instead.
“You two are so weird. It is freaking cereal. Who cares? Plus, it isn’t even that great!” He threw his hands in the air. This time my hard gaze wasn’t on Gage; it was on him. Gage was glaring at him too.
“Take that back!”
“No.” Dylan stuck his tongue out at me.
“Real mature.” I scoffed.
“Says the one who just chased Gage around the house over cereal.”
“I will thump you, Dyl!”
“She’s scary, isn’t she?” Gage joked. Tired of dealing with him, I went back to the kitchen and put my spoon in the sink. Gage could clean it up. Heading back to the couch, I passed Gage and shoved his shoulder, although he didn’t even move an inch. Damn him and his muscles. Instead of him being hurt, my shoulder ached.
“You are such a child,” Gage muttered once I passed him.
“You are,” I bit out and fell back against the couch. It was a weak comeback, but it was all I had. I ignored Gage as he went and washed the bowl. I even ignored him when he called for me to clean up my spoon. He stole my food.
Since Dylan and Macey were taking up one side of that couch, that left me and Gage on the other side. I was still slightly annoyed with him, so when he did sit down beside me, I tilted my body in the other direction. My eyes were glued to my cell phone, although I had already seen most of the stuff on the screen.
“You aren’t ignoring me, are you?” Gage asked a few minutes later. I kept on ignoring him, skipping from app to app. “You are. Why?” He kept on asking me for a good two minutes before the poking started. At first it was only on my arm and every few minutes, then it changed to being poked harder and down to my waist.
“Stop it,” I hissed, swatting at his hand.
“Why are you ignoring me?” he asked, poking my side roughly which caused me to squirm.
“Gage, seriously, stop.”
“Am I annoying you?” I could just hear the grin in his voice.
“Yes, you are.” I slapped his hand once more.
“You are violent.”
“You make me violent.” We sat there and bickered back and forth like an old married couple. Whatever I said, Gage just had to have some sort of comeback, and I couldn’t let him have the last word.
“Do you think they will ever stop?” I heard Macey ask Dylan. I could feel their eyes on us, but it did nothing to stop our bickering.
“Probably not. We may have to intervene.”
“Maybe if we mention that we are going to go eat?” Macey supplied. They were oblivious to the fact that we could plainly hear them.
“You know we can hear you,” I said, looking over at them.
“Are you two done yet? We want to eat before the fight,” Dylan asked, sending both Gage and I a look, like it was all of our fault. Like they hadn’t been sitting there for the past hour talking.
“Yes, let’s go,” I said, moving away from Gage and up off the couch. My stomach was once again growling. It was seriously a miracle I wasn’t fat with how much I loved to eat.
“Fat-ass,” Gage muttered under his breath as I stood up. I whirled around to face him.
“My fat ass will sit on you if you don’t shut up.” He put his hands up in surrender and shut his mouth for once. Happy I finally shut him up, I grinned and turned around. Mace and Dylan were up and waiting for us. Grabbing my bag, we trailed out of Dylan and Gage’s apartment and headed to grab something to eat.
Even though Gage and I were bickering, I wasn’t angry at all. In fact, my insides were singing for some odd reason. I didn’t want to admit it, but I liked arguing with him; it was entertaining, and he actually could take as much as he would give. It was nice knowing both of us could hold up against one another. It was like Gage opened up something inside of me and made me this person who talked back, who made sarcastic comebacks.
It was weird but exciting in a way. I acted different around him, unlike the shy, quiet girl I was around others. I wasn’t even like this around Ethan sometimes. I was self-conscious around Ethan, and with Gage I…wasn’t, surprisingly. I didn’t seem to care around him. It scared me how I changed around him.
As we walked down the hall to the stairway, Gage softly shoved me to the side before shooting me a small smile. He walked up beside Dylan, leaving me next to Macey. Maybe feeling this way wasn’t all that bad.