Give Me Courage (Give Me Series #4)

40 - Beserkers

A distant look clouded the blueness of Liam's eyes the moment he finished his sausage breakfast sandwich in the passenger seat and reality set in at the sight of the school's sign. Our mix of lighthearted laughter and smiles fell one-sided after his lips transformed into a frown.

The sudden change in his behavior earned my attention when he barely responded to what I said with a mere nod of his head, clearly distracted by his own thoughts. I kept my eyes on the road as I searched for an empty spot in the student parking lot with occasional glances shot in his direction. Part of me wondered if the anxiety from last night resurfaced from the fear of being on his own again without having me by his side throughout the day.

His body froze in the seat when the car pulled into a spot two rows back from the sidewalk. The keys jiggled in my hands as I switched off the engine and reached behind his seat for my backpack. I slipped wrapped the lanyard attached to the keys around my fingers twice.

"Liam?" I tentatively whispered his name. "It's going to be okay. You can text me any time you need to. You're not alone."

He unbuckled his seatbelt with his gaze locked on the glovebox. He grabbed his backpack from the floor by his feet and placed it on his lap, purposely avoided looking at me.

"You have class," Liam whispered.

"You're more important," I responded without hesitation.

His eyes moved from his hands to his backpack before he hesitantly raised his head and glimpsed at me without fully turning his head. A deep look of sadness laid heavy on his facial features with a small glimmer of shock in his blue eyes as he took in my words, surprised by the sincerity in them. Liam dropped his eyes to the middle console.

"You're not just my beta, Liam," I said, softly. "You're my friend. If you need me, I'll be there."

He peered at me in silence. He nodded after a few seconds. I weakly smiled back at him, attempting to smother my internal feelings of being unable to fully encompass him into my arms to protect him from the dangers of the supernatural world. Liam was just a kid. We all were. He deserved better than the life Scott and I formed upon him.

"Come on," I encouraged him with a kind smile.

A strong gust of wind blew through the small gap of the door when I pushed it open with my left hand. Strands of our hair lifted in the air from the breeze. The strap of my backpack looped over my shoulder before I climbed out of the vehicle with my iced matcha latte grasped in my right hand. The keys clanked against against each other as they swung through the air on the lanyard.

Liam's motionless figure in the seat tugged at my heartstrings. All of this was too much for him to deal with, especially on his own. He nodded to himself a second time before he mustered the courage to open his car door. He reluctantly climbed out of the car, careful to keep the door from hitting the red truck parked beside him.

His eyes kept to the asphalt ground while he swung his backpack over his shoulder. The door closed with a loud thud. I stood at the front of the car with my leg leaned against the headlight.

A solemn expression resided on his face. My right arm looped through his left arm once he was close enough. His head snapped up in shock at the simple action before he dropped his gaze to our linked arms.

I peered back at him, smiling. The side of my head leaned against his shoulder for a few seconds. We walked alongside each other to the sidewalk.

A few underclassmen gave us lingering looks as we passed by them toward the main building. Most people knew Liam was pulled into our friend group, yet still couldn't hold back their occasional surprised looks whenever he spent time with us on school property. A freshman hanging out with upperclassmen wasn't uncommon, but was still strange at times, depending on the friend group.