Return What Was Lost

Chapter 34

"Do you want to have a pool tournament tonight?"

Julian looked up from his classwork and noticed Brady looking over at him waiting for an answer. He looked over at Merriwether who was already eyeing the two of them suspiciously. They were supposed to be labeling a diagram of cellular respiration in their lab books but clearly Brady had other things on his mind.

Julian only shrugged back.

"Okay, great I'll take that as a yes. Meet us on the second floor of the library after school," Brady said.

Cole, who was sitting next to Brady, tried to shush him but it was too late. Merriwether quickly came over and put a detention slip on Brady's desk. She was about to put one on Julian's desk too but the bell rang.

"Saved by the bell," she said in a flat tone. "Let this be a warning, you know the rules. No talking during classwork time."

Julian quickly nodded and he, Brady, and Cole left at once.

"Let's just meet upstairs at five then, after detention," Brady grumbled, waving his detention slip in the air

Julian chuckled. "If you had just waited five more minutes to ask me then you wouldn't be on your way to detention right now."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Julian," he said, rolling his eyes.

Brady went off to detention and Julian quickly changed directions.

"Where are we going?" Cole asked him.

Julian didn't reply but his little smile as he found Avery leaving Chemistry must have given him away.

"And I thought Brady and Chelsey were obsessed with each other," Cole said, rolling his eyes.

Julian ignored Cole and put his arm around Avery as she smiled up at him. The three of them then walked out of the building together.

"Hey, Brady wants to play pool tonight, are you in?" Julian asked her.

"Definitely, when?" she asked back.

"Well it was going to be right after school, but he got detention for asking Julian too loudly," Cole answered.

Avery chuckled and looked up at Julian. "I always thought it would be one of us who delayed plans because they got detention."

Julian grinned. "Ah, what can I say? Times are changing."

When they got to the dorms, Avery went up to her room to change out of her uniform and said she would meet them after. When it was just him and Cole in the room, Julian noticed Cole's expression had changed a bit.

"What's wrong?" he asked him.

"Nothing," Cole murmured.

Julian raised an eyebrow and Cole rolled his eyes.

"Emmet's coming," he said finally.

Julian was confused. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's great," he said quickly. "I just wonder if he came because he likes me or because he's Avery's best friend."

"Maybe you should just ask him," Julian said, stating the obvious.

"Jeez, why didn't I think of that?" Cole said sarcastically.

Julian chuckled. "Seriously, just be upfront about it."

Cole was skeptical, but nodded. "Yeah maybe, I'm going to go get him, he's waiting in the office."

"All right, I'll meet you up there with Avery."

Cole left and Julian and Avery met up soon after. They began walking back over to the library while holding hands.