The Devil's Playmate

ELEVEN

Emma had been silent for a while when Cameron told the group about Benjamin's new friends. He thought they took the information well until Emma went mental, fussing about how that shouldn't be possible.

Blythe had to take her away first, wanting to calm her cousin down until Emma began yelling at Marcus to do something. The brown-haired student frowned as Emma continued shrieking, hardly budging even if she kept jabbing her fingers at him.

"You told us to wait! How could this have happened? Didn't you tell me we'd get him back? It's already been a few days, and suddenly he's able to replace us! Marcus, do something!"

Marcus tilted his head. He played with the sucker in his mouth, moving it about with a blank face.

"So?" He leaned in close to Emma, grabbing her hand and forcing her to stop hitting him. "Just terrorize the new guy."

"Do you think I can do something like this? Haven't you heard from the other students? He's practically like us! He has deep pockets, and someone like him is backing Benny up!"

Blythe lowered her phone. "We don't know that. He could be messing around with Benjamin like us. I say we just quit making fun of your little pet and just treat him like a normal human being for once. Maybe he'll come back, I don't know."

Cameron raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about that. They seemed pretty close. I think they know each other."

Emma and Marcus snapped their heads over to the male. Cameron jerked away, startled. "What?"

"That's not true. There's no way that Eli guy and Benny know each other. M-Marcus has been friends with him for nearly two decades, and I've already been by his side since the very beginning of middle school! There were no others! It's always been us!"

"Just tell me what to do and I'll see if I can do anything in sixth period then."

Emma scoffed, "What good can you do? Weren't you the one who told us Benny flat out rejected your offer to tutor him? He doesn't like you, so there's no way you can influence him to do anything."

"I'm sure I'll be able to do something. Could you not underestimate me this time?" Cameron sang, smiling widely. The blonde clicked her tongue in annoyance.

As the two of them bantered, Blythe lowered her phone and looked over at Marcus, still moving that sucker around in his mouth as he thought about something. She wondered what he was thinking about. There's really no telling. After being with him for a few years, Blythe still couldn't get a read on this guy.

She wondered if he even really cared about Benjamin like Emma does. It seemed like Marcus was ready to throw him away with that look on his face. Blythe rolled her eyes, picking her phone back up to play games on it.

It'd be a good thing. Blythe was sure he got tired of playing around with him. Maybe this time, Benjamin would be free to do whatever he wanted.

"Emma."

The girl stopped shouting at Cameron once Marcus called her. He placed a hand on her head, ruffling it a bit and earned a nasty glare from her. Emma smacked his hand away.

"Are you still not going to do anything?"

Marcus shrugged in response. She scowled.

"Listen, I can't keep waiting! Do you know how much it hurts me to do cheer when I sacrificed so much to keep Benjamin by my side?"

"See you tomorrow."

"What? Were you even listening to me at all..."

Emma immediately died down and looked away from Marcus, growing a little pale in the face just as Blythe put her phone died, her hands shaking a little. Cameron merely sighed and gave his friend a small wave.