Truce

Eight // I Call Truce

Eight // I Call Truce

Jacob

By Wednesday, three days into our plan, there were a couple of things I had noticed.

First and foremost, Kaia had a quick tongue. She always had something to say whether it be a comeback or response. It took a while until I figured I shouldn't take it personally. Every second word that tumbled from her mouth was sarcasm so what did I do? Fought fire with fire. It was as if the multiplication of the flames had blown the discomfort out of the water, easing the tension so it was bearable to be in each other's presences.

The second was Hayden's attentiveness to her sister. It was painfully obvious. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak she was his sole focus, acting like no one else existed. I had a feeling she was the girl he'd taken a particular liking to.

To say it was interesting was an understatement, but I was enjoying this new combination.

Currently, I had my arm around Kaia and we were discussing the matter that was Annaliese. I couldn't help but realize how squeamish Kaia was; she couldn't keep still. I guessed she was uncomfortable but she fit nicely under my arm. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to touch her with a ten foot pole if it weren't for the pretense, but it wasn't unbearable. She needed to relax.

"Will you quit squirming?" I had to ask, the words muttered so as not to interrupt the conversation.

Her gray-blue eyes glared up at me as she flinched again. "It's not my fault I'm ticklish and every time you move your fingers it's on my weak spot."

I tried not to laugh. My fingers were only barely on her side. "You must be pretty damn ticklish if-" I moved my pointer slightly and she squirmed again "-that irks you."

"I am. Stop it."

"I will if you relax. You're not going to convince Marcus if you keep flinching away from me. You're supposed to like me, remember?" I knew this would get her to stop. Since she came to our table on Monday, her ex's eyes had been glued on her. It was amusing to say the least, even more so when it made her all flustered.

"Fine."

I tested her word, moving my finger again. She bit her lip, staying still as a statue.

"It doesn't mean I'm letting you get away with it. As soon as we're alone I'm going to kick your butt." She meant she would try. She was at least five feet shorter than I was about as skinny as a stick. Or a small log. She was more than skin and bones but not much.

"Too bad we don't like each other. We'll never be alone."

"Too bad," she echoed with a dirty look, and shifted her attention back to the conversation.

Hayden was protesting Zavier's refusals to bring his girl to lunch one day this week. It wasn't the first day this argument had been brought to the table but it would be the last. I didn't know it at the time but after a few minutes, the girl beside me won the case with a few words.

"Look. Zavier," she said, leaning into the conversation. I felt a sense of déjà vu. I felt like I'd seen her do that before. "They're going to meet her one day. We all go to the same school. Would you rather it be when they are on their best behaviour or when they are drunk or acting stupid or both?"

He didn't have anything to say to that. Hayden applauded. Landon laughed. Zavier sighed.

"Anyone up for an adventure after school?" I proposed, a sudden urge to get outside and into the heat taking over me. I needed to run, to be outside of this confined space, to be free. It felt like my claustrophobia was taking control of me except I could breathe. I desperately wanted to get out of there.