The Boy Band Who Adopted Me!

Chapter 12: The Red Queen

Gavin didn't seem to mind that I was ignoring the gesture to take his arm, which put me at ease. I was barely ready to accept the guys as friends, let alone have Gavin so close to me, after my past hurts. It was difficult to even look any of them in the eye, especially him. That smile...

We walked down a path that wound around the side of one of the buildings, and ended in front of a large, stately glass greenhouse filled with plants. Sunlight glinted against the glass, and machines hummed nearby, betraying the greenhouse's warmth and moisture before we even stepped inside. What a well-kept place!

Gavin unlocked the door, which seemed to have been recently painted white. He motioned for me to step inside, and I did. The air was slightly humid, but tolerable. The greenhouse was warm, with a rainbow of flowers cascading from hanging pots and shelves. There were three plastic chairs in a corner, almost hidden by the lush greenery. I saw undersized tomatoes, trays of small herbs, and tons of flowers being cultivated all around the greenhouse. It was a lovely sight.

"You had the right idea to come here," I said in a small voice. I was absorbed in the bright green of the plants, which were obviously well-cared for. I sat down in a chair next to a mess of flowers.

"It's gorgeous all year round," Gavin said, turning in a circle to view everything. He then patted his pocket. "I'm going to go to the vending machine, need anything?" he said.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," I said, looking up at him from beneath my bangs. He smiled at me warmly and left the greenhouse. I basked in the warmth of the thriving plants.

The door swung open not three minutes after it had closed. However, Gavin wasn't standing there. Maisy Davids had opened the door, and was staring in disgust at the plants hanging overhead.

She didn't miss a beat. "I've become aware of some recent events that have transpired, emo kid," she snapped coldly,"and you need to understand that it's a bad idea to mess with me."

Startled, I rose from my seat, not expecting such confrontation after having just been relaxing. I tried to steel my gaze. "What do you want, Maisy?"

"I want to know why you thought it was smart to rat me out to the counselor about what was written on your locker." She strode toward me, standing less than a foot from me.

I never said anything to the counselor about Maisy!

"There's obviously been a misunderstanding," I said as coolly as possible.

"Shut up," Maisy cut me off with a snarl. "She called my name when I was in pre-calc, clear as crystal. She wanted to know why I had been less than tolerant of a little freak like you." I stared at her, completely taken aback.

"I never said anything--"

"I know it was you," she said in a low voice. "Gossiping about me to those gothy band geeks during orientation. Did you honestly think no one was reading those signs you were flashing back and forth across the gym? 'I'd rather live under a bridge than with Maisy Davids'," she mocked, waving her manicured hands in the air, before putting them on her hips.

It was Will and Cody who had written that to me, not the other way around. Things were seriously mixed up.

I was about to speak, but once again, Maisy's shrill voice filled the air.

"Don't mess with me. I mean it. I will make your life hell. Do you understand?"

"Whatever," I replied, deadpan. I didn't want to betray any weakness to her. I didn't feel like clearing things up; I just wanted her to go away. As soon as the words left my mouth, she turned and left the greenhouse.

I stared at the door for awhile, anger and annoyance flushing my cheeks. Just when I was about to sit back down, the door swung open and Gavin came rushing in, holding two packages of cookies in one hand.

"I saw Maisy walking out of here. Are you okay?"

I explained everything to him as he sank down in a chair beside me. When I finished speaking, he was speechless. He looked angry, with hands balled into tight fists.

"I'm going to make sure Maisy stops messing with you. It doesn't bother me to be picked on, but I'm not going to let her mess with you." He took a deep breath and seemed to be forcing himself to relax.

"... Uh, cookies?" he said, offering me a bag. I took it and opened them, even though I wasn't particularly hungry.

"I'm sorry about Maisy," he said softly. There was still a glint of overprotective anger in his eye. "What a mixup. I'm sure one of us already told you what you're getting yourself into by being friends with us."

"Yeah," I replied, "but even if I wasn't, it's not like things would be any different." I stared down at my neon-laced shoes and colorful-yet-grim attire. "I'm not exactly super normal."

"It's good to be different," Gavin offered, with a reassuring smile. "Even if people would rather you be normal."

I avoided his gaze and stared into my package of cookies, putting one in my mouth to avoid speaking. I simply nodded at him.

"Maisy's not gonna be a problem, okay? Tell me or the guys if anything happens. We'll make it right somehow." Gavin crumpled his empty cookie packet in his hand.

"Thanks, Gavin," I said.

Gavin opened his mouth to say something, but paused before actually speaking.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to show you something," he said.

"Sure thing!"

Gavin pulled his iPod out of his pocket and I could see his eyes light up as he scrolled to Hearts for Sharks. "Here, listen to this song and tell me what you think. I want a full critique. Don't hold back!"

I put the earbuds in and absorbed myself in Gavin's voice. I didn't want to admit it, but my first thought was Gosh, his voice is as beautiful as he is. I shut it out of my mind in order to give him the run-down on what I thought of the song.

We talked like this for about twenty minutes, laughing about bad music and showing each other songs. When the bell rang for lunch, Gavin stood up and motioned toward the door. "After you."