The Boy Band Who Adopted Me!

Chapter 29 - A Cut Deck

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I was woken up by my phone buzzing repeatedly. I checked the time.

Ugh, 2 in the morning? I rubbed my eyes and unlocked my phone.

20 missed calls and 6 messages from Will?

Oh, my god, what's going on?

I immediately read the messages.

Will, 2:14 AM: It's Gavin.

Will, 2:15 AM: He confronted this guy you were at the coffee shop with. The guy you saved.

Will, 2:17 AM: Please pick up, Alex. We're behind the boys' dorm.

Will, 2:17: AM: Alex???

Will, 2:18 AM: ???????

Will, 2:18 AM: This guy seems fucking dangerous, Alex, please pick up.

I darted from my bed in my nightgown, managing to put my hair in a quick bun before sprinting out the door into the moonless night barefoot. It was cold, but I had to do something.

On the way between the dorms, I darted underneath trees to avoid triggering the motion-detecting lights. I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my foot. Ow... I must have stepped on something, but I kept running. I saw silhouettes by the back of the boys' dorm, faint in the darkness.

"Gavin?! Mason?!" The urgency of my voice was somewhat dimmed by the fact that I couldn't be too loud. I ran up to them.

"Alex--"

Mason cut Gavin off.

"Alex, can you tell your fucking crazy boyfriend to back the fuck down?" Mason practically hissed. He was a little taller and broader than Gavin, and I worried that he would seriously hurt Gav.

I stuttered in disbelief. "Wha--Mason? J-just what is happening here?"

Mason looked like he was about to seriously go off, but Will stepped in front of them both, between the two of them and me. Gavin turned to me somewhat apologetically, but Will shouldered in front of him.

"Gavin asked Mason to watch himself if he tries to hurt you. Mason got seriously pissed. I tried to calm Gavin down, but he--" Will paused to look over his shoulder at Gavin with a scalding gaze -- "won't listen to me."

I was shocked. I didn't know Gavin could be this overprotective.

"Wait, what? Gavin, is that true?"

Gavin looked a little embarrassed.

"He told me, and I fuckin' quote, 'If you do anything to her, you're going to have to answer to me'. Do you know what a bad fuckin' idea that is? Does he even know what I used to do for a living?" Mason's eyes narrowed in rage.

"I'm just trying to protect you," Gavin said to me after shooting Mason a vindictive glance. Was he jealous?

"Gavin, you really need to be careful. You need to calm down," I said, my anxiety rising. I put a hand on his shoulder. He seemed to soften before me.

"Look, I'm sorry, just..."

"You're goddamn crazy," Mason said, looking at Gavin. "You don't own her. She can take care of her damn self. Have you even met this girl? She saved me from being knifed in an alleyway. She's kickass, she doesn't need you breathing down her damn neck."

I looked from Mason to Gavin, then to Will, who had an expression of sheer, dumbfounded shock on his face. He'd never so much as spoken to Mason, so he had barely any idea where this was coming from.