Stake You

Chapter Ten

Deco sat next to me before Base could the next morning. I half-shrugged apologetically at Base, but he didn’t seem bothered. Maybe it would be nice to talk about something other than Sully and Aoife for a change.

It wasn’t.

“Aren’t you over it yet?” Deco whispered.

“Over what?”

“Us. Splitting up. It’s time we made up. People are starting to talk.”

My laughter turned into a snort of derision. “Let them. I don’t care what anyone says. I don’t make the same mistake twice.”

“Oh, is that why you’re hanging around with Base?” He spoke loudly as he glared in Base’s direction. Base turned in his seat to wink provocatively at him, pouting his lips and making me laugh again.

Deco scowled at me. “He’s not funny, Devlin.”

“I can hang around with anyone I like,” I insisted. “And making friends is never a mistake. What do you care anyway? You cheated on me.” I made myself furious just thinking about it.

“I didn’t actually cheat. Okay, so I spent time with someone,” he admitted. “But I didn’t do anything more than that.”

“That’s because I caught you,” I hissed under my breath. “Oh, forget this.” While the teacher’s back was turned, I grabbed my stuff and slipped into an empty seat beside Base.

“Not a word, please,” I whispered pleadingly, and he stared straight ahead, his mouth twitching. The teacher turned around, frowned, and then got on with the class.

Later, at lunch, Maisy got with the Deco program. “Maybe you should give him another chance,” she said. “Unless you’ve someone else on your mind,” she added, fluttering her eyelashes in Base’s direction.

“Enough of that,” I warned. “I’ve had enough of men to last me a lifetime.”

Maisy rolled her eyes. “I would hardly call Base a man.”

Base turned to her. “What was that?”

“Never mind.” I glared at Maisy. “She’s being her usual daft self.”

“Anyone see Aoife today?” he asked. Nobody had. Maisy raised her eyebrows in concern. Not at the fact Aoife wasn’t around, but at the idea he would ask about her in front of me when she clearly believed something was going on between us.

“I’m not with him,” I whispered to her, but she shrugged.

“It’s not a big deal,” she replied. “You can do whatever, and whoever, you like.”

I made a face. “You don’t have to make it sound so trampy.”

She laughed. “He’s really into that Aoife chick.”

“He’s worried about her. Because of the whole Sully thing. I’m worried for her, too.”

“She’ll be fine. She’s a big girl. You can’t be everyone’s big sister.”

I stared at her in surprise.

She smiled. “Don’t act like you don’t know what you do. That whole bitchy act doesn’t fool me, especially whenever someone needs help. I’m on to you, O’Mara.”

“I seriously have no idea what you’re on about, Maisy.” But I grinned as she patted my arm affectionately. Sometimes I was grateful to Deco for screwing up, because the result had been Maisy and I becoming much closer.

After school, Base and I headed straight for Aoife’s house. I sensed the nervousness emanating from Base, and it unsettled me, too.

Aoife’s home was a small cottage. The well-kept window-boxes made it look pretty, and I felt a twinge of embarrassment for the state of my own home. Base hesitated at the door, taking deep breaths as if working up the courage.