The Quirky Tale of April Hale (Quirky Series #1)

2.3: New World, New Blood, New... Me?

2.3: New World, New Blood, New... Me?

I always likened certain people's faces with animals. Ryder was a cat. He was cute. He was cuddly, even though he wouldn't ever say it out loud. He pretended that he hated to be chased around, but the moment I stop, he'd be pissed that I didn't continue chasing him. He would growl at me, and then be affectionate to me. And even though sometimes his romantic gestures didn't add up to the 'Males in Media''s romantic gestures, I knew that he loved me maybe even more than I loved him.

When I saw Trisha, I saw an otter. Eager to please and fond of holding hands with others. Mindy, a blind mole. Lauren, another from the feline family, but this one a tiger instead of a cat.

And then there's Alex the Fox.

His smile hid something. He might say one thing, but his body language say another. When he looks at people, it wasn't for the sake of looking. It was observational. Needless to say he freaked me out.

Especially with him sitting right across me, charming the unicorns out of the three girls, Trisha, Mindy and Lauren.

Ryder ate his grilled pork like he was devouring a boar he hunted hunted himself. He looked menacing, and as he chewed down the meat, he occasionally stole a glance towards Alex, who feigned indifference.

"-And of course I'd say 'fuck it, let's get hammered' and then of.course they'd all say yes," Alex continued his story, waving his hands around the moony eyed Trisha. "And that's why last week happened."

"Can't believe how easy it is for you to throw money around, Alex," Lauren laughed. "And it's your own money. What the hell."

I had only come to know Lauren for a few hours, but she never looked like she wasn't trying to kill you. Except with Alex. Then again, the FoxGuy was smart and smooth. According to Dr. Lecter, the more emotional intelligence you have, the easier it is for you to make people like you. I think Alex was winning in that area.

"Hey I'm not throwing any money. I just gathered a few friends and organised who brought what. It's easy and quite cheap," Alex said.

But his smile said, "Yeah, no. I do have lots of money."

And then Alex turned towards Ryder, "I sent you an invitation last week, remember?"

"Yeah, about Ryder," Trisha said, "So you guys really know each other? Ryder's girlfriend's staying with us, so we should hang out."

"He's an old friend," Alex flashed a foxy smile towards Ryder.

I half expected Ryder to go all predatory like it was usually the case with Alex and started using his fist instead of his mouth to communicate with him. But he actually smiled back. "Yeah, we go way back. So, which one of these three ladies you're trying to score?"

The really aggressive way Ryder asked him didn't daunt Alex even a little bit. In fact, with the subtle change in his facial expression, I'd say that Alex responded in glee. "Trisha, of course."

Lauren and Mindy made a squealing sound in unison, as if to make up for Trisha's complete and utter silence.

Alex then put a hand on Trisha's shoulder. "But you're into me, right?"

Trisha answered not with sound but with rigorous nodding. "I-I guess."

"That's really sweet, now since you guys have laid your cards in the table, can we leave now?" Lauren said icily while dragging Mindy along. She didn't wait for any of us to answer before sauntering off the diner.

The table was now occupied by the four of us, who started eating in silence. Ryder still seething with anger (I believe he's just one trigger away from releasing fume from his ears), Alex and Trisha stealing glances towards each other and then smiling not-so-discreetly.