Partners In Crime [On Hold]

Chapter Fourteen

"Then I said, noooo, really? Even though I didn't care, I had to put up a face that told him that I indeed did care about how he saved an ant from getting run down. But what don't you do to get laid nowadays. And by the way, my mom is half mermaid."

I was staring ahead at the whiteboard and only picked up the last word of Nove's rambling.

I turned to him frowning. "What?"

"So you weren't listening, were you. I feel hurt. Here I am telling you about my life's greatest peak yet there you are not giving a damn." Nove raised an angry brow. "I don't appreciate you much now."

"Sorry," I snapped back, thrusting my head back to the board. "I got stuff on my mind."

"Awlon stuff."

"Yes, I mean, what?" I shuddered. "No, no not that."

"Then what?"

I hummed hesitantly. "I have a murder to plan."

Later this day Awlon had rudely brushed me off when I had quite politely told him I couldn't make it to the library. He only looked at me like the plague and walked off. Seemingly pissed. But what could he be mad about? He should've had a field day. Escaping minutes of studying with me, his sworn enemy would seem like heaven to him.

But he seemed angry.

The fact I never could get this guy frustrated me more than I wanted to. He was like this ball I could never exactly pin down. So far away, yet so close.

What the hell was up with him?

"So it is Awlon." Nove says matter-of-factly. "Don't kill him though. That'd make a lot of girls sad."

"He's a douche, a maniac, a schizophrenic, no that would be offending on crazy people's behalf. He is an obnoxious invaluable being. Yes, exactly that." I let my steam off, sinking to my desk. "Nove, what am I supposed to do?"

"Go along with it." He replies bluntly. "No matter what, you need this grade, right?"

I nod.

"And he could help with that, correct?"

I nod, though hesitant.

"So the worst he could do is eat you. Comprende?"

I glare at him, but he only grins.

"Don't back down, Avery." His eyes glimmer suspiciously. "He's a challenge. Don't you wanna win?"

"Win what?"

Nove leans in, winking. "Your pride?"

I snort as if offended and sit straight, crossing my arms. "My pride is perfectly fine, thank you very much."

"Yet," Nove shrug. "Here you are complaining about one teeny weeny tattooed guy. Not much for your female pride, is it?"

I huff and puff and snort and make all crazy sounds in disagreement. "He's not teeny weeny. He's evil."

"If he's evil," Nove says, the bell ringing in the background. "Be Satan himself." He finishes with a laugh, packing up.

I give the thought some time to stick and I realize he's right.

What kind of an awkward little wussie am I? Sure the dude was frightening as a bat (Oh, gross.), but I could be worse, couldn't I?

Yeah.

All I needed was to use street smarts. Heck, I was Latino. This should be in my blood.

To handle a thug, be worse than a thug. Street life. Straight as it is.