A weird tingle surged up my spine, tickling the back of my neck and making every hair stand on end.
I reluctantly look up from my physics textbook, expecting to meet my neighbor's cold grey eyes, but his gaze is lower, lower than it should be since my eyes were on my face last time I checked.
I awkwardly clear my throat, zipping my hoodie up as far as it goes, however Joquin's intense, icy gaze doesn't waver.
"Joquin?" I ask weakly, reaching in front of my feet to make sure my elderly lard of a bulldog, Sir Paw Mcbarkney, was still conveniently blocking the path between where Joquin was sitting on the ottoman in front of me and the door. McBarkney didn't have very much bite left, but I found comfort in knowing he's one more thing to trip over if Joquin decides to sporadically go on a choking spree or gets the urge to wear my skin as a suit.
He blinks slowly, breathing way too heavily to be studying for AP Physics.
"Do you ever wonder if he will like...eat you?" He gawks, pushing his circular frames back onto his nose.
"E-excuse me?" I choke, quickly regaining my composure after remembering a rumor that he could literally smell fear. "Eat me?"
He nods slowly. "You know, like if you died or something? Think about it. He's a big dog. Do you think he would respect your corpse after not eating for a few days, or would he lick your bones clean like a dead opossoum on the side of the freeway?"
I nervously giggle, rubbing the back of my neck and using the tip of my bony elbow to poke Kaleb in the throat. He was absentmindedly tapping his pencil along to the Bob Marley flooding his headphones when he gagged, his brown eyes temporarily bulging out of his skull before turning to me.
"What the fuck was that for?" He wheezes, wiping a stray tear from his cheek.
"Break." I mutter, slamming my textbook closed and rising from my seat. "I think we need to take a break. Like, now."
"No way!" Kaleb objects, glancing down at his Apple watch. If looks could kill, he'd be dead by now. I glance at Joquin and then back at him, rasing my eyebrows as high as I can manage. Of course, my brother doesn't get it.
Twin telepathy is a sham.
"She's right." Joquin adds sheepishly. I crane my neck towards him, about to ask him it he was serious when I catch adjusting something underneath his cargo shorts. "I'm afraid nature calls. Bathroom?"
"First door on the right." I sigh, internally cringing at the bulge in his shorts. I could only hope that someone could be bothered enough to replace the empty box of Kleenex on the sink.
"I can't do this." I blurt once he was a safe distance away. "He was starting right at my..." I trail off, silently thanking God for my dark skin since my cheeks felt warm. "I-I think he had a boner!"
"Yeah no shit." Kaleb murmurs, typing something on his laptop. "Thing damn near went into my mouth when he was scooting by. It's like a third arm."
"Kaleb!" I whine, squirming in my chair. I had the sudden urge to shower....and pray. "Dahmer Jr. Is literally sitting three feet away and you're over here tapping away like Travis fucking Barker!"
"Well Essie, I don't know what to tell you." He hisses, slamming his pencil down in exasberation. "This is the biggest project of the year and he's the smartest kid in our class. I can't help that he happens to have a crush on you."
"I can!" I exclaim, gathering up Joquin's books and stuffing them in his Jansport slingbag. "This has gone on for long enough. He has to leave."
Kaleb's eyes widen. "Are you crazy? I don't care if I'm bumping knees with the seed of Chucky! He's my only shot an A in this class and he's staying."
