Nothing But Trouble

26/agreeing to trouble

chapter 26: agreeing to trouble
blake ren

        "Kyle Hunter?!" Violet gasped, so shocked she stopped the soggy school lunch carrot halfway to her mouth. Riley sat next to her with a bewildered, almost appalled look on her face.

        I didn't say anything, just let them read my expression as I hooked my arm under my leg I had on the empty spot next to me at the cafeteria lunch table. Riley shook her head in disbelief.

        "You're crazy."

        "She's a dumbass," Violet corrected. I winced but knew she wasn't wrong.

        "Was this his or his parent's idea?" Riley asked. We knew the answer. Of course, we all knew the answer.

        "It might've been the first original thought he's ever had in his life," I told them sarcastically. "If this was his parent's idea then that means they would be okay with this," I gestured to myself which was pretty self explanatory, "being an influence over their son."

        "Please, you know that kid does straight up coke on the weekends. I think you'd actually be a good example for Kyle Hunters," said Riley. I laughed and took a long slurp from the cherry slushie I got on our trip to the gas station two blocks from school.

        "Calm down, it's not like she's his life coach. She's his math tutor," Violet joked. Just at the same time, Jude and Lucas plopped themselves down at the table. I shifted my attention to the floor, gnawing on my straw uncomfortably.

        "Who's who's math tutor?" Jude inquired.

        Nosy, I thought to myself.

        "Blake has been appointed as Kyle Hunter's official calculus tutor," Violet announced proudly.  That put a puzzled look on Jude's face. I *threw my hands up, almost tempted to shrug at him.

        "Are you smart?" Jude's stupefied question was immediate. But Violet's wicked smack was even faster. "Ow! I didn't mean it like that!"

        "She's smart she just doesn't try at anything," Riley answered, throwing me a glare for my bad academic reputation. I sunk lower so I could be closer to the ground when it finally gives into my pleas and eats me in one bite. I flung my gaze elsewhere and accidentally made eye contact with Lucas.

        He was already watching me, not a smile in sight for the news he had heard about me and Kyle. His muscles looked stiff under his green crew neck sweatshirt. Lucas subconsciously cracked his knuckles one by one with his thumb. I found myself gazing—more like drooling over the thick silver rings on his fingers. Stupid. Fucking stupid.

        "How'd that even happen? Are you guys friends or something?" Jude asked.

        "Well actually, Kyle and I once considered each other childhood best friends. Life mates, if you would." I gazed off dramatically. Jude, enamored with what I was revealing to him, curiously peered in the same direction I had to see what I was seeing. I snapped my eyes back and tossed a cold french fry at his face. "The fuck I look like, Jude?!"

        Violet and Riley's resolve failed under pressure and the two of them spewed out their laughter, unable to contain it any longer. Jude's mouth dropped open, holding his hand to his chest like he had been physically wounded by my words. "That was so fucked up. I really believed you for a second."

        "It was longer than a second, babe." Violet patted her hand on his tattooed arm, but was obviously very amused by us. He scoffed and pretended to be mad, which caused Violet and him to inevitably put the rest of us singles through the torture of their PDA. Violet gleefully showered his face with kisses until there was enough objection from Riley and me. Lucas looked like he was physically at the table with us, but mentally somewhere completely different.