Lionheart

Chapter 9

A/N: Dedicated to @do_obzZZ for getting me off my ass by being such a sweetheart. Good thing you mentioned wanting to know more about Adam; that's exactly what I've been planning so enjoy and I'm sorry for the overdue update.

                Mallory comes to a halt in the middle of the hallway. She tilts her head and squints her eyes.

                Woah. Hold up.

                She’s sure isn’t mistaken; Nick stands in this odd way that she can’t place. This kink of his is hardly noticeable for others, but considering all that time she spent glaring at him from a distance, Nick kind of has his own way of standing. It’s strange because it is possible for a lot of people to stand ram-rod straight while relaxing their shoulders, but Mallory can somehow identify Nick by the way he stands, common as it may seem. He just looks so bored and disciplined at the same time that it’s almost pitiful and Mallory just doesn’t get it. Her sister must see Nick…

                Mallory pinches herself. Focus!

                Something must have happened while she wasn’t watching Nick like a hawk. He and Seth are actually holding a legitimate conversation—at least, from what she can see. Seth looks all bubbly so it must mean that. Nick still looks pretty much like a recluse, still, but this is progress.

                Oh, and Seth’s smiling gloriously. His shoulders are shaking from suppressed laughter. Marvelous.

                Mallory doesn’t dare interrupt them both, so she quickly ducks away in search of Adam.

                It doesn’t take too long. She wanders aimlessly around the halls, shoving past freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors alike and making sure to let the birds fly whenever she needed them to. Somehow she just finds Adam near the cafeteria’s entrance without really paying much attention to where she is.

                Adam waves at Mallory; she waves back.

                “You look extra happy today,” he remarks, grinning down at her.

                Mallory points at his grin. “So do you.”

                His eyes crinkle at the sides much like Seth’s do, and it’s so cute she just wants to pinch his cheeks until they hurt.

                “I’ve thought of how you can make it up to me. But first, why don’t we get something to eat?"

                “Gotcha.”

                She and Adam have been hanging out with each other ever since the eavesdropping incident which was actually only three days ago. It’s still odd to Mallory that they’ve actually spent so much some time together, so she’s assuming that Adam doesn’t really have any friends either. Although, she has seen him fooling around with some juniors and seniors, but maybe he’s like her: picky with friends. They have a lot in common, but he still finds her pretty strange—not that she can really blame anyone for that; everyone’s so normal. Adam is kind of normal. He’s self-conscious, but he hangs out with Mallory and seems to have or have had a thing with Seth that she would be happy not to think about in specific detail.

                When Adam takes his place in the queue for food, Mallory points to the mess of tables that take up the rest of the cafeteria. “I’ll go find a place to sit,” she says and leaves without waiting for an answer.