The Degenerates - Under Edit

e i g h t e e n

More time had passed, and I was about to step up and make a bee line for my car, but a rustle rang out from behind me. I heard heavy footsteps approach the Pavilion. I swallowed the nervous saliva down in a ball, it was a man. I could tell by the way he walked. Heavy and loud, confident, as if to make his presence known. He was not going to sneak up behind me.

I stood up to greet the stranger when he rounded the staircase, and my breath hitched.

"Theo," I stated. Of course, I should have known.

"Hello, Neijla," he said casually, but his eyes glinted with something else, "nice to see you again."

I grit my teeth, "Apparently you see me a lot." I tossed his note in a ball at his feet.

His lips pursed into a smirk, "Trey was right about you."

I did not answer him, but followed him as he moved around me.

"Don't worry," Theo said with a laugh as he watched my cautious behaviour, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to talk. I do have to apologise, my note must have struck a different chord."

I tried to not let him get to me, manipulation was ingrained in his voice, and it was so easy for him to pour it out, a nasty habit yet to be kicked. He oozed confidence, but threatened danger. I wished Trey knew I were here.

"I may have gotten off the wrong foot with you," Theo explained, "Trey is not my biggest fan, as you could probably tell, but I don't want that getting in the way of our workmanship."

"Workmanship?"

"Yes, Neijla." Theo said with a smile, "I think we would make a great team."

I felt my face contort, what was he talking about?

"Please, can we sit?" Theo said, gesturing to the seat. He wore a worn denim jacket and a black tee shirt underneath, almost as if he couldn't feel the cold at all.

I sat next to him, maintaining some distance, but I studied him up close. He had raised, but very faded scarring across his face, something you couldn't see from a longer distance. He had had a fair amount of roughing up done to him; maybe previously, he would have been quite an attractive man. He had clear, blue eyes, blonde hair, maintained well. I wondered what happened to him in his past that made him the way he was now.

"You know Trey has this, thing," he gestured with his hands, "against me, but if we look past that, we made one hell of a duo."

"Why aren't you this duo anymore?" I asked him.

Theo cocked a smile, "Let's just say it's easier to have the two kingslayers on opposite teams, rather than on the same. It's more fun that way."

I frowned, but attempted to hide my curiousness. Why can't Trey just be honest with me about his relationship with Theo?

"Whilst he is on a team of his own, I think you and I would work brilliantly."

I scoffed, "Sorry, I'm not up for being some sort of vigilante, nor am I up for choice in a shitty chess game you two are playing."

Theo's face flashed with something I could not decipher, and he forced a smile, "He said you were a sharpshooter."

Theo stood up quicker than I had time to react, and he yanked me up by my arm, "This is not a game, Neijla. But you do have a choice on who's side you're on."

I remained calm under his grip, and I forced my face to remain deadpan, "What the hell do you want me for?"

"I can see you, sneaking around, breaking into the frat house," he sneered, "I have eyes everywhere. And as much as it pains me to see that you are siding with him, I think you'd be an excellent allie and I'm willing to let it slip that you want to play house with Trey."

"I'm not willing to do anything,"

His grip hardened and my elbow pressed against my hip, forcing the blade point to pierce the skin of my thigh. I flinched upon impact, and Theo caught my eye. His eyes travelled down to his wrist, and then back up to mine. His face contorted, and a small smirk broke out. Swiftly, he switched his grip to his other hand, and pressed the spot where the handle of the blade was tucked into my waist.

He snickered, "I'm going to have to teach you a few things, I think." Theo pressed the blade, forcing it further into my leg, causing myself to let a tiny yelp escape.

He released my arm, and his smirk fell. "I'm really not here to hurt you,"

"Whether you like it or not, you, and lover boy, are my allies. And not to say that it isn't fair game between us, but I can tell you that whoever knocked that son of a bitch off, wasn't anyone we know."

I sat down, taking in a small breath when my knife wound suppressed when my hip hinged to sit. "It wasn't you?"

Theo gave me a sardonic look, "If I wanted to kill someone, the person dead wouldn't even know it. So no, it was not me. Trey doesn't know either, and we're at a crossroads."

"You and Trey have been discussing this?"

Theo let a small, thin smile break out, "He doesn't tell you much,"

I glared at him. Don't let him plant that seed.

"None of my business."

"The point is, that it would be much easier if you were to just go along and stop messing with things on your own."

He sounded like Trey, telling me that I were too inexperienced to join their sand pit, like I were a child marching into battle. I sat back, trying not to make any audible noise that I were in pain, "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Whatever Trey says for now, I trust him," Theo heckled, "for the most part."

I nodded meekly, and he flashed a dire grin, "though, it would be much better if you were my little soldier."

I swallowed my disgust, and I did not answer, and Theo stood from his spot on the Pavilion seat, "Before we go, I do want to show you something, just to help with your little investigation." Theo pulled out his phone from his pocket, typed furiously, and then slid it back in, grinning, his eyes sparkling.

Sick bastard.

"Neijla, I would to formally introduce you to my good friend," Theo opened his arms, as if to welcome somebody in, "James Chadwick."

I stood up abruptly, suddenly my leg and it's radiating pain, was no longer a point of concern. My breath hitched, James stepped up from the Pavilion, his face dark. The same, unruly look he wore when he jimmied his way into my dorm room stood out like a sore thumb. He was no Brad.

"Oh, fuck." I muttered.

"Oh, fuck indeed," Theo nodded, his face thoughtful, "You see our problem now?"