He's Just a Skater Boy (boyxboyxboy)

Chapter 42: Exchanging Numbers

"I'm in charge of him. Not you." He said, the calm, kind smile still on his face as he spoke, but an edge slipping into his voice. I saw Callen open his mouth to reply, looking startled.

"But I-"

"Please don't try to take my duties away from me. If you would like to be in charge of him you can leave a message with the headmaster and we can discuss it. For now, I tell him what to do."

"Then make him-"

"Leave." Jacob interrupted loudly, his voice taking on a sharp edge to it that made me jump slightly. "A message with the headmaster." He finished, a deceitfully kind smile resting on his face by the end.

He turned around and started walking, his pace even quicker than before that walking after him wasn't actually so easy.

I couldn't help but look back to the surprised expression on Callen's face. Confused, but also really damn angry. I don't think I'd ever seen him look quite so red. I imagine it must have been a shock to have Jacob talk like that to him. He should have been the president of The Rule Fanclub and here he was...

Somehow... Even though I knew Jacob was just being Jacob, and I got the sense he was mainly irritated that someone else was telling me what to do, for some reason... I still had this nice feeling that lingered in my chest. Like... there was someone on my side.

He didn't care about me, and that wasn't what that was about, but it still felt pretty good. I'm not sure anyone has ever stopped someone from grilling me.

I didn't really have many relationships at this school, Amir included. Even though he hung around at the skatepark before he stole Atlas's phone we didn't talk much at school. In a sense I was pretty isolated here. When people stopped me and told me off and took out their power trips on me, it sometimes felt like me versus the world, especially when the people passing smiled in response, like they were pleased the bad kid was getting taught a lesson.

He wasn't defending me. I told myself. But somehow my heart didn't believe it.

I heard footsteps behind us for a second and turned, thinking maybe Callen was following us but saw no one. I looked up toward the broad shoulders on the guy marching ahead of me. Was he going to ask me to do up my top button at some point?

I almost ran into Jacob when we finally reached the lockers and he stopped, all of a sudden, flinging his locker open and grabbing the books out, putting them into his backpack and zipping it closed in one fluid motion, without saying a word.

I opened mine and took out my science book, awkwardly pulling it from the bottom of the pile I had already accumulated.

"Take your kit too, PE after double science and we're staying behind for the break studies so you won't have time to pick it up."

"We're what?" I groaned. "Can't you just-"

He tapped his cheek. I was taken off guard for a moment and stared at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "You haven't greeted me."

I stared up at him.

He waited silently, looming over me expectantly. As if it was the most natural thing to do in the world.

Greeted him...

Right. The way I greet people... The way people do in Thailand...

I swallowed. Wasn't he the least bit weirded out by that? Why did he want me to greet him that way. People will think he's gay if I keep doing that every day.