“Come on, come with me and we’ll find them.” He walked ahead, beckoning me to follow. I noticed the way he fought hard not to touch me, even though he seemed naturally inclined to do so, his hand twitching to grab my arm as he beckoned me, and I wondered what exactly the guys had told him when they asked him to look out for me.
I followed him through the packed hall, not one girl daring to hurl insults at me as I passed with him close. It seemed he was somewhat of a celebrity within the school, someone the other kids didn’t want to piss off for whatever reason. Other’s moved out of his way when he passed, and almost everyone gave him a greeting, wave or chin lift as he passed. I guessed that it had something to do with how rich his family was. I’d seen Charlie’s house, and knew they must be very wealthy. Since wealth seemed to denote popularity at Griffin Wood, it made sense.
We ended up near the entrance to the locker rooms, and Charlie directed me into a quiet corner, putting himself between me and the crowds passing through.
“I’ll text the guys to meet us here.” He already had his cell out and was typing away. It beeped almost instantly in return and he grinned, then looked up to me.
“They’re coming now.” He told me, much to my relief. I resolved never to leave a class without one of them ever again.
“If you want we could exchange numbers. Then if you ever get stuck and can’t find the guys, you can call me. Sort of a backup for you.” He offered. I studied him hard, trying to find some ulterior motive to why he was being so kind, but I couldn’t find any. He seemed genuine, and more than that, I saw a pain behind his false bravado and charm, that I related to. I had no idea what this rich, handsome, kind guy was dealing with, but it was something that weighed him down, as my darkness did me. It endeared me to him more. I liked him, not the way I liked my guys, but as a friend, and I definitely needed friends.
“Ok. If you’re sure you wouldn’t mind?” I replied, smiling for the first time since the whole fiasco started.
“Of course I wouldn’t. You need anything, you can call me. I’d like us to be friends.” He took my cell that I held out, and typed his number in, then sent himself a text. He was just handing me my cell back when Matt came rushing through the crowd, Cole right on his heels.
“Livy, we were worried.” Matt gasped, as though he sprinted all of the way. He took Charlie’s spot before me and pulled me into a brief hug.
“Sorry. I finished early and went to my locker. I should have just waited.” I explained, as I basked in the heat and safety of his body.
“Kurtis was hounding her to go to his party on Saturday.” Charlie added.
“Kurtis?” Cole turned to me fast. “Did he touch you?”
“No…..not really. It was fine….Charlie intervened before he really said anything.” I replied hurriedly, not wanting Cole going and starting trouble on my behalf.
“You need to stay away from him, Livy. He’s bad news.” Matt had released me from his arms, but now stood holding me to his side with one arm.
“I will. I didn’t get a good vibe from him.” I agreed, just the thought of those dark eyes locked on me making me feel ill.
“Thanks for having her back, man.” Cole said as he and Charlie did a weird handshake, hug, back slap combo. Matt nodded his thanks too,
“No problem. We swapped numbers, and Livy is gonna call me if she needs to in future, right?” He looked down to me with that hundred watt smile, and I couldn’t help but return it. His cheesy charm, which oozed from him, was sweet, if a little much.
“Right.” I agreed. “Thanks again.”
“Anytime. I gotta split or I’ll be late for class. See you at practice Cole?” He was already half way down the corridor, yelling to us enthusiastically.
Cole nodded once, then Charlie was gone, and I found myself in Cole’s arms, the life squeezed from me.
“Don’t disappear like that again please, beautiful. If you finish early, or have to go anywhere without us, just drop us a text so we know where you are. We were worried.”
“I will. I’m sorry.”
“What did Kurtis say to you anyway?” Matt asked. They both crammed me back into the protected corner and were listening eagerly.
“Nothing really.” I hedged. “He just introduced himself, but I didn't get a good feeling from him, so I tried to walk away. He tried to stop me and that’s when Charlie arrived.”
“He didn’t say anything inappropriate to you?” Cole pushed.
“No. He said he just wanted to invite me to a party. It was just me overreacting mainly. I’ve been uneasy all day though. A lot of guys have been looking at me oddly. Do you know why?” I saw the glance they exchanged and knew instantly they were planning to keep something from me.
“What?” I asked more sharply. “You guys know something don’t you? Tell me…..please.” I looked from Matt to Cole, my expression set to show I was not going to drop this until one of them spilled.
“It’s just some idiots, Babygirl. Nothing for you to worry about.” Cole tried to evade, but I stared him down, unrelenting. I needed to know what was going on, so I could be better prepared to handle said idiots. Cole sighed deeply, then spoke again. “This is bullshit Livy, so I don’t want you putting any thought or worry into it. It’s just, word of our relationship has spread around school, and some of the guys…well, they assume because you’re willing to date all four of us, that you…..that maybe they could
