Ineffable

24 | FEELING UP HIS ARMS

This is all short-lived.

Benjamin laughs. "What? Need some backup?"

"You bloody piece of—" I step forward but stop when Colt and Nick come and make space between us.

"No fights. Rule number three of soccer practices!" Nick reminds us, sternly.

Benjamin still stares at me as ready to fight me. Trust me, I can but I let Colt pull me away.

"What was that?" He asks me when I break free from him. "What the fuck does he want?"

"He wants me to stay out of his way—whatever fuck that means."

"Ah, of course," Colt replies, rolling his eyes. "You are his competition."

I say, "I do not have low standards to pronounce him as my competitor."

Colt laughs. "Geez, Noah. I think hanging out with Iris is making you sassy."

Nick says, coming to us, "One Iris is enough for all of us."

"Mix that with Adi and Alyssa." Colt shakes his head. "A whole lot of otherworldly drama will go on."

"You good?" Nick asks me. "Ben is being Ben as usual."

"He wanted a fight," I tell him, leaving out the part where I wanted to fight him too.

"Look, no matter—" Nick holds me by my shoulder and starts to say but stops, looking at my arms. "Dude, how many times do you work out? These guns are something to di—"

"Nick," Colt and I say, together, and I pull away from him, feeling uncomfortable with him fanning over my arms.

Nick rubs his neck and says, "Oh, sorry. Geez, you are just a reminder that I need to go to the gym more often."

Colt says back, "I almost thought you were feeling up his arms."

Nick gives him a look but turns to look at my arms. "His arms are the type to feel up but I am not in the mood—like ever, remember?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Appreciate the talk of my arms but can you both just not?"

Both of them laugh and I turn just to notice Caleb passing us. He turns and gives me a glare, before moving away. Every practice, he glares at me as if my existence is a problem for him but I know better than he is just looking out for Iris.

"Caleb will come around, don't worry," Nick says, sighing.

"I doubt that," I reply.

"Agreeing with Noah, here." Colt scoffs. "When it comes to Iris, he becomes her over-protective bodyguard."

Nick sighs. "Well, he needs to know that Noah and Iris are just friends." He turns to me. "Right?"

"Right," I answer.

I am not lying.

Being friends is important to me as someone who doesn't have a lot of them in their lives. Iris is fresh air to my polluted life. So, there is no chance that I will risk that.

Iris and I are just friends and will remain that until and unless she says otherwise.

Colt stares intensely at me as if he wants to say something but stops when Coach calls out, "Team! Gather up, practice starts."

***

Colt and I are in different teams.

Caleb and I are on the same team.