Hunting the Fairy Tale

Chapter 63 - The Green-Eyed Monster

Hunter

"So, Buddy, there's been a formal request that ye don't help attach cards to the chocolates after school today," Dex informs me when we're both seated at our desks in the English class. 

It is our first period after homeroom and when we met up on our way here, it was also the first time I saw him today. 

"Apparently, there were some concerns raised about having ye surrounded by chocolates. People seem to think that ye have no self-control and that the chocolates will end up being eaten."

I laugh, slapping him on the back. "Thanks, Bro, you know me so well and you always have my back."

"Ye're welcome. It took some convincing because many of the lasses were only eager to help because they thought they'd get to spend some time with ye. I felt a right bastard destroying their hopes like that."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that all by yourself," I shake my head. 

The dude is really good at talking garbage!

I wasn't at this morning's leadership meeting, because I was on duty, patrolling the hallways, helping lost kids find their classes, stopping fights, and engaging in mischief... I mean preventing mischief... that kind of thing. I like being on duty when there are meetings. I hate meetings. I don't like being on duty during break time, but at least that is very infrequent.

"Don't really know how to break it to you, Dex, especially now that you've apparently put your life on the line to save me from card-pasting duty this afternoon, but I wasn't planning on sticking around to help."

"Neither am I," Dex laughs. "Blanche officially requested that I not be there either, she made it clear that she's going to be in charge of the project and hand-picked her team. I told her that she was being racist or sexist or elitist... I left it open-ended for her to choose her own ist... and she chose realist, which does seem to be the most accurate one. She seems to know me pretty well too."

Dex is systematically driving Blanche up the walls on occasion, but she appreciates his strengths and knows how to avoid his weaknesses. Having Dex help paste cards to chocolates could have the same end result as having him help change his bike's brake fluid.

"So, you and Willow made up?" he asks, giving me a suspicious look.

"We weren't fighting," I avoid the question, digging in my bag for my English books.

Dex snorts, giving me a poke in the ribs. "Come on!"

"I told you; I got a little jealous and said some stupid things, but we've cleared it up... I'm... not... jealous anymore now... It was just a moment of weirdness."

He is not stupid. He is not buying it at all, looking at me with narrowed eyes. He has every right to look at me like that. I'm talking trash. I never hide things from him, but I haven't told him about the kiss in the kitchen yesterday and the horrible panic attack that went with it. I also haven't told him about the slight kiss last night and the long cold shower I had to take afterwards.

I read somewhere that cold showers are really good for the skin... I'm on my way to having the healthiest skin in Briar Cove.

I'm not sure why I'm not telling Dex, maybe because if I did, he'd tell me what I already know and I am trying really hard not to know it. 

I cannot be developing feelings for Willow; that would be a friggin' disaster. I need to keep my distance, but just seeing her or hearing her voice makes me forget that I'm trying to keep my distance. 

I can't talk about that now.

"Rather tell me why you've been acting weird since we saved Eddie last night. You've been giving these wicked grins ever since."