Equivalent

13 | Pact

Lila

He clasps his hands in front of me, and I scan the scabs on his knuckles. They're cracked and dry, but something about it kind of turns me on. Gives that rugged look to a dude- one that girls get on their knees to praise. In another lifetime, I would've been one of those girls, but learning in the hardest way possible, I knew that men only think about one thing.

"And what exactly would that be?" I inquire, unscrewing my water bottle. My throat was dry again, and I knew asking for milk was out of my comfort zone. The better part of me craves caffeine to sharpen my senses and seek out Henry's intentions on this fine morning.

"The games, however, you say it in Latin," He starts. "I know all there is about it."

I wait for him to continue, and he does. "I also know that you probably know a lot too." Now he's rambling, and I'm losing interest in what he has to say.

"Will you get to the point" I huff, dropping the fork onto the plate and intertwining my hands under my chin together.

"What do you say we work together?" The proposal leaves his lips, and I'm buckled over laughing. Does this preposterous jerk really think I would work with him after all the shit he put me through with Patrice? I would rather suck Tate's dick and then get run over by a bus.

"I'm serious," He deadpans, completely unamused by my laughter. I start to cough, and the room is quiet when I stop. Henry sits there, visibly clenching his jaw as his foot taps restlessly on the marble tiles. I take my last bite of the pancake and slide the fork painstakingly through my mouth. His eyes follow my movements, and it doesn't take a genius to realize he is sexually attracted to me.

My mind drifts back to our kiss last night. How stupid could I have been to invite a Falcon to play tonsil hockey with me?

This could be his way of getting in my pants, so I needed to be smart.

A small smirk lifts on my lips, and I place the fork down, pushing the empty plate toward him. "So what exactly are you proposing? We trick both our classmates into losing until it's just the pair of us?"

He nods with a shrug. "Considering they haven't even released the rules yet, I'd say that's not a bad idea, Shortcake."

The gears in my brain start to move. What exactly is he thinking?

"Meaning you and me. We work together. I know you've got this knowledge to jump apart from anyone else. After all, both of your brothers competed," He says, leaning back, almost falling off the chair. I'm too shocked at his suggestion to laugh at him.

"No way," I say, standing up. There was no way I was going to work with this hunka junk. And what exactly would it do to screw with things anyways?

He rolls his eyes at my dramatic response. "I'm not saying we have to be friends. I'm saying we can work with our talents combined. When the weaklings are knocked out, and the strongest people are fighting for a spot in the end."

I'm still confused. "I don't get it. How does us working together change anything."

"For a girl who's practically finished with her major degree and in the University's fellowship program, you're really slow." I narrow my eyes at him and scoff. Wow, he really went through the effort of doing a background check on me.

"Considering you're so obsessed with me that you practically want to date me, I wouldn't be talking too big, hotshot."

"You can stop talking about how sexy I am for a second now. Congrats." His lips curve, and I grunt with frustration. This kid was so annoying. I felt sorry for his parents.