Locked Wheels

Chapter 4

Karkat glared and him and scoffed sharply, his cheeks burning dully. "Go away."

Dave started to say something else, but was cut off by the bell. He winked at Karkat once more before he turned around. "See you later, babe."

Karkat tried to pay attention to the lesson, but the entire time he could feel Dave's eyes on his neck. He kept finding himself glancing back towards Dave's seat in the back of the class, and every time he did Dave would smile and wink at him. Each time he did, Karkat's cheeks warmed a bit, and by the time the bell rang at the end of the period, his entire face was red and fiery.

"Hey, KitKat," Dave said, sidling up to Karkat. "So, about that--"

"--You're not getting my fucking phone number."

"How do you know I was gonna ask again?" Dave said innocently. "What if I wanted to ask about something else?"

"Because. I know you. And you're not getting my phone number."

"Why not?"

"Because," Karkat said, frowning down at Dave. "I'm not in the business of handing out my phone number to complete strangers."

"But we're not complete strangers."

"But we're not friends either."

"Oh, so you only let your friends have your phone number."

"I never said that," Karkat replied as they stopped in front of his classroom.

"So is it just me you won't give it to then?" Dave said, raising an eyebrow.

"I never said that either," he said flatly as the bell rang. "Don't you have someone else to annoy somewhere else?"

Dave smirked at him as he turned to go towards his own class, but didn't say anything else. Karkat was glad to have an entire two periods without him, but before lunch, Dave found him again.

"So if we're not friends and we're not strangers, then what are we?" Dave pretended to pout at Karkat. "At least tell me I'm something special to you."

Karkat rolled his eyes. "Special asshole, maybe."

"Well, that's no way to talk to your not-friend not-stranger," Dave pretended to scold.

"Fuck off," Karkat muttered as they went into the cafeteria.

"Ooh." Dave smirked at him. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"I don't have a mother."

"Oh. Well I bet if you did she'd be pissed if you kissed her with a mouth like that."

Karkat only rolled his eyes and scoffed. He turned away from Dave and started to walk towards the other side of the cafeteria.

"Hey, where are you goin'?" Dave called after him. "Aren't you gonna sit with us?"

"No," Karkat said. "Because I want to actually eat my lunch in peace for once."

"In peace and by yourself?" Dave asked. "What are you, the 'misunderstood' emo kid from some shitty werewolf book? And besides, you haven't even met John yet. I've been telling him all about you. All good things, I assure you."

"Are your friends gonna interrogate me again?" Karkat asked flatly.

"Maybe. But don't worry. I'll make sure they don't bother you too much."

Karkat sighed softly and rolled his eyes again. "Fine. But only because I don't have anywhere else to sit." Under his breath, he muttered, "And it's the only way to get you to shut up."