Burning Inside

Part 2 (of 3)

So I didn't realize that wattpad removed my italics, so this story is easier to read if you view it on ao3. You can still read it here though!!

                "Levi? Where were you? I missed you! Mike did, too, right Mike? Mike missed you the most. He almost started crying when I pointed out that you were missing. Right? Don't shake your head! Mike's lying, Levi, he really did mi-"

                "Shut the hell up," Levi groans, pushing past Hanji. Hanji must've been waiting for him, as the second that he stepped foot out of the men's locker room and into the hallway, Hanji hopped up and shoved herself right in front of him. She probably found some way to keep Mike with her, too, as that's likely the only reason that the guy is even here right now and not off doing nefarious Mike things. Whatever that entails.

                "Don't be such a grumpy-goo," Hanji whines. "And- oh? Eren? Is that- Eren!"

                Levi's pushed, rather roughly, off to the side, where he collides with Mike. Levi's able to straighten himself out in time, however, to see Eren get squished against the wall right beside the locker room exit, Hanji's face close to his and her arms around his shoulders. She's rambling on about something, but Levi can't hear it through Eren's choked pleas of "please, please get off of me-"

                It's actually Mike who steps up and drags Hanji away from where she'd been coddling Eren. He pulls her to the opposite wall, only the three or four feet of narrow hallway separating Eren from Hanji. Levi moves over to take his place next to Eren, only to find that Eren's laughing.

                "S'not really the best way to make friends," Mike says with a hint of nervousness in his tone. He still has one hand over Hanji's shoulder, keeping her pressed to the wall.

                "Make friends? I'm not trying to make friends!" Levi dearly wishes Hanji would lower her voice. There are still other boys in the locker room just behind them. "Eren's already my friend! We're like best friends, too. I know where he lives. I also know his favorite color. It's blue. He-"

                "Erm," Eren interrupts her, "That, uh, that's enough. I think they get it."

                "No, please," Levi rolls his eyes, "Tell me more. Tell me everything you know about Eren."

                It comes off as sarcastic, but Levi honestly wouldn't mind sitting and listening to Hanji for hours on end if the subject is centered around a certain male cheerleader.

                "Well-"

                "Ah, no, no, no, Hanji, uh, we're good. Um, Levi?"

                "Yeah?"

                "Can you- can you take me to your locker?"

                Levi raises his eyebrows at him, a little disappointed at the subject change, but shrugs and grips onto Eren's elbow. Hanji tries to follow them, but thankfully, Mike's there to stop her.

                "Why my locker, brat?" Levi attempts to make small talk, leading Eren through the few hallways that separate them from Levi's locker. His locker's located on the bottom floor, situated on the hall where the icky math classrooms are. Levi wants to throw up every time he enters that damned hallway. His strong suit isn't in numbers. It's in athletics.