Chapter Nineteen

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The dinner guests were unexpected, and it was an odd assembly. Monroe sat next to his dad, an unfamiliar man next to him, and then Cameron. Noah and Jenny were on the opposite them. Eli walked into the kitchen with steeled nerves ready to be yelled at, but from the smile he was greeted with from both Jenny and his dad it was clearly not going to happen. Not yet anyway.

"You better not have eaten yet" Jenny warned as she stood up, moving to the stove.

"Let me help with that" The stranger followed her. He cast a quick glance over Eli, and smiled when they're eyes met.

Eli lowered himself into the only vacant chair, uncomfortably placed between Noah and Cameron at the head of the table, and put the bag V had given him between his feet. Eli studied the man once more, before flitting his eyes to Cameron.

Cameron was already looking at him, as though waiting for Eli's attention to move to him. "That's Shane" He explained, "He runs the boarding house."

"You didn't text me"

Cameron flashed a quick smile, though it was half a grimace. "I wanted to surprise you." Eli's expression must have shown the discontent that immediately flashed through him, because Cameron abandoned the smile in favour of the more put out expression. His lips curved down in a frown, and his eyes shone with clear irritation. "My phone was confiscated."

"You say that as if you've been wronged" Shane chuckled as he re-joined them, bringing with him as many plates as he could balance. Two.

Cameron jerked his gaze to Shane. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Tell that to your mother" Shane shrugged, dismissing the annoyed tone that was directed at him. "I'm not giving it back until she gives the okay"

"What did you do?" Noah asked.

Cameron narrowed his eyes at him. Noah's eyes gleamed at Cameron with a sharp unfriendliness, and Eli had no doubt his interest lied in getting to hear something bad that Cameron had done.

"The usual" Cameron smiled, while his eyes matched the sharpness that Noah directed at him. "Talking to your little brother in the middle of class."

Shane glanced warily between the two boys, and Monroe broke from his conversation with Marcus to watch the animosity unfolding.

"Eli" His dad said with a short breath, "Just because you were free to talk doesn't mean your classmates were. You should think about the situation they're in too."

Eli wanted to point out that Cameron called him, but he didn't want to say it in front of Noah. Instead he tilted his head to Cameron, drawing the eyes that were daring Noah to say more, and offered an insincere "sorry"

Cameron smiled. A smile that said he knew Eli was keeping his silence, and siding with him in the spat with Noah. "I could be moved to forgive you."

"Could you"

Noah interrupted by quizzing Cameron about soccer.

Eli noticed Jenny frowning in his direction, and wasn't surprised the others could pick up on his dislike toward Cameron. Eli drew out the book Richard have given him, distracting himself with the first few pages. A thick smell of coffee wafted up from the paper. He observed the pencil marks scratched into the margins, and identified Richard's handwriting. This must have been a book related to one of his papers.

Cameron nudged the back of his hand.

Eli moved the book away and a generous helping of food was placed in front of him. It was at least twice what he'd eat on ordinary day. Cameron chuckled.

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