Subject Me To Life [Book One] ✔️ *EDITING*

Chapter Eighteen

        It's lunch, and there has been no sign of Dakota at all— not that I've been looking out for him. Though it would be a lie to say I'm not curious to know out how his fight had gone on Saturday night.

        "I'm going to ask you a question," I inform Lilah who sits opposite me on the circular table. Amused, she nods her head, her back straightening slightly as she folds her arms in front of her. "So, a few days ago you mentioned the reason as to why Dakota was now speaking to me, but you didn't explain much... I want to know what's up with that."

        The ginger raises a filled-in eyebrow, "Where's the question?"

        "That is the question," I mumble to her, a frown on my face.

        She shakes her head, "I didn't hear no question."

        I close my eyes as I exhale through my nose, the frustration coursing through my veins is so intense I want to reach forward and choke her. "Just answer my question."

        Silence.

        "What question?"

        "Lilah!" I shout angrily in warning. Apparently it doesn't affect her as much as I hoped it would as she shakes her head in a silent laugh. I hate her.

        "I'm just messing with you," she waves me off, a grin on her red lips. "So you want to know the reason Dakota's acting different around you?" She clarifies. I nod stiffly, still refraining from harming her.

        Lilah had mentioned before that it had something to do with trust, but that didn't giving me much information, and, admittedly, I hadn't been listening. However, now that I'm allowing Dakota into my house, letting him tutor me, I decided it's best to gather as much intel about him as I can, just in case.

        "I say this with all the kindness and love in my heart, but Dakota's a bit strange," she shrugs, her voice serious. "I mean, not strange strange, but just when it comes to certain things... like trust." She look over her shoulder at the boys who are waiting patiently in line to get some food, apart from Zeke who's dancing around subtly on his feet like some sort of dance tapper, or tap dancer— whatever the fuck they're called.

        She turns back around after seeing they're still busy. "When he meets new people he doesn't really know how to act in front of them, so for the first few days he observes them... in a non-creepy way," she smiles sheepishly. "Then, once he's figured out to what extent he can trust someone, if at all, he starts acting normal again. It's weird, I know, but it's Dakota's way of protecting himself I suppose."

        Protecting himself? I can't help but wonder silently, not bothering to ask the redhead what she means. Honestly, it isn't any of my business, nor do I care, but I am a little bit curious.

        "You not eating anything, Kody?" Zeke asks with a frown as he takes a seat next to me, directing my attention to him. That boy is like a fucking leech, I swear it. "If you've forgotten your lunch or haven't got any money to buy some, you can share mine," he offers kindly, subconsciously sliding his tray in between us.

        "Stop talking to me."

        Zeke sighs at my response, but I don't miss the way he parts a few of his fries, almost as if he's halving them for me in case I change my mind. I won't.

        I don't like them. Lilah and her guard dogs are fucking annoying and drive me crazy. I can only just about tolerate them without feeling the need to shoot them right between their fucking eyes.

        "Hey!" Lilah pouts as she looks between myself and Freckles. "How comes you didn't offer me any food...?"

        Gray laughs as he throws his arm around her shoulder, kissing the side of her red hair as he smiles into her, "Didn't you just tell us this morning that you were going on a diet?"

        She folds her arms childishly over her chest and mumbles a small 'yeah'. "But hey," she then protests. "Aren't you supposed to tell me that I don't need to go on a diet and that I'm perfect the way I am?" She challenges playfully, though it still makes Gray sweat.

        When his brown eyes dart to mine, almost seeking help, I just glare. The fuck if I know what the fuck she's going on about.

        Landon decides to take the silence as a go-ahead to butt in. "He did tell you that, doll... the first twenty times you had told us you were going on a supposed diet— that never actually lasts more than a day," he mumbles before taking a drink out of his water bottle that looks like it has a few slices of cucumber floating about inside. Strange and disturbingly disgusting.

        Lilah looks offended at that, so instead of answering him, or even paying attention to Gray, who's nodding his head repeatedly at what his friend had just said, she settles her focus on me.

        "What?" I snap after a few awkward minutes of her staring at me. She shruggs lazily before turning her attention back to her friends.

        "Anyone heard from Dakota today?"

The three boys shake their heads. "Haven't heard from him all weekend," Gray informs. Landon and Zeke hum in agreement.

"All weekend?" I question, confused. I don't know why I ask, I don't give a fuck how long it's been since he last contacted them, but the words slip out of my mouth without a thought.

Zeke nods.

Lilah sighs, a concerned frown on her face as she leans into Gray. "I hope he's okay."

        Who cares? I find myself internally asking. Although, admittedly, it wouldn't be too great if he turns up dead or something, because I still need to learn how to fucking read and write.

___

Author's Note

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