Break In My Heart

21. Secret Dates

"Relax, Addi. Everything is going to be alright. I won't let Kyra or whoever terrorize you and your mystery man."

I offered him a weak smile of thanks. "I know you won't, Ian. But please don't refer to him as my 'mystery man', that's just weird."

"Okay? How about your rabbit's foot? Ooh! Your leprechaun? What are other things people keep private? I mean their porn collection, but I don't think you want me to refer to him as–"

"I get it, you can stop now," I said, cutting him off as my cheeks burned red. "Please never say any of those words ever again."

"Okay, okay, I've got you. Sorry, I kinda don't have a filter between my brain and my mouth."

"Yeah, Ian, I've noticed."

We turned a corner and we were suddenly in the familiar hang spot my team usually met in before school. It'd been a while since I'd actually been with them since I would usually spend my mornings with Tyler in the studio.

Once the guys saw I was there, I was bombarded with greetings and daps.

"It's nice for you to finally join us," one of the boys, a linebacker Yusef, said as I sat down. "I was worried we'd have to send a search party for you in the mornings."

"Yeah what gives man?" Another guy, Zayne, chimed in. "Did you just forget about us?"

"Or were you too busy snoggin' Kyra in a closer somewhere to meet up with us?" Harry, a wide receiver, chimed in. His British accent was heavy though not as heavy as it was back in freshman year.

The boys laughed and I found myself looking down. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Ian sympathetically looking down at me. I was back to hating sympathy.

"Guys, it doesn't matter. Why don't we all mind our business and–" Ian started, but I, with the stubbornness and unnecessary brass balls I had cut him off.

"Ky and I broke up, so no there was no snogging, Harry. As for where I've been, over the last few days, my dads have been dropping me off so I've only had time to go straight to class. A search party might've been nice though, Yusef. You could've saved me from their unbearably cringy attempts at trying to be hip. Just saying it out loud makes me cringe."

The boys chuckled. "Well, we're sorry to hear about Ky. As always, we're here for you," Harry acknowledged.

"But you guys were totally end game. I guess that only happens in the movies, am I– Ow, Ian, what the hell?" Yusef rubbed his arm where Ian had punched him.

"Dude, not the time," was all Ian said, causing Yusef to roll his eyes and mumble a "I was just kidding" under his breath.

Did I mention that Ian was super overprotective of me when I was "emotionally vulnerable"?

Much like a wild animal, he'd pounce on anyone he thought was anywhere close to offending me. In some instances, he'd go too far–which would bother me because, again, I like handling myself without the pathetic sympathetic looks from people–but at other times, it was kind of funny.

I chuckled. "It's fine, I just don't want to talk about it. Also, don't be douches to her, okay? The break up affected both of us, I don't need you guys freezing her out the way you did poor Layla after she and Boxy broke up." I'd already had Azzy avoiding her blow up in my face and I still didn't know how far Kyra would go in her revenge hungry phase.

"Hey! In my defense, she deserved it. She was literally insane," Logan Banks, who we called Boxy after he'd ridden a cardboard box down a hill and broke his leg, defended.