Be polite. Don't snap.
I eyed Damon, who was gathering his things to leave for lunch.
It's been a week since I met Damon in the library, and I hadn't received a single message about our project. At first, I told myself to give him a pass, no matter how much I wanted to pester him. Lately, he'd been scowlier than usual. Both he and Xavier had been keeping to themselves even more than usual, deep in their thoughts. They practically had a sign screaming 'stay away'.
And no, I haven't been watching them. That would be creepy.
And, unfortunately, I'd always been terrible with following signs.
Besides, our project was due in a week and we had to present it. I didn't want to stress about it or do all the work.
I sidestepped in the middle of the aisle to block Damon. Damon gave me a harsh glare, but instead I smirked.
No, smile, Maria. Remember to be polite.
I force my mouth to widen into a large smile. "Hey, Damon. I need a moment of your time, please."
Damon gave me a strange look before grabbing his phone. I tilted my head as he began typing before showing me his screen.
"Why are you smiling at me like that? It's creepy," I read and held back my scoff. "No, I'm being polite and civil. I'm just smiling at you." I responded by giving him a wider smile.
Damon typed again before showing the message to me.
"You look like the Joker," I glared at him and his text. "You know what, I am being fucking polite. Let me be fucking polite." I snapped.
Damon raised a brow before giving me another message. "That didn't last long."
I throw my hands up in the air before swatting his phone away. Why was he using his phone when I knew he could talk?
He's taking the silent type way too seriously.
"Whatever. I wanted to talk to you about the project. You still haven't told me the parts you were going to cover. And based on your thumbing rapidly moving across the screen, you can text just fine." I gestured to his phone.
"Be a normal teenager and wait until the last minute to do the project." the screen read.
"No. I want it done and out of my life. So tell me the parts you want to do."
Damon looked at me thoughtfully before grunting. He then started typing on his phone again before going around me.
I glared as he went to the exit, dismissing me. "Hey! I was talking to you!"
Damon stopped at the door and gave me a look. He made a head gesture to follow him before leaving.
What am I, his little follower?
Apparently so because with a huff, I caught up with him and found myself at the library once again. We walked toward the back corner table before Damon plopped onto a seat.
"I still need to get my lunch. Why don't you just tell me your part of the project and I will be on my–" I get interrupted as Damon placed a ginormous sandwich on the table and placed half of it in front of me. I eyed the sandwich and my stomach made the executive decision. "Damn you and your food. And it seems weird that you kept your sandwich in your backpack all day instead of your locker."
Damon didn't acknowledge my comment as he ate his half of the sandwich. I sat on the other side of him, going to town on the sandwich (which was superb).
"You seem lighter," I noted once I swallowed a mouthful of food. "You seemed grumpier than normal."
I waited to see if he would respond, but Damon only stared at me as he chewed. I continued talking like he agreed with my statement. "That's what I figured. Scowling too much will always make you moody. I'm surprised your face hasn't frozen like that. Or is the broodiness part of the charm– there it is!" I pointed at the familiar glower. "Attractive, my friend."
"I didn't know Damon actually made other friends." I swiftly turned to the newcomer and I was grateful that I wasn't eating or I would have choked. Only a few feet from me was Xavier Monroe, looking at the both of us with an inquisitive look.
Damn, he looks better up close.
Xavier looked delectable today in black jeans and a white dress shirt, along with a gray vest. I tried to look not interested, but I wasn't sure it worked when I saw a spark in his cerulean blue eyes.
Xavier moved into the seat next to Damon, resting his elbows on the table and waiting for a response.
I decided to make him wait by taking another bite of the sandwich. Xavier saw what I was eating and looked at Damon with a raised brow.
"You shared your food? Maria, you may be replacing my position as this asshole's best friend. He's ditched me twice to hang out with you." Xavier said thoughtfully.
"Pretty sure 'hanging out' is a very loose term for what we are doing. And how do you know my name?" I asked with a bit of surprise.
Wasn't I trying to make sure that I didn't find myself alone with these two? I contemplated getting up, but didn't want to seem rude. I was still trying to be fucking polite.
Damn it.
"It would be hard not to know who you are since we have classes together. Besides, Damon can be chatty when he wants to be." Xavier explained easily with a smile that made my stomach do flips.
Damon grunted before ignoring us both.
I rolled my eyes, but conceded to Xavier's points. "All right, then I also know who you are. You're Grumpy's sidekick. Since you smile more, you're supposed to be Happy?"
"Only works if there are five more of us, unless you're volunteering. Bashful?" Xavier asked, seeming to enjoy our playful conversation. I hated to admit it, but so did I. I haven't had a conversation like this with anyone besides my mother for a long time. Even Garrett didn't make quips as amusing.
I snorted at the idea of being Bashful. I was anything but that. Xavier watched my response with interest.
"Ah, not a shy girl after all. You know, for being quiet and all, you sure have a fire in you. Is it the red hair?"
I felt my eye twitch at the red hair reference. People loved to taunt me about it at my old school and that never ended well. I took a deep breath before I verbally took his head off. It was an innocent question– hopefully.
"No. I just like to keep to myself and stay out of trouble." I responded calmly.
"Really? You seem like the troublemaking type," Xavier countered with an irritating smile. I wanted to smack it off his pretty face. "You were ready to lash out at me and you stopped. I think under all that politeness, you're a little spitfire."
"Am not. And I am not little."
"Are too."
"I am not."
"Oh, I believe you are. You're just upset I figured you out."
"I happen to be an innocent little angel."
"Your devil horns are showing. And I thought you said you weren't little."
"Then let me shove my pitchfork up your–"
Damon smacked Xavier in the back of the head and gave me a look to shut it. I clamped my mouth shut while Xavier snickered. I narrowed my eyes at him, examining him. He seemed expectant of something.
Was he trying to rile me up on purpose?
Is he one of those guys that loved annoying people for no reason? I ain't falling for it.
"Are you trying to piss me off? So I will storm off and leave? If so, it's not working so ha," I sniffed haughtily before looking at Damon. "Your friend is an idiot. Now that you had your lunch, will you tell me what parts you will do for our project?"
Damon grunted before pulling out the paper for our assignment. I watched as he began circling different parts. He would look up at me to see if I approved and I would either nod or point to something that would be more interesting to me.
Xavier stayed quiet the rest of the time, which was a blessing in itself. We finally got everything settled by the time the bell rang for the afternoon classes. "Awesome. Now that that's settled, this is where we must part." I stood and shoved the rest of the sandwich in my mouth before exiting. Hearing movement behind me, I turned to find Xavier and Damon.
"Yes?" I asked through my food. "Why are you following me?"
Xavier raised a brow, his lips twitching. "We all just happen to have the same class. Are you not used to having admirers following you?"
My cheeks flushed but I refused to acknowledge that question. Of course we were in the same class. Now that I had one annoying conversation with him, I saw him as an admirer? If anything, his taunting was a turn off– at least that's what I kept telling myself.
"Fine. It's perfectly normal to walk with other students to the same classroom." I said reasonably as Damon and Xavier walked with me on both sides.
"Are you telling us or yourself that?" Xavier asked.
"Why are you trying to irritate me?" I responded back.
Xavier didn't respond to the question, deciding to talk to Damon who only communicated through grunts and nods.
People watched us move down the hallway and I wasn't surprised. I had stayed invisible and here was the new girl with the mysterious boys who kept to themselves. I guess it would be surprising to others.
Once we entered the classroom, I took my assigned seat, grateful that Xavier and Damon sat far away. I felt someone staring at me, but I refused to acknowledge it.
When I felt something hit the back of my head, I closed my eyes to take a deep breath once more. After I took three deep breaths, I turned to find Xavier waving at me with a smirk. Even Damon looked amused.
I can't with those two. I hadn't been this flustered in a while and of course it was mostly because of Xavier. I needed to stay away from them before I lost my sanity.
But that didn't happen. Between the rest of the afternoon classes, Xavier or Damon escorted me to my classroom. They didn't speak, just followed me even when I tried to wait them out or speed up. The annoying assholes.
I was finally able to get away once the final bell rang.
I was collecting my things from my locker when Garrett approached.
"Hey Garrett," I greeted and closed my locker. "Sorry I wasn't at lunch, I was trying to get some details done for a project."
"It's fine," Garrett said distractedly. "Is it true that you've been hanging out with Damon Cohen and Xavier Monroe today?"
I made a face at the accusation in his tone. "Not that it's a big deal, but I have a project with Damon. I think everyone knows that Xavier is part of the package. We met to go over details. That's it. I didn't think you listened to the school gossip."
I didn't mention the fact that Xavier annoyed me to no end while giving me intense butterflies.
"I do when you're mentioned. I just don't think it's a good idea to be associated with them. I told you that there's something off about them. Maybe stay away from them for a while? I'm sure they'll leave you alone after that." Garrett said gently, like he was trying to soothe me. I tried not to make another face because I realized he saw me as a delicate flower. Apparently my plan to stay out of trouble made me seem like a helpless and naive girl.
I wasn't sure if I liked that or not.
"I happily welcome you to hang out with me and my friends," Garrett continued when he mistook my silence as contemplation. "We would be happy to bring you into the fold."
To be honest, his friends weren't doing much for me. We had some similar interests, but I felt like our personalities would eventually clash or I would strangle them all for being idiots. But Garrett was trying to be nice, so I couldn't necessarily tell him that.
"Look, I'm still getting used to the school and I'm not necessarily a social person. You are the only other person I talk to besides Damon and Xavier. I am making my own decision to stay away from them. You are right, they do seem like trouble and I am staying drama free. But I'm not as helpless as I look." I concluded as we both walked out of the school.
"You're right, you can make your own choices," Garret backtracked. "I'm just giving some friendly advice. But since you are not super social, how about we hang out soon? Just you and me."
I slowly analyzed what he said. He used the words 'hang out'. That means it's definitely not a date, right? Garrett knows I only wanted a friend, not a boyfriend.
We made it to my truck when I finally nodded.
"All right, how about sometime this weekend?" I offered. Garrett beamed and I hoped I didn't regret my decision.
"Cool. We can watch some movies at my house. I'll send you the address." Garrett left before I could say anything else, practically skipping away.
Oh boy, what the fuck have I done?
I groaned before getting into my truck. "I think I made a mistake. Was it because I said he is one of the few people I talk to? That was probably it. I need to make a girl friend or something like that."
I needed to regroup, maybe wait for Mom to come home so I could rant to her. Before I pulled out of the lot, I found Xavier and Damon standing outside. I held back a gulp when I saw Xavier staring at me, a strange look on his face.
I shake my head, not even going to process what was going on in that dude's head.
Xavier Monroe was hot, witty, confusing, and annoying. A lethal combination that I unfortunately found intriguing.
But I was determined to bash the odd attraction I had for him into submission. There was no reason for us to get together, so everything was going my way.
I turned on the radio, jamming to a song as I went home to watch another episode of The Mentalist.
Patrick Jane was calling my name.