Chapter 206
[ 1,205 words ]
Fan Club.
The morning air hit like a slap whend stepped outside, cool, sharp, and way too bright for someone who hadn’t had caffeine yet. The quads were already in the car, arguing about music, food, or possibly the existence of manners.
I slid into the driver’s seat, still half-asleep, and reached for my seatbelt when a cup appeared in front of my face.
“What’s this?” I asked, blinking down at the blessed, steaming miracle.
“Coffee,” Kieran said flatly from the back seat, his tone implying I was the densest creature alive.
“I gathered that, genius,” I muttered, taking it from him. “Where’d it come from p>
He shrugged, sipping his own like it was no big deal. “Elliot p>
That made me freeze. “Elliot p>
“Yeah,” Kieran said, clearly unimpressed by my confusion. “He dropped by this morning. Said you’d need it. Guess he knows you pretty well p>
I stared at the cup, my heartbeat skipping. The heat from it seeped into my palms, grounding but somehow dizzying too. “You saw Elliot this morning p>
“Uh, yeah,” Kieran said, giving me the look only a younger brother could pull off, equal parts judgment and boredom. “We see him every morning. What’s the big deal p>
I didn’t answer. I just took a slow sip, the coffee rich and perfect, exactly how I liked it. He remembered. Of course he did.
But the thought hit harder than it should have. He’d left without a word last night. Portaled away. And still somehow, he’d managed to leave this. A reminder. I swallowed hard and started the car, staring straight ahead as the quads bickered about whose turn it was to pick the playlist. Nothing had changed, not really. The world kept moving. The kids laughed. The sun came/up. But the warmth in my hands told a different story. He might have left. But he hadn’t really gone anywhere. By the time I pulled into the school parking lot, the caffeine had just started working its magic, barely. The first half of the cup was gone, and I was guarding the rest like it was the only thing keeping me alive. I hadn’t even made it halfway across the courtyard when Dean appeared out of nowhere, that easy grin plastered on his face like it was custom-built for trouble.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said, falling into step beside me. Before I could reply, he plucked the cup right out of my hand.
“Hey!” I protested, reaching for it. “That’s mine p>
He took a long, obnoxious sip. “Correction, was yours. Now it’s community property p>
My frown deepened. “You’re lucky I don’t kick your ass p>
Dean chuckled. “Relax, you’ll survive. Besides, you’ll need your energy for tomorrow night p>
I blinked “Tomorrow night p>
He grinned wider, his eyes lighting up. “The party! Apparently, it’s huge. Everyone’s going. It ́s at some big property near the ridge. You have to come “
“Do 12” 9 muttered, trying to reclaim my emp again, but he kept it just out of trach, clearly too busy entertaining himself with his own enthusiam. “Come on, Macey,” he and completely ignoring my attempts to steal it back. “You can’t be one of these people who skip the only fun thing happening wü
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1:07 am
PP
Fan Club.
be epi, bonfire, music, chaos, the works p>
I sighed, rubbing at my temple. “You sound like an event poster p>
Before I could decide whether to roll my eyes or trip him, a familiar voice chimed in from behind us.
“There you two are p>
Tessa jogged up, her bright smile matching the sparkle in her eyes. She was practically vibrating with excitement, phone in hand, already scrolling through
messages.
“You’re talking about the party, right?” she asked, glancing between us. “Because we’re going, right? We can’t miss it p>
Dean smirked like the universe had just proved his point. “See? Even your friend agrees with me p>
Tessa nodded enthusiastically, bumping my shoulder. “Mace, please! You never go out anymore. This’ll be fun! Everyone’s talking about it p>
I looked between them, Dean’s grin, Tessa’s pleading eyes, my now half-empty coffee, and sighed in defeat.
“Fine,” I muttered. “But if it turns into a disaster, I’m blaming both of you p>
Dean’s grin turned wolfish. “Deal p>
And just like that, my quiet, caffeine-fueled morning had been hijacked by chaos, grins, and one very smug new pack member.
Walking through the halls with Dean was like escorting a celebrity through a fan convention. He’d been at Red Moon High for one day. One! and already hal the school acted like he was the second coming of some teen drama heartthrob. Every few steps, someone called out his name, waved, or tried to catch his
attention.
“Dean p>
“Hey, new guy p>
“Love your jacket p>
“Are you coming to the party p>
He flashed that easy grin of his at every single one of them, like he’d been doing this his whole life. And maybe he had. He soaked up the attention like it was oxygen, tossing out quick hellas, shoulder pats, and casual winks, that sent girls into quiet giggles as we passed. I trailed half a step behind him, sipping the last of my coffee and trying not to roll my eyes so hard they fell out of my head.
“Wow,” I muttered, “look at you. Barely unpacked your locker and you’ve already been crowned king of the hallway p>
Dean glanced over his shoulder with that infuriatingly smug grin. “What can I say? I’m a people person p>
“More like an egg with lega”
He laughed hands sliding into his packets. “Don’t be jealous, Mere. Some of us just have natural charm p>
| snorted. “Some of us als have natural humility. You should try it sometume *
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9:07 am
Fan Club.
pp
“Can’t hear you over the sound of my fan club,” he said, waving at a trio of girls who nearly tripped over their own feet trying to wave back.
The worst part? He knew exactly what he was doing. Every smirk, every offhand comment, it was like he was performing for the world, and the world was eating it up. We turned down the main corridor toward our first class, and a couple of guys called out to him, inviting him to sit with them at lunch. He promised he’d “see how his schedule looked,” which made me roll my eyes so hard I nearly gave myselka headache.
When we reached the classroom, I dropped into my usual seat, muttering, “Do you even know half those people p>
Dean leaned on my desk, grinning like the answer didn’t matter. “Nope. But they know me. That’s what counts p>
“Unbelievable,” I said under my breath.
He winked, sliding into the seat next to mine. “You’ll come around eventually, Mace p>
“Doubt it p>
He smirked, spinning his pen idly between his fingers, the picture of casual confidence while half the class whispered and stared. And me? I tried not to think about how easy he made it all look, how quickly he slipped into this world like he’d been born for it, while I was still trying to remember how to breathe around the mess my life had become.
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