I shrugged, crossing my arms as if there was a chill in the air, and there was…coming directly from the table to my right. “She’s right. I’m fine.”
Tobias’ icy eyes narrowed slightly, the small scar over his eyebrow dropping down like a shadow covering his emotions. “I know you better than you think.” His glower immediately sliced over to the table that held the one person he had a grudge with in this room, and his body heat hit me like stepping too close to a fire.
“I can take care of myself. You know this.” I lowered my voice so no one would hear me, because, trust me, everyone was waiting with bated breath and ears on full alert to hear our conversation. Almost no one knew the full story of Tobias and me and how we’d managed to escape a psych hospital, but we were surely gaining attention. It had already been on Mary’s Murmurs that Gemma Richardson was related to the headmaster and that she had a secret twin brother who’d soon be attending our school. The rest was speculation, and this little show would soon gain traction.
Tobias half-shrugged as he continued to glare over my head at what I could only assume to be Cade. Gemma was still standing there, nibbling on her lip. “Doesn’t mean you should.” There was a little growl that paired with the teetering of his temples before he moved his attention back to me. “Can you get the hug over with? I want every girl in this fucking school to think I’m taken so they don’t try to spread their legs for me.”
A soft laugh left me as I took another step closer. Gemma’s head came in between us as she angled away from the rest of the dining hall. “That won’t stop them, trust me.”
He grunted. “Great, a pack of fucking savages.”
Gemma and I both laughed under our breath as the three of us corralled together. Although Gemma wasn’t at the Covenant Psych Hospital as long as Tobias and I, we were all connected in a way, sharing something no one else ever would.
Placing my head against Tobias’ hard chest, hearing his eerily calm heartbeat against my ears, I wrapped my arms around his middle and felt the way his spine went rigid like the unbending walls of this school.
“You’re going to have to hug me back if you want people to think you’re off limits, Tobias. Or at the very least, stop standing there like a cactus. I feel like you’re going to sprout a spike and make me bleed.”
There was a rumble in his chest that vibrated my ear as Gemma smashed her lips beside us. His strong arms wrapped around me, and it was the first time he’d ever hugged me. It may have been the first time he’d hugged anyone since being thrown into the Covens. “As much as I hate such a pointless gesture, the face your little boyfriend is making nearly makes it worth it.”
My cheeks flamed, and I was thankful the bell overhead rang out. It seemed to snap everyone out of their stupor, and suddenly, benches were screeching against the floor, and books were being gathered. Tobias, Gemma, and I all stepped away from the door as everyone walked past, pretending not to be intrigued with Tobias.
“What’s your first class?” Gemma asked with a little pep in her voice. Isaiah appeared a second later and tipped his head at Tobias who gave the slightest flick of his chin.
“Modern Lit,” I answered for him. “Same.”
Tobias shot his gaze down at me. “Did you have Tate put us in the same classes?”
Gemma grinned. “He probably did that on his own. He has a way of subtly being kind.”
Tobias chuckled sarcastically. “I guess I didn’t get that gene from dear ol’ daddy, huh?”
Gemma’s smile fell slowly, but Isaiah was quick to swoop in to intertwine their fingers. He brought their hands to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on hers. “We’re gonna be late to class. Journey can show Tobias where class is, yeah?”
My lips closed, and I gave a curt nod. I need my books. I flung my hair over my shoulder as I turned around but stopped dead in my tracks as my books were thrust outward with one strong hand holding them tightly. My eyes lingered on the whites of his knuckles and his tight grip.
“Here.” The one tiny word was full of something heavy, and it suddenly had me dodging the flicker of guilt inside. I slowly brought my gaze up to Cade as his muscles tightened. His neck was turning red with some emotion he was trying hard to push down, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was anger, betrayal, jealousy, or hurt.
My fingers were trembling as I shot them forward, ready to take my books from him, but another large hand came swooping in like a vulture over dead prey and plucked the books right out of his grasp.
“I’ve got it,” Tobias said, voice rubbing gruffly over Cade’s raw emotions. I felt the tension rising like a tide at sunset, so I quickly intervened before I suddenly became the red flag in between two bulls.
“Great,” I rushed out, gripping Tobias’ arm. “Let’s go.”
I caught the slight curve of his lip and nearly smacked him outside of the dining hall with the rest of the Rebels at our backs, but instead, I walked us both to class in calming silence.
“So,”Tobias’ apathetic voice was both tired and bored as he slumped down beside me in the library, pressing his back to the stack of Jane Austen books that taunted me in silence. This aisle used to be a place of solace for me. This school used to be home. Now, both of those feelings were ruined, and maybe I was a glutton for torture and pain, because I somehow found myself resting across from the books that were an echo of Cade and his hot touches against my skin. “This is St. Mary’s…”
My smile was half-hidden behind my worn hardback. “As it lives and breathes.”
Tobias was quiet for a moment, our breathing blending in with the loud creaks of the library floor and the flipping of book pages. When he spoke again, he was agitated. “It’s better than the only two places I’ve ever known, but it still fucking sucks.”
I snorted, plopping my book down on my bare lap. My plaid skirt had risen up a notch, and if it were any other guy in this aisle with me, I would have pulled it down, but it was Tobias, and he’d seen me in much less clothing before and had never even made a remark.
“I’m broken, Journey. And although I can be sharp, I can be dull, too.”
And dull was what he always was to me. Just another living, breathing soul to share an empty space with when it all became too much.
“What’s so wrong about St. Mary’s? Tired of the girls staring and wanting a piece of you?” I shrugged, pulling the book back to my lap. “It wasn’t like you had much action at…”