Page 60 of The Casualty of Us (Philosophies of the Heart Duet #1)

Ollie bumps my shoulder again, and I finally click the side of my tablet, turning it off and picking a strawberry off Hayes’s plate while informing them casually.

“I owe her a favor, and she needs a new cheerleader this year.” I catch the way Hayes’s eyes flare wide at the news before telling Marley, “Also, I have poli sci first thing too.”

Ollie and Marley just stare at me, though, shock running through both of their faces before Marley loses it first.

“Oh my god,” she gasps on a laugh. “You’re going to be a cheerleader? Y–you—”

Her words dissolve into a fit of giggles that have me smacking her arm before turning to Ollie with a glare ready to go. “Not a word.”

He tries to smooth his face out, taking a deep breath. “I–I don’t—”

Failing miserably when he can’t even get any more out than Marley did before a sharp laugh escapes him.

“I hate you both.”

“I think you’ll be a good cheerleader, O.”

I turn my head to look at where Holden’s giving me a small smile, the sight of an ally making me return the gesture. “Thank you, Holden.”

At least one of us does.

“Fuck.”

My eyes snap to Hayes’s at the soft rasp, immediately wanting to defend myself. “I mean, I’ll give you that I’m not the most coordinated, but I don’t think I’m going to, like, take out the pyramid.”

“No, O.” He shakes his head, leaning so far across the table that his head is almost to my mug before trailing off. “This is going to be…”

And it’s not until his fingers land on the inside of my thigh that I get it, my breath immediately hitching in my throat with a soft, “Oh.”

Right. Because this just throws us together even more often but with way less clothes than usual, or at least that’s what I’m guessing by the heat in his eyes.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Dude!” Ollie snaps. “I’m really trying to be cool here, but that is my foot! Not hers!”

Hayes leans back instantly, eyes flashing with amusement, and a quiet snort leaves me as Marley eyes us all suspiciously.

No doubt planning on grilling me the second we’re alone about what exactly is going on here.

Meanwhile, Holden is completely missing it and staring across the cafeteria with a dazed look in his eyes.

We all finish up breakfast pretty quickly after that, though, learning that the boys will be with us in poli sci this morning before we don’t see them until the glory that is athletics on Friday. Well…besides me and Hayes, who also share advanced debate on Friday mornings again.

Because freaking Lisette was right about that as well.

We eventually make the trek over to the arts building together, with Ollie heading up the front of the group and Marley and Holden on either side of him as Hayes and I linger a little behind the others.

Walking so closely that we keep making small brushes of contact with each other that leave me wondering when the next will come until he finally snags a couple of my fingers in his when we make it to the top of the stairs.

His eyes catch mine, and the happiness there has me losing the battle with a grin, shaking my head with a soft laugh. “Stop it.”

“I didn’t say anything.” He lifts a brow, eyes dropping to where my tie is done perfectly. “You did it yourself.”

“Didn’t want to be a damsel.” I shrug, mind flashing to the two-minute debate I had with myself in the mirror over it. “Or assume anything.”

“Hmm.” He pulls on my fingers, tossing me a wink right before we walk into the classroom. “Feel free to assume, Freckles.”

My lips part with another barely there laugh as he lets go of my hand, walking a couple of steps ahead of me and heading to where Ollie is standing with horror written all ov—

Wait. What?

My brows fall a split second before a pair of hands cover my eyes, making my whole body lock up as a voice I know but can’t place yet whispers smugly. “Guess who?”

And I can’t breathe for another couple of seconds before the hands jerk away from my face as Hayes’s rough shout fills the air. “What the fuck, man?”

I blink to see his face thunderous, eyes lit up with a rage that I’ve only caught glimpses of before, and darkness seeming to pulse in the air around him. His hand stretched out next to me like he just shoved—

Oh no.

I spin around on my heel, immediately finding the person he shoved a couple steps back from me now and breathing out with recognition. “Kyler.”

Same light blond hair. Same dark blue eyes.

“Kyler?” Hayes’s tense rasp has me flicking my eyes to him quickly, catching the same recognition there because he’s heard the name enough times to know something’s up with it.

“O.” Kyler smiles, his teeth neat little rows that I once pined over. “It’s been too long.”

I pause, trying to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do, and go with buying time currently. “It has.”

His gaze moves to Hayes, and I swear I can feel him tense at my back as Kyler takes another step toward me. “Who’s your friend?”

Fuck.

“This is Hayes.” I try to make the step I take between them casual, but the one Hayes immediately takes into my back that leaves us flush up against each other is very much not so. “Ollie is over there.”

“I see.” He holds Hayes’s gaze over my shoulder for another moment with a smile before finally turning to where Ollie is still standing with a little wave. “I guess he’s still mad at me?”

“You could say that,” I mutter uncomfortably, feeling Hayes’s body winding tighter by the second and knowing I need to wrap it up. “What are you doing here?”

“My dad was talking to yours at golf last year, and apparently he convinced him this is the place to be.” He shrugs, totally unaware that I’m currently mentally flaying my father, and continues softly. “I was bored up at Georgetown, plus I miss seeing you at school, and Ollie too.”

Oh, fuck my life.

“That’s….nice,” I finally get out, looking behind me and seeing Marley try to tug my brother into his seat as he argues heatedly with her. “Guess I’ll see you around then.”

I turn back in time to catch him and Hayes in what appears to be another stare-off before his eyes drop to mine again.

“I guess you will.” He smiles at me, gaze breaking away to run over my face before coming back with another kick of his lips. “You look really great, O.”

“Thanks.” I try to keep the frown from my face while reaching back and snagging a couple of Hayes’s fingers before turning to head to where the others are.

Holding tight to them all the way to the other side of the classroom and not letting go until I’m sliding into the seat beside Ollie.

I drop my backpack down as Hayes immediately falls into the one on my other side, eyes still narrowed on where Kyler is sitting on the other side of the room now and smiling back openly.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Ollie spits out quietly.

“You can thank Dad for that one.”

Ollie scowls back at me for a second before Hayes bites out tensely, “Will one of you please explain who the fuck Kyler is now?”

My head whips back around to see that his eyes haven’t moved, and neither have the other ones across the room. Shit. This is really not—

“Kyler was my best friend once upon a time.” Ollie chuckles nastily, damning me with his next line. “Until he became O’s first kiss.”

Probably getting some sick pleasure from how he just solidified Hayes’s hatred of him too and I turn to hiss at him. “ Shut. Up. ”

Immediately moving my gaze back to Hayes and finding that he still hasn’t moved an inch.

“Dimples,” I whisper, leaning over to poke him in the side and finally making him turn his head enough for the blue to find the hazel. “It wasn’t a big deal, okay?”

I wait a second for him to tell me okay, or it’s fine, or he gets it, but when he just continues to stare at me like he’s waiting for something, I start to babble.

“We were like fourteen, and it was a stupid crush.” His eyes narrow a bit more, falling closer to slits with even the hazel starting to darken, and I panic. “I thought he looked like a Ken doll and—it just was not my finest moment, okay?”

He stares at me for another beat before his nostrils flare, and he looks over my head. “Why didn’t you fucking throw a fit about him from the start? Huh?”

Oh goddammit.

“Because he was a two-faced lying little weasel who hid his true intentions behind the mask of friendship.”

“Holy shit.”

Marley gasps a giggle with the curse and I can’t even spare a glare for her before Hayes scoffs darkly.

“That’s what I thought.” He pauses, turning back to Kyler with a violent look. “He reminds me of the piece of shit guys my mom is always bringing home in LA.”

Extreme measures it is.

Because I can’t let him go through the rest of the day like this.

Nor do I really want us to start off the year on this note, regardless of the fact we haven’t defined it.

That I haven’t really wanted to with everything else going on considering the risks.

But this…it bothers me that he thinks my head would be so easily turned, and I swallow with the realization that maybe that’s a little bit my fault too—both things immediately making me want to fix it for him.

I check the time on the clock while reaching up for my tie and tugging at it haphazardly. Pulling at both ends until they’re hanging around my neck uselessly before standing up and taking the single step to close the distance to Hayes’s desk.

I perch my ass on the side of it and play with the bottom of the tie, waiting until his eyes lock with mine to cock my head at him. “Think you could help me with this?”

It takes a beat, but eventually he spots it, and a spark flashes behind some of the darkness in his eyes. “Of course, Freckles.” His gaze comes back to mine with all kinds of dark mischief suddenly overtaking it. “I’d love to.”

My stomach gives a little flip when he stands, stepping out from behind the desk and coming to stand in front of me with his eyes going all hooded.

Black lashes blink at me slowly as he leans in with a move that has me reaching back to grab the other edge of the desk.

Ending with him standing just this side of appropriate but still close enough to be considered almost between my legs and me pretty looking like I’m on an offering plate.

Or desk.

Marley’s delighted giggle bursts through the room a second before Ollie mumbles, “I’m going to be sick.”

The dimples currently holding my attention twitch as he reaches for the ends of the tie. “What are you doing here, O?”

“You looked a little tense.” I blink up at him innocently. “Figured I might be able to help with that.”

His fingers still, eyes narrowing in warning with another burst of something fiery through the hazel there. “Careful, Ophelia.”

I lift my chin, immediately ready to take him up on the challenge. “Why?”

“Because I might just take you up on that.” His eyes drop down to the tie with the soft words, fingers starting to move it around again. “What’s the story with him?”

“It was a stupid childhood crush,” I breathe out frustratedly but also honestly because— “It doesn’t matter.”

His gaze comes back to mine as he loops the tie. “Childhood crushes can have a way of sticking.”

“Some, I guess.” I shrug. “But not that one.”

“Why?”

“He couldn’t keep up and ended up being an asshole.” He pulls the tie through to completion with a flash of surprise, and I shoot him a playful look. “Apparently, my preference is set strictly for nepo rock star babies.”

“Is that so?” He gives the tie a little tug, pulling as I stand and ending with us pretty much pressed against each other. “Want to tell him that?”

“Didn’t I?” I whisper, something about the lingering frustration in his gaze making me add before sliding away. “And maybe I want you to take me up on it.”

Giving myself a second to appreciate the choked noise that leaves him while plopping back down into my seat and trying to hide a grin.

Knowing I’m going to get burned if I keep this up with no clear lines or understanding but unable to help it anyway.

Because it’s just…unacceptable for him to be sad, but it’s also unacceptable for him to be dead, so I’m kind of damned twice there.

But when the teacher comes in a few seconds later and I glance back up from my books, the sight of Hayes’s smirk and the sour look on Kyler’s face as they continue with the stare-off makes me decide it was worth it.

As long as I can keep everyone safe in the end.