Extra Credit by Autumn Reed

Author:Autumn Reed [Reed, Autumn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

42

Jude

We like you?

We like. You.

We. Like you.

What was Lincoln thinking, blurting that out like it was no big deal?

Judging by Violet’s unfocused gaze and twitching fingers, it was a big deal to her. I sure as hell knew it was a big deal to me.

And, yes, like was an ambiguous word. It could mean that we merely thought she was nice. Liked her as a friend. Wanted to see her happy in a completely platonic way.

But the way he’d said it hadn’t felt platonic. It had felt honest.

Freaking Lincoln.

Violet already had enough to deal with right now. She shouldn’t have to wonder if Lincoln, Tobias, and I were interested in more than her philosophy tutoring and friendship.

“Knock, knock.”

Pretty sure all four of us jumped at the sound of Thea’s voice from the doorway. How long had we been sitting here in silence?

Tobias reacted first. “Hey, Thea. What’s up?”

She narrowed her eyes on him before flitting her gaze over the rest of us. Though she was clearly suspicious, she said, “We finally managed to kick everyone out of the house. Do you want to come downstairs and get some food? There’s way too much left for the four of us.”

“Sounds good,” Lincoln answered. “Why don’t you and Violet go ahead, and we’ll meet you down there in a few?”

Violet must have liked that idea more than I did, because she immediately climbed off the bed, taking her ice pack with her. Her movements were noticeably stiff, letting me know that she was still in pain. But, as much as I would have liked to, I sincerely doubted she’d allow me to carry her back downstairs.

“Let’s go,” she said to Thea. “I’m starving.”

Once Violet was in the hall, Thea shot us a reprimanding glare over her shoulder. Clearly, she’d picked up on the fact that the three of us had screwed up. It probably had something to do with how eager Violet was to escape our presence.

Tobias stood and shut the door behind them before turning on me and Lincoln. “What the hell was that about?”

Lincoln reclined on the bed and peered up at the ceiling. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“First, you tell Violet we like her, and then you get rid of her? She’s going to know we’re in here talking about her.”

“You’re the one talking about her.”

Tobias placed his hands on his hips. “Right. Because you wanted us to stay behind so we could discuss baseball stats.”

Lincoln wrinkled his nose, then grimaced. “My face feels like it was pelted with a hundred baseballs.”

“Can we stay on topic?” I asked, moving to Tobias’s side. Right now, he seemed like my most probable ally. “What’s the plan?”

“We have to take Violet home with us. It’s the only option.”

I blinked at the part of Lincoln’s face currently visible. “You want to make her stay in a house with six guys?”

He slowly returned to a seated position. “Why not?”

“Because . . . because . . .” I couldn’t even wrap my head around the idea, much less speak to its stupidity.

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