Chapter 010
1253 Words
EDWARD’S POV
“Your roomie.” I stiffen, the ball I’m bouncing slipping away as Eliot smirks and snatches it. “How’s she?”
I shoot him a glare because he did that on purpose and I’m even more annoyed that I took the bait. I go after him, but he drives past me and dunks, scoring again.
“Is playing dirty your only move?” I ask, cracking my fingers.
“I heard you gave her a ride this morning,” he says and great, we’re back to Layla. “Looks like you two are bonding already.”
“She needed a ride,” I answer dryly.
He c***s a brow. “You don’t give anyone rides on your bikes. Since when did that change?”
I want to argue that he doesn’t know everything about me but Eliot’s my best guy and my VP. There’s barely anything he doesn’t know. He was even the first to find out I was looking for the person who murdered my mum.
Which means lying to him, especially about something as obvious as my bikes is pointless. And the worst part? I don’t even have a good explanation.
I don’t let people on my bike. Ever.
I shove the ball to him and head toward the benches at the end of the court. Rio notices I’m sweating and tosses me a towel. I catch it and drop onto the bench, dabbing my forehead.
Eliot joins me, and hands me a bottle of water. I down it, toss the empty bottle into the nearest bin, then sit back in silence.
“Seriously, what’s she like?” Eliot asks, dragging my attention back to him. “Your roomie, I mean.”
My brows pull together as my mind drifts to Layla.
With most people, I can sum them up in a word. My father? Asshole. Eliot? Loyal. Rio? Thoughtful.
But Layla…
Even though it’s been twenty-four hours since she became my roommate, I can’t form a proper opinion of her.
She’s all over the place and that’s the only way I can put it. One second she’s perfectly composed, the next she’s saying something that makes you forget what you were thinking. I don’t know if she’s annoying or the most natural person I’ve ever been around. Probably both.
She’s predictable and also not. Like this morning, when she leaned in to sniff my neck, then flinched like someone had pinched her.
I’ve never met anyone who’s such a complete, confusing mix of—
“Weird,” The word slips out and I turn to Eliot. “She’s very weird.”
“How?” He’s all smiles, like the thought of her actually excites him but that’s Eliot. He’s always ready to make friends, and sometimes it pisses me off because why the hell are you showing all thirty-two teeth all the time? “Like bad weird or good weird?”
“Is there a good weird?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. How bad can she be to be weird? Does she pick her nose and eat it?”
“I told you she didn’t even recognize me when we met, and…”
“So you’re still pissed she’s not one of your fan girls?”
I scoff. “I don’t care about that. That’s… irrelevant. Yesterday, she actually looked me in the eye and asked me not to flirt with her. Like, her. Can you imagine? She pisses you off while smiling with her big-ass glasses that—”
“Heh. She’s not weird then,” he cuts in, his smirk widening. “You just hate her guts. And somehow, I think that makes me very eager to meet her.”
[See? The girl’s a darling, and you might just be the problem,] Zyrax chips in, making my jaw clench.
“Both of you are annoying,” I mutter.
“Have you asked her, though?” Eliot says. “About your mum.”
I shake my head. “It’s too early. I want to observe her first before figuring out how to approach the topic. Besides, she might not even know my mum directly, so asking about her name in that journal probably won’t get me anywhere.”
He nods. “True. There’s also a huge—” He trails off as he glances over my shoulder, his expression shifting into a frown. “I can’t believe she’s here again.”
I follow his gaze and turn, my own frown spreading as I spot the person approaching, her smile aimed straight at me and I only hope she isn’t planning to use it to charm us. Or rather, me, because I know I’m the target.
I spin back to Eliot… only to see the space where he had been empty. He’s already crossing to the other side of the court, leaving me alone. What a backstabber.
“I knew I’d find you here,” Vera purrs, stopping in front of me. “Hi, Edward.”
I make sure to give her the coldest expression I can muster but it’s probably useless, because she never takes a hint. I’ve turned her down a hundred times, and I’m half tempted to tattoo ‘I’m not interested on my forehead.’ But she ignores it every time. Every single time she sees me, she reminds me that she wants me to… f**k her.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as she settles into the spot Eliot left, adjusting her shirt which does little to cover her cleavage.
“You know,” she says, flicking her gaze over me, “I thought that, despite playing hard to get, you’d have better taste. Didn’t expect you to pick a rando over me.”
I lift a brow. “A rando?”
“I heard she’s an omega,” she replies with disgust. “A rejected omega at that. Seriously, I feel insulted that you settled for someone like her.”
Zyrax growls in my chest, baring his teeth at her, fiercely protective of our new roommate.
“Who I deal with is none of your business, Vera. Try to stay out of my way.” I rise to my feet, and she jumps up as well.
“I’m a princess,” she snaps. “If you say yes to me, you’d be mated to a lycan princess. What greater honor is there?”
Right. I might have forgotten to mention she’s not just obnoxious, she’s also an entitled lycan princess or was, before her family got disgraced and her father’s pack cast them out. She never mentions that part when she’s bragging. That’s why she’s one of the fifteen lycans in Camden instead of attending a proper lycan college.
“I don’t care about your honor,” I say. “And stop your attempts, Vera. We’ve had this conversation too many times.”
“There’s no one more beautiful than me in Camden,” she brags, stepping closer. “We lycans are known for our beauty, unmatched grace, and strength. What do those other girls you hook up with have that I don’t? Money? Connections? Lifestyle? Tell me, and I’ll make it happen.”
It takes me a moment to respond because I’ve run out of ways to answer these questions, no matter how she twists them.
Today, I settle for a simple, “They know when to leave me alone.”
I turn and walk out of the court, signaling Eliot and the others to follow.
- Writer
