Chapter 4-1
169 Words
Chapter 4
When Jacob finally returns to his room, Mike is already there, bending over his desk again as he studies. He’s always studying. Jacob resents him for it.
Mike looks up as Jacob slams the door shut on the whispers in the hall. Avery is right, he is a celebrity. All day long he’s felt hot stares watching him everywhere he goes. He’s sick of it, and he knows it’ll only get worse. It’d be nice if no one would bother him now, but he knows that won’t happen. Today they’re scared of him—tomorrow someone else will want to pick a fight, just to say they did.
Jacob tosses his books onto his bed. From the safety of his desk, Mike asks, “Are you okay?”
“Shut up,” Jacob tells him. He’s not going to talk about it.
But Mike isn’t listening. “I’m sorry,” he says, as if it’s somehow his fault. “The whole thing this afternoon—I didn’t know…”
“I’m not talking to you.” Jacob glares at Mike for a moment before throwing himself down on his bed. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
“I just—”
Jacob yells, “Shut the f**k up!”
Mike frowns but this time, he listens.
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