Poison

[ 9 ]

hey guys this is a long chapter. hope yall enjoy.

qotc: if you guys started school already, how is it? if you haven't, when's your first day?

"So did you guys sleep together?" Maya asks bluntly on Friday during our dinner date. I stare at her in surprise as I take a bite of my salad. We worked more on our project in the library before stopping at the dining hall for dinner.

"Huh?" I ask in surprise. I heard exactly what she said but I want to know what her reason behind asking is. Did Asa say something to her?

"You and Asa- when I left on Saturday morning, I saw that you were wearing his clothes," she comments with a weak shrug.

"No, no, no," I answer as I wave my hands together dismissively. "Well, I was wearing his clothes but only because the shirt you gave me made him uncomfortable. And he wouldn't make me a grilled cheese if I didn't put a shirt on."

"He made you a grilled cheese?" she inquires with a surprised look.

"Yeah," I reply in short. "And while I was sleeping, he put a blanket on top of me. I think it was his blanket."

"And he's still mean?" she presses with a raised brow.

"No...yes...kind of," I answer as I squint at her in confusion.

"He's never made me a grilled cheese..." she mumbles quietly as she pokes at her pizza, which I've come to learn is her favorite food and all she eats.

"I threatened to burn down your kitchen," I excuse his behavior with a shrug. "But I also made progress with him."

"I can tell," she notes with a slow nod.

"He said we're friends," I reply, which gets two raised brows from her. "And we talked..."

She quirks a brow and I hope she'll let me go in depth later. I don't feel like explaining how I flirted with Zack to her right now. Luckily for me, she scans the crowd of people around us and comes upon someone who grabs her attention. "Look who it is." Asa and a friend of his scour the room for an empty table.

"Wait, Maya!" I hiss as she stands up and waves her arms a little. I still haven't faced him after everything I said in my drunken stupor. I don't think I embarrassed myself too much but I definitely gave him some fuel for his arsenal. Asa spots her and nods at his friend. They advance in our direction and I shoot her a glare. "I hate you."

"No you don't," she remarks as she returns to her seat and pushes in her chair.

"Why is he even here?" I ask as I gaze at his outfit. The boy beside him is dressed just as formally so I'm assuming they work together.

"I told him I wasn't cooking tonight and that I was eating here so I guess he decided he would too," she genuinely answers my question. She turns her attention to Asa and his friend as they get closer and closer. "Hey guys."

Asa nods at her and the boy with him offers a big grin. I glance up and analyze his friend. It's weird to think that Asa has friends. He seems so antisocial. The boy trailing behind him has neat braids that travel to the base of his neck and clear, dark skin. He notices my gaze and nods at me encouragingly. "I haven't seen you around. What's your name?" he surprises me by asking. I thought he'd be shy like Asa.

"Ivy," I answer with a smile as they take the seats across from us. Asa sits right in front of me and his friends takes the spot before Maya.

"Also known as Poison," Asa comments without so much as a glance towards me.