Chapter Thirty Seven

Having spent all this time avoiding Asher's comments and risky behavior Raven couldn't take it anymore he needed to go home before something were to happen but as expected he wasn't allowed to say goodbye.

Raven sighed as he reluctantly followed Asher, hearing a groan he glanced over to see how Asher grabbed at his stomach pretending like he were going to starve. "That was entertaining." Asher claimed while he stretched his arms that held their bags out showing off that he was not going to give Raven back his book bag or even a single bag anytime soon.

"I could really go for some barbecue right about now, you?" He smiled looking down at Raven like he were expecting a countering comment to the choice of food.

Raven looked away again just click his tongue in aggravation, "I'd like a nice serving of going home" Raven grumbled in response being uninterested in staying, though he knew he couldn't have held Asher to his side of the bet if he weren't willing to put up his portion so convincing Asher to let him go of it was the only other option Raven had.

Asher chuckled swinging the bags back over his shoulder holding them by a few fingers, "You sound as if you're being forced against your will to be with me" He teased knowing it was sort of like that.

Raven huffed looking back with a glare, "I am" he growled not liking how Asher was playing around.

"Mean," Asher taunted giving a pouting face for a brief moment before turning it to a smile, "Try enjoying yourself again, you may actually like hanging out with me, I usually do" he suggests in an arrogant manner.

"Tsk" Raven hissed hearing the way Asher spoke so highly of himself, he couldn't believe the arrogance this man held. Shaking his head he wondered why it was Asher would insist on hanging out with him longer, it wasn't like he was fawning over Asher's words or even showing the slightest interest in him.

"Why do you care to come with me?" he inquired as Asher stopped at the door but didn't respond. This obvious avoidance to respond bothered Raven a little causing him pester Asher further to answer the question, "You have good looks, money, you're a bit sleazy, definitely a player, you could easily get a more willing woman with less dignity to accompany you, so why?" he explained in a crude honest manner why it was he was so confused about Asher's interest in him. If a woman Carson showed interest in wasn't into him he would typically move on to the next instead of bothering them further and yet this one seemed un-wavered by any rejection he received.

Asher chuckled lightly to the comments made his way even the insults seemed to entertain him, "Are you trying to flirt with me?" he teased not answering Raven's question.

Raven huffed, "That wasn't meant as a compliment" he rolled his eyes giving a shrug, "Well, anyways I don't have any money you know this. So tell Ashley I said thank you and maybe I'll settle the bet we made in some other way, another time" Raven claimed in a friendly manner waving his hand. He hoped if he played innocent while he waited to get the bags, Asher would fall for it and Raven would be off the hook knowing if it was possible Asher would never see Robin again.

He had seen girls use this trick so many times before even Jewels used this trick on him when Carson wasn't around, another thing he should have noticed. However, right now wasn't the time to worry about the past but rather the present persistent man before him.

He was really trying to get away at this point knowing if this continued he was sure something would happen. However that wasn't the only thing bothering him, the headache was returning once more and even his stomach began to ache. After having little to no interest in food in general since he turned into a woman he was worried this meant that his last feeding from Jewels was beginning to wear off.

Asher grabbed Raven's hand rather than giving him the bags he pulled Raven closer to the door, "Quit with the excuses, you already know I am paying so just get in there" he claimed letting go of Raven's hand while opening the door for Raven to enter first.

Raven huffed as he looked up to the sign, "There?" he questioned knowing the place from before. It looked disgusting just from the outside appearance so he and Carson never entered the building before since Carson had a surprisingly high standard of what he ate.

"Yeah, got a problem with bbq?" Asher questioned playfully like it wasn't the sight of the building that was the obvious throw off.

"No..." Raven mumbled as he was reluctant to enter the building wondering if maybe he suggested another place Asher would go there instead, "Not really just not my preferred taste," he explained.

Asher arched a brow as he motioned his fingers towards the open door, "I am sure they have a salad in there..." He teased following behind as Raven reluctantly entered, "Potato or macaroni salad" he adds in a joking manner.

Raven snarled looking back over his shoulder, "Do you really think that was funny?" he snarled.

"Only if you laughed" Asher claimed letting the door close behind him.

Raven scoffed looking away from him as he looked into the room, he was amazed by the change in appearance alone. "Wow, this place doesn't look as bad as it appears on the outside" he claimed as he truly liked the appearance more than he thought he would. It was cleaner than he imagined it would be and gave off a nice country feel with the exposed wood look.

"Right?" Asher chuckled placing his hand on Raven's back gently pushing the distracted read head towards the counter to place their order.

Raven jumped to the feeling of Asher's hand, "He- hey" Raven grumbled as he moved from Asher's touch on his lower back. He went to tell him to quit touching him so freely when he heard a woman's voice, catching his attention.

"Asher?" She spoke while she approached them.

Raven looked over seeing the beautiful young woman and her friend who stopped in front of Asher causing Raven and him both to stop before they could get in line. This was an all too common sight for Raven to see though unlike the usual she looked upset from the sight of Asher.

While Raven was looking her features over she glanced Raven's way giving a slight glare as she looked back to Asher, "You're not returning my calls" She spoke up lightly.

Raven finally understood what it was that she was upset about, he was one of those kinds that left without any contact after they are done. He gave out an obvious sigh as he wasn't going to stand around where he was going to be accused of being with Asher when he wasn't. This was an unfortunate common accusation to happen to him, though he hated it, he was looked at in that manner all the time when it came to the women that Carson would spend time with even while he was clearly a man.

It only irritated him that he was accustomed to these sorts of glares and snarls behind his back from the women. He couldn't understand it, if he were half a demon that was supposed to attract people then why was it only men who seemed to flock to him while women only despised him.

What was worse than the women's glares was that they always seemed to come in groups, each one of them just as nasty towards Raven as the one who was actually with Carson. Usually making it impossible for Raven to say anything about them even when he was a man they were just too much for him to handle.

"Another one, this one's not even worth avoiding her for" One of the friends snarled as she looked Raven over.

Raven scoffed to the insult as he couldn't help but notice she were the ugliest of the group of more than attractive women, it was clear that her issue out of them all was envy. When their eyes met for a moment Raven gave a slight smirk before he silently passed to go and look at the menu.

Asher through up his hands to calm the girl in front of him as he was about to say something to Raven about going up to the counter he noticed the smirk Raven gave the other woman before going to the counter anyway. Asher scoffed as he gave a smile looking down at the woman in front of him to handle the situation he was in now seeing as Raven didn't seem bothered by this intrusion at all.

Another one? Raven couldn't help but question her words as he stopped to look up at the menu. Even though Ashley said they had just moved into the area and it was true that Asher was just registering into the school, he seemed to already know the town just as well as the rest. The twins couldn't have lived there only for so long for him to have such a reputation already without someone from the school knowing about him and yet no one knew of him nor her. Especially when he and Carson's type seemed to align with each other. This made Raven truly wonder what it was this guy was up to with the way he was being persistent to hangout further.

While he questioned the details as he heard footsteps approach him from behind. He snickered at how fast it took as it usually did, "Bro-" Raven froze as he was about to tease with his words about being a heart breaker like he usually would till he heard Asher's voice calling his fake name apologizing for the interruption. This reminded him of the company he was with, though similar it was not Carson.

"Bro what?" Asher questioned stopping just behind Raven as he looked up at the menu, "Did you find what you wanted on the menu yet?" He asked while diligently looking for what he wanted to eat.

"Don... don't worry about that, I'm used to this sort of thing" Raven stuttered out as he gathered his thoughts not caring about what just happened, "Yeah I'll probably just have a pulled pork sandwich with a soda" he claimed sticking his hands into his pockets.

Asher nodded as he listened to Raven's words wondering what he meant by being used to it. He didn't ask any deeper into it only giving a teasing smile, "So, Diet?" he asked playing on an idea that Raven was watching his figure.

Raven hissed as he looked over, "Hell no" he snapped becoming offended having this be the second time he had made a statement about Raven watching his figure as if he would need to.

Asher chuckled as he walked towards the counter, "Alright regular soda it is then, want to grab a seat while I get everything" he suggested waving his hand towards the window seats.

Raven huffed assuming this meant he wouldn't have a choice of where they would be sitting. He was reluctant to go sit now as it felt more like a command for him to do what he was told than an offer for him to go sit first. However, he didn't care to carry anything to the table either so he struggled to retort this command, "Sure" he muttered giving into it.

Raven dragged his feet as he walked over to the booth by the window staring down at it he wasn't interested in sitting directly in public view. He liked that Carson wasn't into the public view either and would sit in the back with him away from others. But glancing back over his shoulder looking at how little there was of people in the restaurant he considered the most open spot to be the safest bet for him at the moment.

Leaning down, he slid into the booth looking out the window questioning how it had gotten this far if he could not trust being alone with this man. While he stared out the window he couldn't help but notice how dark it had gotten outside for such a short time to have passed. He didn't like the idea of having to take shelter at a possible crowded bus stop waiting to return home. Unable to remember the weather he hoped this was just a large passing cloud or at least it would hold off till after he returned.

A small tray clattered on the table catching Raven's attention to look in front of him only to see that the food was already done, "Soda" Asher claimed while placing the cup down before Raven.

"Thanks" Raven muttered as he did not expect them to get their order so fast. He narrowed his brow questioning the quality of the food if it were as fast as a drive thru.

However when he was handed the wrapped sandwich it was warm and still smelled fresh, this surprise shown on his face as Asher chuckled to himself lightly, "This kind of food is made in bulk and able to sit for hours without going bad," he explained while sliding into the booth as well.

While Raven took his first bite Asher took his own food out laying it out in front of him having ordered the same thing as Raven, "So by saying you were used to it, does that mean you are a bit of an outcast" Asher inquired in a discreet manner bringing up what Raven said lightly as he didn't even look up.

Raven arched a brow as he finished his bite before he spoke looking Asher over, "What are you going on about?" he questioned wondering what sort of question that was.

Asher pointed back to the door imply the women who had left not too long ago, "Girls treating you like that?" He explained wondering if this was what Raven meant by being used to the way the girls acted.

Raven thought about it for a moment while taking a sip of his drink placing his cup down letting out a sigh. Though it wasn't like how Asher figured, he wasn't an outsider rather he was more of an object in the way it seemed, male or female they focused on him too much.

Raven reached up rubbing the back of his neck, he hated how people treated him no matter the gender but he couldn't explain it like that, "Nah it's nothing li-urrp" Raven was cut off by letting a large burp release from his own stomach, "They just don't like me because of the guy I hang out with" He continues to explain seemingly unfazed by the belch he let out in front of Asher since he wasn't.

When he looked back up he saw that Asher had covered his own mouth and was holding back the urge to laugh as he snickered, "They hate you because you really are like one of the guys huh?" He finally blurts out with a chuckle teasing Raven for what just happened.

Raven's face turned red as he realized what he had done was something unusual for a woman to do at least while on a date. He knew he should have thought about acting more like one of the women that Carson brought around or like jewels so that he wouldn't stick out.

Then it hit him, he just thought of this occasion as a date making his stomach turn to the thought. He shook his head quickly trying to remind himself that he wasn't some girl on a date with this guy that was only helping him out and for the most part he was reminding himself that he was a man.

"Yep born to be one" He declared pretending to be joking though he felt the need to remind himself he didn't need to act any more feminine than he already was.

"Right..." Asher snickered taking a bite of his food before he looked back to Raven, "Am I going to be in trouble for this date, do you have a boyfriend?" he inquired.

"It's not a date," Raven hissed as his heart raced to these words having just convinced himself that it wasn't a date, "No, what about you? You were going out with that girl just now, right?" Raven countered the question in an irritated tone pushing the topic of himself away.

Asher arched a brow giving a smirk, "Jealous?"

Raven huffed leaning back as he folded his arms over one another, "Not even a chance" he sneered. Looking down at his food he had only gotten a few bites in and just like the food at the house it had less flavor than before. However even though he had eaten some it didn't feel like the food was doing the trick of settling his stomach but rather making his head ache grow.

"Yeah, she was one of them..." Asher admits while he looked Raven over for a moment, "You going to look at me differently?" he inquired in a sarcastic tone of voice.

Raven glanced back to Asher giving a scoff to his question deciding now that he had gotten what he needed from him he would be completely honest. "Didn't look at you very well in the first place." he claimed hoping that maybe if the conversation kept in this direction Asher would want to leave on his own accord.

However as he was waiting for Asher's expression to waver Asher let out a smile, "And yet you enjoyed yourself earlier, you must have a taste for it then" He mocked

Raven couldn't help but give a noticeable snarl, he hated it but there was something about the way he wouldn't be wavered by the insults that reminded him of Carson which he didn't mind, "No, actually it's because you remind me a lot of my friend, so I'm kind of used to it is all." he explained not taking back what he said but giving a reason why he tolerated being around such an arrogant man.

"Really?" Asher questioned as he put his food down, "This friend of yours you keep mentioning, you don't happen to like this guy do you?" he asked becoming curious why it was Raven would bring up another man so often while he was around.

"Pfft no never," Raven almost choked on his drink as he was accused of liking Carson again this time by someone who didn't even know them, "He's like a brother to me" he protests wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

Asher nodded for a moment as if he didn't believe a word of it however then he cracked a smile, "Good, means you're free to have a crush on me" he claimed.

Raven's lip curled as he preferred this guy think he had a crush on Carson rather giving him an opportunity to have a chance with him. "There's something wrong with your brain" Raven snarled. Even though he had already lost interest in his food he was certain now that he wasn't in the mood for it anymore.

Asher chuckled, taking another bite of his sandwich, "You really are mean" He informed between bites of his food.

"You'll live" Raven snorted while glancing out the window only to see a group of students from his school passing by. Without his phone he truly became unaware of how long they had been out now and there was no telling who they would run into.

Asher chuckled once more, "I guess I will... Robin?" Asher questioned as he noticed a change in Raven's expression.

Raven watched as they passed knowing each one of them, he feared the worst however in the group he did not see Carson. Though he was curious as to how his best friend was Raven was too relieved to think of that now.

Relieved or not it wasn't safe to be there while other members of the school were walking around. Taking his sandwich he pushed it aside as he waited to see where they were heading before he left the restaurant. Just as the doors opened he heard a familiar voice among the group, "You gotta be kidding me you haven't come here yet." they questioned.

Raven sighed cursing from his turn of luck only for an even more familiar voice to speak up that he somehow didn't know was there, "Raven's not interested in this kind of food" Carson responded in a muttered tone using Raven as his excuse for not wanting to eat there.

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