Mac

Chapter 10: Mac

As soon as I passed the infamous bathroom at the end of the hallway, I was practically body-slammed and forced inside by a much bigger, much stronger body. I grunted at the impact as my shoulder hit the swinging door. Stumbling, I was shoved inside the space that was more often used for illicit and deviant purposes rather than what it was intended for. If you wanted to get off quickly and quietly between classes, this was the spot. It was also the room where Theo ruthlessly pushed me inside and forced me back up against one of the sinks.

The baseball player wasn't alone. Leaning against one of the ornate mirrors, Klein had his arms crossed over his chest, looking far more anxious and nervous than Theo.

I cleared my throat and reached up to straighten the patterned tie that was part of my uniform. It was pretty much my only nervous habit, one I tried to hide, but Theo picked up on it anyway. Something flashed in his dark gaze that would've had me on high alert if I were anyone else.

"Long time no see, fellas. I trust you've both been well?" I let my accent get thick and rolled the words around playfully as they both glared at me.

They were beautiful boys. I liked the way both of them looked, and I really liked the way they looked together. Theo was all kinds of brooding, dark intensity. Klein was golden and glittering like a pirate’s treasure. One was bold and brave. The other was timid and taciturn. One came from nothing. The other from the pinnacle of everything. Their paths would have no reason to ever cross out in the real world, so it felt like fate and a little bit of luck that we were forced together in our current circumstances. Watching their Tom and Jerry interactions was endlessly entertaining. And just like with Edge and Cutter, I could tell there were feelings there that went beyond what they were willing to acknowledge.

Playing with people was my favorite pastime.

Pushing these two toward one another was the most fun I’d had in ages. It kept my mind off all the other, darker, heavier things I wanted to avoid.

"Cut the crap, Mac. It's been a week. You know we've been waiting to find out exactly why you helped keep us in school and out of trouble. We know there's no way you did that out of the kindness of your heart." Theo snorted and pointed a finger at me. "I'm not even sure you have one."

I laughed. "Have a heart? What would I need with one of those pesky things? All they do is get broken." I tapped my fingers on the edge of the porcelain sink and shifted my gaze between the two of them. Theo looked like he wanted to fight. Klein looked like he wanted to bolt and not look back. "A simple 'thank you' will do. I'm glad neither of you has to go before your time."

I pushed off the sink and moved around Theo, only to have him put a hand in the center of my chest and push me back to where I was.

"We didn't ask you to help us out, Mac. You took that upon yourself." Theo practically growled the words, and I was surprised by my reaction. A small shiver danced up and down my spine.

I liked a big, forceful guy as much as the next boy, but I was the one who usually did the intimidating. It was a strange sensation to have all my senses tingling because someone else was showing their teeth.

Klein finally came to life. He stepped next to Theo, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his uniform pants. He rocked back and forth from his toes to his heels, refusing to meet my gaze. "My music teacher hates me even more now than he did before. He told me there's no way I'm passing my final. Getting kicked out might have been better for me in the long run."

Theo nodded in agreement. "The whole team looks like the walking wounded because of me. I was already the odd man out. Now, none of them will even look me in the eye. Everyone at this stupid school has been telling me I don't belong here since I took the scholarship. This is the first time I actually agree with them. I shouldn't be here if this is the only way I can stay."

I clicked my tongue and wagged a finger at both of them. "If you don't want to stay, and you have somewhere you'd rather be, you both know where the door is. I didn't think it was fair they were going to force you out, so I stopped it. If you want to walk out of your own accord, that’s a different story. No one is keeping you here against your will."

Klein looked like he wanted to argue with my statement, but Theo held up his hand and shook his head. "Just tell us what your endgame is. What do you want from us? Why do I feel like this is all some kind of game to you, Malachi?"

I chuckled and smoothed a hand down the length of my tie. "Because it is."

My entire life was a game. Sometimes I was the pawn. Sometimes I was the king or even the queen. It all depended on the day.

"You scare the shit out of me, Mac." Klein sighed heavily and dragged a hand down his face as he mumbled the words. "I feel like I haven't slept in a month since you started all of this. Can you please just give me a break?"

A laugh burst out of my lips because he was extra cute when he was desperate. I reached up and lightly tapped his cheek, causing his brows to furrow.

"Everything will be fine, Rockstar. Trust me." I flashed a look at the ballplayer. "You too, Allstar. Whatever is coming won't be too painful. You just have to have some faith in me."

"I don't trust you as far as I can throw you." Theo wasn't going to budge, and I found that incredibly hot for some reason. I also liked his frustrated tone. It was delightful to get under his skin when he was usually the one who remained unruffled in most situations.

He wasn't a pushover, and Klein was all-too-easily wounded. I wondered why that combination was proving to be so irresistible to me as of late.

"Who said jocks are dumb?" I asked the question playfully to keep poking at Theo, but it was true. He was far smarter than the average athlete at this school. No one should trust me. Especially when I told them to. “Stay and play, or leave like losers. Either way, I don't regret being the one who stepped between you and the bullets this school had aimed at you."

I lived my life shielded from an uncertain fate. I considered it a rare opportunity to be able to do that for someone else in this lifetime. And neither of these guys, these talented young men, seemed to have anyone else in their lives willing to protect them. So I planned to do it for them both as long as I was able.