Levi Winchester

Since when did Tyler get along so well with Jay? It was like they were becoming a little bit too close for my comfort. Whispering to each other. They're making jokes in the back of the classroom like they've been friends for years. What the hell's so funny?

I knew Jay held no candle to me but this was ridiculous. How the hell could Tyler not see that Jay was completely fake as fuck?! Who would ever buy this fake weak act?

Jay was smart enough to catch vibes so there wasn't anyway he didn't know I disliked him. In fact, it wasn't like I was trying to hide it either. He was a just complete nuisance to have around. He took up a lot of Tyler's mind space and that felt criminal.

Mostly, I hated him because I didn't know which angle he was playing. I had no idea how else he was going to interfere with Tyler and I having alone time. Like last night how he somehow infiltrated our study session, ruining any intimate moment time. Or how many other ways he was stealing Tyler's attention.

Tyler said he's just getting close to a new friend, and I would be ok with it...if it were anyone else. Jay was just too shady. And I couldn't demand Tyler to stop hanging out with him because then Tyler would just hang out with him more because he loves being petty.

This wasn't jealousy this time, Tyler! It was because things were going on that you have no idea about! But I couldn't tell Tyler about that so I had no choice but to stomach this mess.

It was like Jay was taunting me by just breathing and I couldn't even prove that. Especially since I didn't have any actual evidence of his shadiness and I sound petty. My past actions don't exactly help my case either.

My only satisfaction was watching him eat the extra lunch I made sure to spit in a few times. I can only get small victories. He only got one because Tyler insisted anyway. "...nd I still don't understand what Ms. Collin was teaching. I just space out. Levi, were you paying attention?"

"You know I wasn't," I mumbled obviously in the worst of moods.

"God, when are you going to stop sulking, Levi," Tyler growled at me. "It's been a whole 2 days, you pissy pants."

"Hm," I grunted.

"Whatever, act like a petulant child," Tyler rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I will."

Tyler sucked his teeth at me. I know I was being childish, but I didn't see the point in being nice to someone I hated. He wasn't good at all. "Did you understand the lecture Jay?"

"I....I can help with it. It was basic: sin cos and tan are basically just functions that relate an angle with a ratio of two sides in a right triangle. Sin is equal to the side opposite the angle that you are conducting the functions on over the hypotenuse which is the longest side in the triangle. Cos is adjacent over hypotenuse," Jay said.

I looked at Jay shocked. Recited verbatim from the textbook. His memory was extremely proficient and detailed. Something to watch out for in the near future. An eidetic memory isn't common if he has that.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Tyler gaped at him. "It doesn't sound basic. It sounds like something I'll never have to use in my life. Why do I have to-"

"It's what the teacher spoke about. She said it was important to know for the next test," Jay looked down at his sandwich as Tyler looked visibly panicked. "How are going to get into a good college?"

"I'll just work."

"To work you do need math."

"Not calculus! When the fuck will I need that?"

"What do you want to be?"

"Police detective or a soccer player."

"You'll need math for that. Probability! Mathematical operations and algorithms! Logical reasoning! Game theory! Angles!" Jay snapped at Tyler.

"Well I don't understand this shit at all! And what work is going to use this formula?! I'm not trying to be a rocket scientist! I just want to play soccer or solve mysteries. No boss will ever come up to me and say 'I need the parables on this' ever in life."

"Shame on you, slacker!" Jay declared.

"Then speak a language I can understand! Because I don't understand math. Can't I just cheat off you?"

"No!"

"Goody two shoes! You're just like Levi! He won't let me cheat either!"

"You have to learn-"

"Yeah yeah, I gotta learn it myself to progress in the future. I've heard it a million times from everyone. I'm fucking doomed. By the way I forgot to ask earlier, do you walk home?" Tyler suddenly asked. What was he doing?

"No. The driver picks me up."

"Driver?" I asked, immediately regretting it. It seemed to somehow reassure Jay for some reason. What did Tyler and him speak about? What driver?

Was he lying? Everything out of this guys mouth sounded suspicious to me. Probably because he's a dirty fucking liar!

"Yeah," Jay mumbled. "My parents are too busy so he picks me up."

"How about after practice we go hang out together," Tyler offered. Jay smiled sheepishly.

I tried to hide my frown but I couldn't tell what I was doing exactly. All I knew was, as long as I don't know the motives behind Jay's actions were, I was going to be uneasy and drive myself insane.

I couldn't say no to Tyler making a friend without a reason. I couldn't just monopolize all his time because he wouldn't be happy that I'm suffocating him. And on the slight chance that I was wrong, I'd just be a controlling jealous dickhead.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Jay said looking between Tyler and I. That little shit must've noticed me walking on eggshells.

"It's a great idea." Tyler insisted.

I couldn't listen to this crap. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back soon or whatever."

"Are you alright?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, I'm just driving myself a bit crazy. Just a bad mood that I need to calm down." I explained. It wasn't a lie.

"Ok," Tyler smiled. I smiled back and hurried away. Maybe it was good that Tyler had a distraction, though I hated it.

"Hey there!" A cheery voice sounded. I turned to see Giovanni standing there with a big smile. "What's that look? You remember me this time, right? It wasn't that long ago."

"I know who the fuck you are, I'm not stupid! Why are you speaking to me?" I hissed. "I don't want you around me."

"No reason I just saw you and wanted to say hi, and it's not like you'll lash out here in school," Giovanni smiled. "You did a great job of getting me in trouble, you little pickpocket."

"So you're here to take for the phone back? You want revenge?"

"No, it's not like I got killed. I just want to be good friends with you."

"Why would you-"

"Hey! It's Gio!" George appeared from my side a put an arm around me. "Is there something you need from my friend?"

"Oh you guys are friends? What do you care what we're doing? It's got nothing to do with you anyway."

"Doesn't matter, he's my friend."

Giovanni and George glared at each other for a bit before Giovanni chuckled. "I'll see you around, Levi." He said before walking off.

"Don't tell me you got on that pricks bad side! I wouldn't get close to him if I were you-ow!" I threw George back a few steps a dusted my shoulder off. How dare he try to touch me again? I'm not in the mood for this right now.

If Tyler were to have seen that, he would've flipped.

"Who said we were friends? I couldn't care less about you and don't fucking touch me again." Be nice, Tyler said be nice. Why was this so hard?

"Don't get me wrong, I feel the same way! I'm only here because I wanted to apologize like a dumbass. You know your face actually pisses me off!"

"Whatever."

"How do you know Giovanni? I've never even seen you guys in the same space."

"I don't know him. Why wasn't Giovanni coming into school lately?" It was probably fruitless endeavor I was about to embark on but better in the loop than out.

"He got in trouble for something," George said. "Ever since he's transferred here, he scares everyone. Almost like he's not supposed to be here." That's because He isn't supposed to be here. "He's nothing but trouble, believe that. They said he got expelled from his last school because he beat a guy within an inch of his life."

A great backstory. No one here would look into that. He's just a hopeless minor with no future on paper to the school. No teacher at this school would give him a second thought either.  Mostly because he has no records here. "Records?"

"None, rich parents solve everything so of course it's under wraps. Not that you would know that." George scoffed.

I tried my hardest not to strangle or threaten him. "George we'll call it even if you can tell me everything you know about Giovanni."

"I don't know much. Liam brought him around first so they were cool, but they didn't seem close either. Giovanni really spends all his time observing. No one really knows him because he doesn't really belong."

Sounds like him. He managed to attend this school unbothered even though he doesn't really go here. So if I can find out why he hasn't been caught....it could help me...right?

I mean it was the best idea I could think of right now, and I definitely can't let him around Tyler until I knew what his deal was.

Even worse, I could see Stephen and his brother Jason Ryan talking furiously in my periphery. Which means more trouble was coming very soon. I don't know if it was for Tyler or for a Jay but either way, it was going to effect Tyler.

"Where are you going? We're even right?"

"Just about square. I'm going to hang out with Giovanni for a bit," I said.

"Oh. Wait, what?!" George's face drained of color.

"Let's say he's my insurance. And like I said, no hard feelings." I said. I had a chance to get rid of this threat. Maybe George wasn't completely useless like I thought he was. "What happens if you get into a provoked fight? You know the rules well, right?"

"Yeah, you can't have physical altercations. You'll both get in trouble," George said.

"So if someone attacks you, you can't fight back. You just have to take it?" I asked. "Then you won't get in trouble, right."

"Yeah, it's really stupid. If you don't get caught, you can't get in trouble though. I guess it isn't hard to get caught. I mean people crowd around easily, and it gets really rowdy, and eventually things get back to the teachers."

"Even off school property?" I asked. George nodded.

That won't be any good. If Tyler continues to help Jay, there's bound to be conflict. And if he gets into a fight he'll get suspended again.

But how do I help Tyler out without being directly involved? And if I can't use violence to nip this in the bud, all I had were my brains.

And right now, my brain felt like mush.

"What if something else happens at the same time? Something to steal the spotlight so no one would get in trouble." I asked. It could be a loophole of some sort.

"Well duh, I guess that could happen. I guess the cover teams been saved many times because of something like that. Why are you asking me this?"

I ignored George's question.

How do I divert everyone's attention. What could actually help? Tyler was alone with Jay right now. Giovanni is in the building and he just saw me away from Tyler.

This was either a distraction or a way to vent out my frustrations. I rounded the corner in the science wing just as I saw Tyler scurrying towards the bathroom and disappear in.

If he was alone right now, he's probably going after Jay to save him from a bad situation....or he really had to pee. Taking in my surroundings, I made sure to note the Dean making his way down the hall, the growing crowd of student's and Giovanni about ten feet ahead of me.

I took in a deep breath ran and ran full speed in Giovanni's direction.