Page 61 of Driftwood Daffodil 2

If there was one thing I learned from comic books and movies, it was that nothing good happened when your nemesis suddenly had no interest. That was usually when the doomsday clock started ticking.

Unlike the heroes in those stories, I was an untrusting individual and knew to be on the lookout for the beginnings of a diabolical plan. Unfortunately, Gio’s silence wasn’t giving me any clues. The only thing I’d been able to come up with was my possible demise for cannibalistic purposes. That was solely based on the menacing glare he gave me yesterday while eating his lunch.

“How was Chem?”

My eyes narrowed on Memphis, who was leaning against the locker next to mine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Did he know something?

“I mean, how was chem?”

Well, let’s see… I spent the last half of class trapped at a lab with an oddly silent Gio Mancini–who may or may not want to eat me–so…

“Eerie.”

That was not a fun way to end the school day.

This time it was his gaze that narrowed in suspicion. “Did you blow something up again?”

“That was one time.” I rolled my eyes and stuffed the last of my books in my locker. “And it was totally the teacher’s fault.”

He was the one who gave us the ingredients to make nitroglycerin. Sure, that wasn’t what we were supposed to be doing, but what did he think would happen? It took an exorbitant amount of time to fix the damage. I couldn’t see that happening here. Public schools didn’t have the same funding as private. That might be an interesting theory to test?

“Why don’t I believe you?”

Because you know me.

“I think you just have trust issues. You should probably work on that.”

His face dropped as he clicked out an unimpressed tsk.

“We’re going to slide right past that comment, and go back to why you thought chem class was eerie.”

Ugh, did we have to?

“Care to elaborate?”

Not really.

I could tell Memphis that didn’t trust Gio, but then he’d ask what happened, and I’d have to explain my paranoia, which sounded way too exhausting. So, I went with the simpler explanation.

“Gio was my lab partner.”

His entire demeanor instantly shifted. Bright eyes narrowed while his shoulders rolled back and chest puffed out. “What did he do?”

“Nothing.” That was the problem.

When Gio was openly picking on me, I knew what to expect. Now, I was minding my own business and randomly getting come on my face. Which by the way, I swore was still swimming around my cheeks. Could sperm burrow into your pores? Because, I’d washed my face a dozen times last night and I could still feel them.

I think it was safe to say that Gio heard the rumor. Apparently Atlee was right about the jealousy thing. That didn’t bode well for the human race. No one should to live a world where Atlee Fiore was right.

“Gio didn’t do anything? I find that hard to believe.”

Didn’t we cover this topic already. “That’s because you have trust issues.”

“Don’t give me that load of crap.” Memphis folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not the one in this duo with trust issues.”

“I trust people.” I trusted that they would be assholes.

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