Page 101 of The Devils They Are

Tai flops down in his computer chair, placing his hands behind his head. "Because we're going to finish this stupid project today. I figured it out."

Laughing, I walk over and sit down at the desk. "Did you now?"

"Okay—maybe I overheard someone talking about it. But I think I know what to do."

"So, you cheated."

"I didn't cheat! He was just talking about the calculation steps. Sshh—trust me, Bexley."

I cock an eyebrow. "I trust you as much as a loaf of moldy bread."

"You wound me," he replies, and I'm hit with a sense of déjà vu.

"Alright, Einstein. Lead the way," I snort, pushing the paperwork toward him.

To my surprise, Taididseem to know what he was doing. And I think he was equally as shocked.

Together, we managed to work through the series of steps, showing our working out strategies until we reached an agreement on our answer. I have no idea if we are right, but I'm fairly confident we've done it to the best of our ability. Tai looks like a little kid, grinning wildly as he writes his name on the top of the sheet.

"Done!"

"See… it wasn't so bad," I laugh. "Plus, you got to hang with me and learn from my wisdom."

"You're so full of yourself, Spencer," he snorts, relaxing back in his chair. "But yes. Solid teamwork."

I reach for another mini quiche. I've eaten five now, but who's counting? Mary brought them up shortly after I arrived and after I tasted one, I couldn't stop. I don't want to insult her cooking by leaving any crumbs behind. Yep—that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

As I shove an entire one in my mouth, Tai blinks in disbelief. I must resemble a squirrel, cheeks blown out and puffy but instead of nuts in my mouth, it's bacon and cheese quiche.

"What?" I grumble, words slurring through my full mouth. Oops—probably need to work on being more lady-like.

"I didn't think it was humanly possible for a mouth to stretch so wide," he taunts.

Chewing, I hold eye contact, determined to make him as uncomfortable as possible. Except the idiot just stares back with a smirk, waiting patiently for me to swallow.

"I'm not disrespecting Mary by sending food back," I start. "It would be rude of me. I'm the perfect guest."

Tai breaks out in laughter, messing up his hair with his hand. "I gained ten pounds in freshman year. I kept eating everything even though I was full. Eventually Mary caught on, realizing she was overcooking. Man—she scolded me good for not telling her. She thought I was just agrowing boy. But it was enough to feed an entire class."

"I wish I had someone to cook for me," I murmur thoughtfully. "But I do love baking. Except I have zero self control and will eat an entire tray of cookies if I'm not careful."

"Cookies don't have calories," he says dismissively with a wave. "That's the rules—I don't make them."

I feel oddly at ease. Relieved that the project is done, I'm able to just relax. Thoughts of heading home quickly exit my mind when the bedroom door opens, and a new face surprises me.

"Knock knock," Rylan mutters, walking in without waiting for a reply. "You better be finished. I've been waiting all afternoon so we can get this sorted."

My gaze shifts between the two of them. "Sort what?"

Tai gives me a sheepish smile. "We're extending that team effort. Dream team and all."

"You've lost me," I mumble, turning to Rylan. "Please explain to me… in English."

I let out a yelp when Rylan lifts me off the chair, plonking his own ass down. Before I can rip him a new one, his hands grab my hips, pulling me down to his lap.

"Rylan!" I hiss, looking at Tai in alarm.

"Oh, he doesn't care. Do you, T?"

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