Page 108 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part One
“What do you think Ari’s going to do about Jason?” Tyler asks me. We’re sitting on the bench outside of one of Kira’s classes. “It might just be me, but I think Jason deserves to know the truth.”
I shrug. “Me too, but we’ll never convince Ari of that. It took him almost a year to tell me.”
“It’s not like Jason is going to run and tell,” Tyler replies. “I mean, Kira deserves to know too.” When I don’t answer, Tyler laces his fingers with mine. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. It’s just…I could have just taken the motherfucker out. Why didn’t I?”
“You said your gut told you not to, and Ari always says trust your gut.”
“But my gut got Keon shot.”
“He doesn’t blame you. He told you that himself. You can’t take the blame for everything.” Tyler squeezes my fingers. “The nightmares started again.” It’s not a question because he was there last night when I woke up in a cold sweat, fucking screaming. Only this time, I watched as Keon’s head was blown off. The other nightmares were gone, thanks to Tyler, but now they’re back, just with a different scene. Maybe my head isn’t cut out for this shit. “Want to talk about it?”
I almost say no because that’s my default reaction, but talking about it helps. Tyler gives me a new perspective. “I watched Keon get shot in the head.”
Tyler nods. “Only normal with what you went through last night.”
“How is this normal, Ty?” I ask raggedly. “I don’t see any of you falling apart when bad shit happens.”
“We all have our ways of coping. Are they good ways? Nope. You’re the only one who has anormalreaction to this shit. It’s the rest of us that are fucked up, not you.”
“Hello, fellas.” My head snaps up, and Professor North is standing in front of us. “Don’t you have a class to get to?”
“We’re waiting on Kira,” I answer.
“I’m sure she knows how to make her way around.” He says it casually, but I don’t miss the underlying condescending tone. Who does this asshole think he is?
“Is it illegal to sit here or something?” Tyler asks innocently, squeezing my hand when he feels me tense up.
Professor North’s eyes narrow. “No, but it never seems like you guys actually go to class.” He’s been watching us? I can add that to the list of shit that Ari’s already suspicious about.
Tyler shrugs lazily. “Good thing we don’t have your class then.”
“What are your names again?”
Before we can answer, Kira walks through the double doors, and his face changes completely when he looks at her. What the hell? “Hey, Professor North. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just getting to know your boyfriends. See you later.”
We watch him walk away, and Kira turns to us. “What was that about?”
Tyler gets up and slings his arm around her shoulders. “He’s been watching us. He knows we don’t go here.”
“Oh.” Kira’s shoulders sag, and I grab her hand. “Does this mean I can’t go here anymore?”
“Not yet,” I answer, kissing the back of her hand. “It just means we need to keep an eye on Professor North.”
We help Kira into the car, and Tyler drives us home, where I go straight to Ari. He’s in his office, so I sit in front of his desk and tell him about the conversation. “You’re sure he knows you don’t go there?”
“If he’s not sure, he suspects it.”
“Fuck.” Ari rubs his fingers across his forehead, looking more tired than I’ve ever seen him. “Make yourselves a little less visible, but make sure you can still watch her.”
“Got it.” I get up from the chair to give Ari some space but stop when I see how defeated he looks. “I know this is none of my business, but I’m going to say it anyway. Jason deserves to know the truth. You want to build a life with him, and he should know who he’s getting involved with. You know he’s not going to runand tell anyone. You have to trust that he can handle the truth. And for what it’s worth, I think he can.”
I expect Ari to blow up, but he just nods, acknowledging my words. It doesn’t mean he’ll listen to me, but I hope I gave him something to consider.
I just hope I’m right, and their relationship doesn’t blow up in Ari’s face.
