Page 11 of Distortion
‘Eric Blake, but we just call him Blake,’ Jack supplies when he doesn’t deign to respond.
He gestures with his head to senior number three. He’s massive, I realize. Built like a brick shithouse, as Douglas would say. He’s got muscles on muscles. His cheekbones are high and his lips, full. I find myself wanting to bite mine as I stare at his.
‘Maverick Shaw. Mav.’
Mav.
‘That must take some real upkeep,’ I mutter as my eyes rove over him.
Then, He-Man stands up, and I see that not only is he muscly as hell, but he’s tall, too. He towers over me, and I blink up at him, my mouth opening on a small gasp.
‘Are we really expected to have this bitch living here with us all year?’ he asks, his lip curling as he looks at Jack.
Jack snorts. ‘So says the honorable Doctor John Novelle.’
‘This is bullshit, Shade.’
Shade?
My amused eyes find Jack’s. He pretends not to notice.
‘Look,’ I say. ‘I don’t want to be here either.’Lie. I definitely want to be at Richmond.‘But John told me I have to live at this house. If you have somewhere else I can go, I’ll gladlygoand he probably won’t know the difference. Otherwise, can you tell me where my room is, please? It’s been a long day, and I’m off by about five hours.’
I notice Mav staring.
‘Time difference,’ I elaborate in case he’s confused. ‘It’s five hours until October.’
He squints. ‘What happens in October?’
‘Clocks change.’ I purse my lips. ‘But one country does it before the other, so in October there’s seven days where it’s four hours, and then in March a week where it’s six hours.’
Mav glances at the others. ‘Right.’
The silence is palpable, and I frown a little. I did something, said something.
Jack, no,Shadeshakes his head a little and lets out a breath. The moment is forgotten.
‘You know my father. He’ll find out if we put her elsewhere, and he’ll come down on us like a ton of bricks, which wedon’tneed this year. It won’t be for long.’
He says the last part almost to himself.
Mav and Blake nod, both staring at me, I think in confusion, but I can’t be sure.
‘Fourth floor,Daisy.’
‘Up there with us?’ Mav mutters. ‘You can’t be serious.’
‘Thanks,Shade.’
But as I say his nickname aloud, I decide that it does actually suit him, and that I’ll use it so long as he calls me ‘Daisy’ in return.
I don’t say anything else as I turn and walk back to the door, grabbing the bag I dropped and making my way up the stairs without a backward look. I try to forget about the guys at the table, the frat bros who think I’m, at best, a piece of meat to salivate over and, at worst, aretardthey can treat however they want.
I’m neither, but the truth is I don’t actually know what I am. Now that I’m free of The Heath, I suppose it’s time to find out.
Blake
‘You can’t puther up there with us,’ I say as I watch her walk away and try not to stare at that juicy ass she’s got swaying all over the place. ‘What if she overhears something she shouldn’t? Fuck. We barely have time for our own shit. How are we supposed to find the extra to deal with her? We’re on a timeline!’
