Pitbabe S2, Chapter 11 pg8

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 11 pg8

   “Oh, you hate Way, huh?”

   “Yeah.”

   Look at that. I think this kid deserves an honesty award.

   “Why?” I asked, genuinely curious.

   “Isn’t that none of your business?”

   “It’s exactly because it’s not my business that I’m curious. Why would I care if it was about me?”

   Jeff let out a huge sigh, not from relief but from sheer exasperation.

   “I don’t get why Charlie likes you.”

   “Charlie likes me?” I feigned shock. Of course, that was a lie. I already knew Charlie probably feels some weird connection with me. He’s one of those who, from the start, seemed to dislike Way but can be friends with me without any hesitation, even though I look like his hated twin. “Babe’s gonna be heartbroken.”

   “You know what I mean.”

   “Lover? Third wheel?”

   Jeff looked like he was barely holding it together talking to me, but I felt like I was gliding on an ice rink, arms sweeping gracefully, leg lifted parallel to the ground, spinning like a top amid the crowd’s applause. That’s the thrill of messing with someone and watching their brain nearly implode.

   “Alright, I take it back. It’s not just your face—I don’t like you at all.”

   Jeff’s words hit my funny bone hard. His face was deadpan, no hint of joking. If it were anyone else, they’d probably be stunned or pissed off by now, getting called out like that. But for me, it felt like I’d just been handed a huge compliment.

   “Glad to hear that,” I replied, genuinely pleased.

   “If it wasn’t for you helping Charlie, though.”

   “You kicking me out?”

   “I could do more than that.”

   “Oh…” His “more than that” made me remember Jeff isn’t just some random rebellious kid. “You gonna read my fortune?”

   But I couldn’t resist teasing him anyway.

   “You could call it that,” Jeff shrugged, but what was weirder was his smile—not a happy one, more like he was amused. “I’m pretty accurate, you know.”

   “We know. Charlie told us about you.”

   “Your future’s pretty interesting.”

   “What?”

   This was probably the first time in years someone made my heart skip a beat. I faltered slightly, pulled out of the fun zone by Jeff’s even more amused expression. At first, I thought he just had some traits like mine, but I didn’t expect one of those traits to include a touch of slyness.

   “But I bet you don’t wanna know,” Jeff kept smiling, his relaxed demeanor rattling me in a way I couldn’t believe. I let out a scoff, suddenly feeling pathetic. I couldn’t believe I’d been outplayed by a kid who seemed so innocent. “It’ll be more fun to find out yourself.”

   “You threatening me or what?”

   “No need to threaten. I don’t want anything from you.”

   Even the way he looked at me now felt like I was staring into a mirror.

   “No, you don’t have anything I want more than that.”

   I admitted defeat gracefully. It was clear enough that Jeff wasn’t a kid you could toy with easily. Unlike Charlie, who’s more suited to being the prey, I shifted my target to someone more fun to mess with—the guy sitting at the computer with a stressed-out face.

   “Is Jeff messing with you?” 

   I’d just quietly stood behind Charlie’s chair, not even opening my mouth, when he spoke up first, like he’d read my mind. Hmm… or maybe he actually has that power? Touch once said Charlie could do a lot of things but never went into specifics. In all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never seen Charlie use his supernatural abilities clearly even once. If he hadn’t told me, I’d just think he was a boring nerd.

   “How’d you know?”

   “He’s always like that, just leave him alone,” Charlie replies, his hands still clacking away at the keyboard. He’s always been serious about work, but lately, he’s been even more obsessed. He’s at the lab almost every day. I don’t know how he finds time to deal with his thesis. He’s not planning to drop out to focus on this project, is he? “He’s probably not comfortable talking much.”

   Sounds exactly like something his Phii would say—typical siblings.

   “He already told me,” I reply lazily, resting my hands on the back of Charlie’s office chair. “But now it’s not just that he’s uncomfortable talking—he probably hates me.”

   “Because you teased him.”

   “I’m the victim here.”

   “You’re never the victim.”

   Despite his sunny, big-puppy-in-a-warm-home vibe, Charlie isn’t that naive, is he? Jeff said Charlie likes me, but that doesn’t mean he thinks I’m a good person. Maybe there’s just something about us that clicked by chance, which is surprising because, no matter how you look at it, we’re completely different. To me, Charlie is genuinely good at his core, but not so attached to it that he’d die for it. I bet he used to be—the kind who’d sacrifice himself for what’s right. But now, with something he wants to protect, I’m certain he’d sell his soul to Satan without hesitation to keep that “something” safe.

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