Chapter Seven
Charlie
Iwasn’t sure Ava-Marie could surprise me anymore. With my pidge, I’d come to expect the unexpected.
But I never could’ve predicted what happened that afternoon in the abandoned storage room. Ava-Marie hadreallysurprised me, and in all the best ways. Feeling her body against mine made my head spin, until I didn’t know which way was up and which was down. My hands against her skin, my lips on her breasts, and her sensitive areas pressing against my hardness… it was overwhelming and exhilarating and…perfect.
Ava had performed with nothing but the utmost confidence. It’d been so hot. It was like connecting to a part of my soul that always seemed inches out of reach. Now I had it in the palm of my hands… and I would never let it go.
“What’s up with Ava lately?” Ezekiel asked the following week.
Ez had joined me in the prison yard after class to work out. I curled my fingers around a narrow brick ledge on the edge of the building and did three quick chin-ups. I dropped back to my feet and felt my cheeks flush when he asked the question.
“What do you mean?” I asked innocently, though I knew exactly what he was referring to. Ava had been nothing but bubbly and happy since that day in the storage room. To anyone else, it might seem like she was high on drugs, but I knew it was her bipolar. I just hoped she stayed in this happy state for a long time.
“She’s been acting… weird,” Ez said. “I mean, weirder than normal. Her highs aren’t usually like this.”
I shrugged. I wasn’t about to tell him I was screwing around with his sister. Ez and I got along, but notthatwell. “You know her mood swings better than I do,” I replied vaguely.
“I guess so,” Ez grunted while he tried to do a chin-up. I could feel with my magic that he barely got two inches off the ground. He continued talking while trying to get through his first chin-up. “I didn’t expect her… to be so happy… in prison.”
Ez dropped to the ground and blew a breath. “Whew. Three in a row.”
I laughed under my breath and clapped him on the shoulder. “Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean you can fool me.”
His shoulder dropped beneath my hand.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I teased. “If you want to impress the ladies with your lies, I’ll let them believe anything.”
Ez shrugged me off. “I’m not trying to impressanyone.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Not even a pretty little mermaid?”
“No way.” Ez shoved me.
I laughed. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, kid.”
“Who are you callingkid?” Ez jumped at me, swinging out his fist in a playful way. I felt him coming and blocked him. He gasped and flung out his other fist, but I caught his wrist and yanked him forward, until I had him in a headlock. He slapped at my arms and shouted, “Not fair!”
I snickered and messed up his hair with my knuckles. “What’s not fair? That a blind guy can beat you?”
I let him go, and he took several steps back. “Let’s try to avoid getting caught fighting, okay?” he suggested. I noticed he purposely avoided answering my question.
“It’s no big deal,” I told him. The guards would look the other way for me, now that I had Captain to back me up.
“I don’t want to get into any trouble,” Ez said. “There’s a field trip into Shade Hills at the end of the semester for good behavior. I intend to be on that bus.”
“Cabin fever already?” I asked. Oh, boy. This kid had a lot to learn about the Institute. I was half surprised he’d lasted this long. “I hear the trip isn’t that great, anyway. It’s supervised, and the schedule is really strict. You’re allowed to go shopping, but can only buyapproveditems. It’s hardly a field trip.”
“I’m just not interested in getting an infraction on my record, okay?” Ez said.
I shrugged. “Fair enough, but I suggest you learn how to defend yourself regardless. Avoiding fights in this prison only gets you so far. One of these days, you might end up in the middle of a fight you never saw coming.”
I thought of my first encounter with Mad Dog. There were ruthless guys inside this prison that would pick a fight for no reason. I hoped Ez didn’t get caught in the crosshairs, but he had to be prepared if he did.
“I can teach you to fight,” I offered.
“Thanks for the offer,” Ez said genuinely. “But you’re forgetting why I’m in here. I know how to handle myself.”
