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At the end of class, I took my time gathering my things, giving Theo a chance to be long gone by the time I headed for the door. Except, as Lock and I walked down the steps, Theo was talking with Davis, and it was impossible not to overhear what he was saying.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Whitlock. You asked me to put you into that group. Unless you have a valid reason to be removed, you’re not moving.”
Theo hitched his bag higher on his shoulder. “I work better on my own.”
I felt Lock tense beside me, then he cupped my nape, steering me around Theo and Davis toward the door. Their voices followed us.
“Except this is a group project,” Davis replied. “Is there something you need to tell me about your chosen group?”
A short pause. My ears perked up, even as Lock steered me away. “No. Nothing to tell you,” Theo gritted out.
Lock practically shoved me out the door and down the hall until we were outside. He kept me walking, even though I would have liked to turn around and explain to Theo how little I was going to enjoy working with him too. But I wasn’t a little pussy, running to the teacher just because my feelings were hurt.
“Don’t let him see it,” Lock grumbled.
“I’m not. He’s the biggest asshole I’ve ever met—and that says a lot.”
Lock kept hold of me, ensuring I couldn’t turn around and let my anger loose, which was a good thing, even though Ireallywanted to rebel against it. He walked me all the way to my dorm, stopped me at the base of the stairs, and gave me a long once-over. His scrutinizing gaze made me squirm, but I stayed still, allowing him to check me out, to see what he needed to see. I didn’t know what that was, but after a solid minute, he seemed satisfied.
He nodded once. “You’ll be all right.”
Then he dropped his hand, swiveled on his heel, and lumbered off in the direction from which we came.
And for some reason, when he said it like that, decisively and like it was fact, I believed him. Iwouldbe all right.
Lock beat me to our group work session on Friday, which was relieving. He kicked the chair beside him out from under the table, and I took a seat. I’d been dreading this all week. Three classes worth of boring holes in the back of Theo’s head had taken a lot out of me.
“I’ll handle him,” he said.
“Okay.”
His head cocked. I met his gaze. He did the same assessing sweep he’d been doing all week, and I stayed still so he could. I was tired, slightly melancholy, but other than that, I was fine, and he must have seen that, since he nodded and let it go without saying a word.
We both set up our computers and the research and work we’d done for our project, and then discussed what we’d completed, all while waiting for Theo to show. He was fifteen minutes late by the time he pushed through the door and tossed his bag on the table. I kept my gaze trained on my computer, but from the corner of my eye, I saw Lock staring him down.
Theo took a seat across from Lock, set up his computer, and pulled out a notebook, all without offering an explanation or apology for his tardiness. When he had it all set up, he released a heavy breath.
“Do you have the historical comparison prepared?” Lock asked.
“Uh…” Theo shifted, “no. I haven’t had the chance to get to it.”
Lock’s head dipped, and his eyes met mine for a fleeting moment. “Okay. Have you started?”
“Not yet,” Theo admitted. “My nights have been freed up, though, so I’ll have the time this weekend to pound it out.”
The truth behind those words made me flinch, even though giving Theo a reaction was the last thing I wanted to do. His absence at the end of my nights had been the worst part of this week. Knowing he’d been waiting for me with a smile and a kiss at the end of my shift had made it so much more bearable. Now that I’d lost that, I wished I’d never had it in the first place.
“What were you doing?” Lock asked without intonation.
“What?” Theo came up short with an answer.
“I’m asking what you were doing instead of working on our group project. If your nights have been free, then you had extra time to do your part. You didn’t, so I want to know what you were doing instead.” Lock kept his voice level, but there was no missing what he was saying and exactly how he felt about it. I happily stayed silent behind my computer screen, allowing Theo to dig his own grave.
“I’ll have it ready the next time we meet.” Theo’s jaw twitched.
Lock clasped his hands on the table and leaned forward. “We all know you asked Davis to leave this group, which is fair. Helen and I would have done fine without you, since you’ve barely pulled your weight from the beginning. I let it go then, but I’m less inclined now.”
“I said I have it handled,” Theo gritted out.
