A Hater's Gamble (BxB)

TWENTY-EIGHT

      "Violets and purples, diamonds and circles."

                                   M I L E S

Maddie's anatomy club meeting was more important than me finding my cell-phone—according to her.

I sat on the scruffy floor in the school hallway, letting the roaring quiet still me. It might've been half past six o'clock—or 7, but without my phone, there was no way of knowing. All I knew was that I was painfully early on a Monday.

Last night, the Golden Arrow was as crowded as ever. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow trying to get a spot at the poker table. I played nine rounds, and by the end of the night, my feet felt like iron weights.

My only incentive for keeping me awake on the bus ride home was the money in my pocket. Nine hundred thirty-six dollars. I smiled slightly just thinking of it.

It was because of the excitement of the money and the crowdedness of the club that my phone must have been taken from me. A pick-pocketer, no doubt.

Ridiculous.

And on Friday...on Friday evening, with Li—

I gulped, giving my head a shake. I hoped the hop in my stomach was only because I skipped breakfast this morning.

"Miles!," a familiar voice called. I shot my head up, darting my eyes around the empty hallway.

Brown hair, brown eyes, and hoop earrings. Grace. I stood up and braced myself for the lecture I was surely getting.

"Hey," I said, tentatively. "You look really pret—."

She punched me in the arm, hard. Ouch.

"I've been trying to call you since yesterday! Why haven't you picked up your phone? It takes all but one second to just look—," she began, hands on her hips.

"Grace, I'm fine," I said, shrugging. "I lost my phone."

She crossed her arms, nose in the air. "Where?,"

"I don't know," I lied, shrugging again. 

Her eyes softened. "Did you leave it at the club?"

I huffed out a breath and nodded. "It's gone now."

Grace bit her bottom lip in consideration. Her brows were worried. I took a step closer to her, "Everything okay?"

She looked into my eyes and seemed to snap out of her trance. Grace shook her head. "Yes, everything is fine. Next time you lose your phone though, just...tell me!"

"How am I supposed to tell you, if I don't have a phone?," I asked, smirking slightly.

She rolled her eyes. "Walk to my house like a gentleman."

"And risk Diego tackling me to the lawn?," I teased.

She smiled. "He has a lot of bruises, you know. He's been super on edge since Thursday."

I fought the guilt that I felt.

"Look," I sighed. "I didn't mean for it to get that out of—."

"Miles, he deserved it, okay? Enough about that," she said sternly, looping her arm through mine. "When are you free next week?"

I looked down at her, her smile was sparkling.

"Why?," I asked, skeptically.

She lifted one shoulder, bashfulness written all over he face. "Because I...just want to know."