"He what?" Milton yelled, his voice echoing through the empty hallway.
I smiled awkwardly, holding up the two tickets Emmett had given me. Before I could stop him, Milton snatched them from my hand, inspecting every detail on the glossy paper. His eyes widened, and then he looked up at me.
"He really did. That fucker," Milton muttered under his breath.
I slapped his shoulder, frowning. "Don't say that. It was a nice gesture," I said, clutching the tickets back against my chest.
Milton shook his head, wagging a finger in my face. "No, no, no. I'm telling you, he's bad news. I don't want you to get your hopes up, Tasha." He tapped one of the tickets for emphasis.
My face fell, his words hitting harder than I wanted to admit. "Why do you always do this?" I asked softly.
Milton sighed, his expression softening. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. But I can't go, anyway. My parents are dragging me camping that weekend since they thought we weren't going to Book Con."
I blinked, trying to process his words. "So...who am I supposed to go with now?" My voice cracked slightly, betraying my disappointment.
"T!" a familiar voice called out.
I turned to see Emmett and Kyle strolling down the hallway. Kyle threw his arm over Milton, earning an irritated groan.
"Get off me, brute!" Milton snapped, wriggling out of Kyle's grasp.
"So sassy," Kyle teased, finally letting go.
"Why don't you two meet us at our lunch table?" Emmett asked, looking directly at me.
"Lunch table?" Milton echoed suspiciously.
"I ate lunch with them on Friday," I admitted, feeling Milton's judging stare.
"Really," Milton said, dragging out the word in a tone that wasn't playful at all.
"What's wrong, Pinky?" Emmett asked, his brow furrowing.
"Nothing," I lied, shaking my head quickly. "We'll meet you there."
Grabbing Milton's arm, I dragged him toward the side exit and out to an empty table in the courtyard.
Once we were seated, Milton's face hardened. "Why, Tasha? I'm trying to save you a whole lot of hurt. Do you not understand that?" he asked, his voice low but firm.
I pulled my hand away from his. "He's different with me. He's not what you think he is, Milton. Can't you just let me be? I want to get my hopes up. I think I have a chance."
Milton studied me for a long moment before sighing. "Okay, okay. I'll let you do you. But if he hurts you, I'm going to kick his ass."
I smiled softly, leaning in to hug him. "Thanks, Milton."
The sound of two trays slamming down on the table startled us both.
"I know I said I wasn't going to eat the school lunch, but I couldn't help myself," Kyle said, already digging into his food.
"Of course you'd eat that disgusting junk," Milton teased, wrinkling his nose.
Kyle rolled his eyes. "And what are you eating, oh mighty food critic?"
"PB&J, obviously," Milton replied, raising an eyebrow.
"And you?" Emmett asked, looking at me.
"Club sandwich," I said with a small smile.
Without missing a beat, Milton and I swapped half of our lunches. Kyle whispered something to Emmett, who immediately glared at him before shoving him playfully. I glanced at Milton, who simply shrugged. My mind drifted back to the tickets. Should I sell the extra one? The idea of going alone made my stomach churn.
"Pinky!" Emmett's voice snapped me back to reality.
I blinked, startled. "What?"
"Don't shout at her," Milton hissed, narrowing his eyes at Emmett.
"Sorry," Emmett said, brushing Milton off. "I was asking what's wrong."
Milton smirked, tilting his head toward me. "She doesn't know what to do with those amazing tickets you bought her," he said, his sarcasm obvious.
Emmett's face fell slightly. "Why? You didn't like them?" he asked softly.
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Wait—you bought her tickets to a book fair?"
"It's not a book fair, idiot," Milton scoffed.
"Not an idiot. I just don't get why my dear friend here spent money on tickets to a boring book party," Kyle joked.
"It's not a book party!" I said, laughing.
"It's a place where readers can meet their favorite authors, get books signed, and ask questions," Emmett explained, his voice firm.
We all stared at him, stunned.
"What?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck. "I read about it while trying to get the tickets."
Kyle burst into laughter, earning a shush from Milton, but my heart fluttered. Emmett had done his research—for me.
"So, the tickets?" Emmett asked hesitantly.
"I can't go, and she doesn't want to go alone," Milton said quickly, throwing me under the bus.
"Oh," Kyle said, nodding in understanding.
Emmett shifted nervously before speaking. "I could go with you...if you want," he offered.
"Really?" I blurted out, my enthusiasm betraying me.
"I mean, I'm probably not the best company," he said quickly, his words tumbling over each other. "I don't read as much as your friend here, but I could go."
"I'd love your company," I said, meeting his gaze.
"Great," Emmett said, looking away, and my smile faltered. He wasn't interested in me—this was just a friendly favor.
Before I could dwell on it, Damien plopped his tray down beside me, his friends filling the remaining seats. My stomach twisted as Giana sat on the other side of him, flashing a bright smile.
"Hi," Damien greeted.
"Hey," I replied, forcing a smile.
"I tried that restaurant you told me about," Damien said, his eyes sparkling.
"Really? How was it?" I asked, grateful for the distraction.
"It was great. I was thinking—" Damien started but was abruptly cut off by the sound of a tray slamming onto the table.
The entire table fell silent, all eyes turning to Emmett. He stood there, his jaw clenched and his expression dark. Without a word, he grabbed Giana's hand and walked off, leaving me sitting there, stunned.
There they went again—the IT Couple.