Page 205 of Boys Who Hunt

“Hi,” I say awkwardly. “Can we talk?”

She folds her arms. “Sure. Go ahead.”

“I wanted to apologize for ghosting you,” I say, narrowing my eyes when the girls all start to giggle again. “I didn’t mean to but my emotions got the better of me.”

“Emotions?” She frowns. “For who?”

I take in a deep breath. “Ivy and—”

“Wait … Ivy, as in that thief?”

I avert my eyes. “Things got … complicated.”

“Sounds like it,” she says. “But wait, you said ‘and’ … what else?”

I lean in and whisper, “Max.”

Her eyes widen, and she looks at me with her lips shut even though I can see her actual jaw drop. She’s basically gawking at me without actually wanting to show it.

“I told you, it’s complicated.”

“He’s your best friend,” she whispers.

“Yeah …” I rub the back of my neck. “We still are. It’s just that, now we’re more. Together with Ivy.”

Now her lips finally part as the shock begins to ripple through her entire body. “You’re in a threesome?”

I shrug. “Four if you count Silas.”

“WHAT?!” She steps out and shuts the door behind her. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Silas?!”

“Ha, yeah, it does sound like a good joke, but no,” I reply. “We’re all … fucking with Ivy.” I make a loop with my finger and shove the other index finger inside for added context.

But her godawful stare tells me that was a big mistake.

“Oh. Wow.” Her face scrunches up. “No wonder you’ve been acting all odd lately.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the side-burner,” I say.

She holds up a hand. “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.”

I frown. “I don’t?”

“You always asked me to hang out, not the other way around. So when you stopped, I kinda figured something important must’ve been going on.” She swallows. “Though, I always thought you were just hanging out with me to get into my pants.”

I rub my lips together. “I …”

She takes in a deep breath. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not. And I was a fucking asshole for trying.”

She nods. “Yeah, you were. Lucky for you, I was pretty much the only girl who wasn’t ever remotely interested in you that way.”

“True, but I’m not just interested in sex, okay?” I grab her hand. “I want to be your friend. Please.”

She smiles and narrows her eyes as she looks up at me. “You mean that?”

“Who else is going to curse these fucking teachers with me?”