Darling - K. Ancrum Page 0,51
Curly, who flicked his eyes up at Peter without moving his head, and Curly said something back quietly.
The rest of the group watched their conversation in curious silence until Nibs got self-conscious. He snapped loudly and flicked his hand at all of them hard, as if to tell them to mind their business.
“So,” Wendy said pointedly, “what else do you guys do for fun?”
Nibs nodded a thank-you to her before turning back to continue talking privately with Curly.
“What kind of question is that?” Minsu asked, scrunching up his nose. “Just normal things. Going to the movies, football, house parties. I’m not sure what kind of answer you’re looking for here.”
Charles bumped Minsu with his shoulder. “Would you give her a break, man?”
“Absolutely not,” Minsu replied crisply with another blinding smile.
“I MEAN,” Wendy said loudly, “are there any cool places you guys hang out? I have a friend who I already know here, and I want to bring her somewhere cool. Kind of impress her or something.”
“Like an online friend?” Minsu asked.
“Yeah,” Wendy said, ready to be defensive about it.
Instead of taking the easy bait, Charles and Minsu just looked contemplative.
“There aren’t a lot of cool places that someone who has lived here their entire life wouldn’t know about…,” Charles said. “What kind of stuff are they into?”
Wendy thought for a minute. “She likes … anime, nature hikes, and girls.”
“Is it a date?” Minsu asked seriously.
“Absolutely not,” Wendy echoed his words from earlier, winning herself yet another swoon-worthy smile.
“You could take her down to the Adler Planetarium,” Ominotago offered. “There’s this area right next to it that’s kind of like a huge nature preserve, but instead of trees it’s a field.”
“There’s a beach area next to it, too—” Tinkerbelle tacked on.
“Northerly Island!” Minsu exclaimed. “You should look it up when you get home. It’s a good date place, but it’s good for other stuff, too. I had to go there with my school for a biology field trip focused on, like … wild birds or something.” He said the words wild birds like the birds had personally offended him.
Wendy giggled.
Fyodor snorted and rolled his eyes. “Always easy for this one,” he said to Wendy, gesturing at Minsu. “So charming and ‘funny.’”
Minsu looked mock-offended. “Yeah, whatever, Fyodor. You say that like you don’t have a whole fan club of freshmen wandering around in love with you. All Oh. His accent is so sexy,” Minsu said, ratcheting his voice up into falsetto. “Let me make girls laugh in peace.”
Fyodor cocked his hip and leaned against the door divider, lowering his eyelids suggestively. “Is sexy,” he said, smirking. “I cannot help this.”
Minsu threw his arms out dramatically. “No, it’s not! It’s just Russian!”
“You are both sexy,” Charles said loudly, putting his hands on either side of his face to block out both of his teammates. “Do not make us listen to this argument again.”
Ominotago leaned forward to capture Wendy’s full attention as Minsu and Fyodor began to bicker in earnest. “The Abercrombie store on Michigan Avenue has been hiring them both but alternating who they pick each summer,” she explained. “This year was Minsu, and Fyodor won’t let it go.”
“Hired … to stand shirtless in front of the store?” Wendy asked, beginning to blush.
Fyodor took a moment away from Minsu to turn to Wendy. “Is windy, but good for portfolio if football does not work out. Plus, the visa is … different. I can stay if—”
“NEXT STOP IS GRANVILLE,” the train speakers blared, interrupting Fyodor as the doors swung open. “DOORS CLOSING.” The young man at the end of the train car yanked the headphones out of his ears and stood up fast. He seemed panicked as he squinted out the windows to see what stop they were at while the train pulled away from the platform.
As they passed a sign, he looked relieved and was about to sit back down when Curly shouted, “James?!”
The young man pulled the headphones back out of his ears and looked up. When he made eye contact with Curly, he went pale so fast he looked like he was about to faint.
“James…” Curly sounded incredibly hurt underneath his shock. “I thought you left town…”
James fumbled with his bag like a character in a horror film, trying to shove his phone and headphones inside too quickly as he staggered to his feet. Eyes wild, he attempted to make his escape.
He did not succeed.
Peter shoved past Curly and strode forward with that alarming speed he had coiled inside him, silent