Free Web NovelChapter 130: Talking To Beam
After getting the donuts, Yuki was already outside putting her groceries into the car, but my mind was still stuck back by the refrigerated drinks. My mind was still on Beam. She saw me. She saw me hanging out with Yuki, and the way she looked at us made my stomach turn. I haven’t told Princess about the new neighbor, but I still don’t want someone like Beam to be the one to spill everything to her.
I’m not afraid of Princess. It isn’t about fear. I just don’t want to hurt her feelings. I’m not doing anything wrong, at least that is what I keep telling myself. I’m just hanging out with my idol. It’s not a big deal, but Princess will see it as a huge deal.
Fuck. I need to talk to Beam and find a way to shut her up before she calls someone. I turned back around and walked toward her. She was standing by the refrigerator, looking like she wanted to fight the glass.
"So you’re a chip eater, huh?" I said the moment I got to her. I tried to sound casual, like we were just two people talking about snacks.
She grabbed a Mountain can of beer from the shelf. She didn’t even look at me. She just stared at the label like it held the secrets to the universe.
"Everybody eats chips. Don’t act like it’s a new thing. Especially someone like you who eats them all the time," she said. She cracked the tab on the can with a loud snap and took a long sip.
I wasn’t trying to talk about chips. I didn’t have time for small talk.
"Hey, I know we’re not friends. But I’d like to ask for a little favor," I said, lowering my voice so the cashier wouldn’t hear.
"I don’t do favors. And I’m glad you know about the friends part. I don’t like you either. There’s something about you that’s... mysterious. I don’t trust mysterious," she said, finally looking at me with those cold eyes.
"I’m not mysterious. I’m a straightforward person. What you see is what you get," I argued.
"Really? My brother is in jail because of what you did to him. And by the way, he’s been asking for you. He hasn’t stopped mentioning your name," she said.
I froze for a second. The air in the store felt colder. I had no idea Peamah had been asking for me. I didn’t even want to think about why he would want to see me.
"What happened to Peamah wasn’t my fault. He caused his own downfall. He was killing people for no reason, and you know it. I’m not here about him, though. I just don’t want you telling Princess about me and Yuki. Just keep it between us," I said, getting straight to the point.
"So... you two are dating?" she asked. She raised an eyebrow, looking past me toward the window where Yuki’s car was parked.
"What? No. We’re not dating. Does it look like it?" I felt my face getting hot.
"You two were kissing earlier, so yeah, it does look like it," she said. She reached into a bag of chips she had tucked under her arm and started eating.
"We were not kissing! I can’t believe you’d go that far. She was just taking something off my cheek. It was a smudge. That’s it," I snapped.
"Okay, I believe you. Now leave me alone. You’re blocking the light," she said, looking bored.
"Okay... just please don’t tell Princess we live together. I’ll tell her myself when the time is right."
"..."
The silence was heavy. Great. I just made it worse. She only saw us together in the store, but I’m the one who just confirmed we are living together. I had basically handed her the ammunition she needed to blow up my life.
Just as she was about to say something, we both noticed someone else at the same time. The bells above the door chimed.
Kiara and Antonio.
They had just walked in, looking like they stepped out of a magazine. Kiara was laughing at something Antonio whispered in her ear. She looked happy, glowing. Antonio had his arm draped over her shoulder like he owned her.
Beside me, I heard a sharp, metallic crushing sound.
Beam had crushed her beer can just by staring at them. Her grip was so tight the liquid sprayed a little on her hand. Her face twisted into something ugly. It was a look of pure anger mixed with deep, painful jealousy. She didn’t say a word. She just threw the crushed can and the rest of her chips into the trash can with a bang and walked out of the store, her shoulders tense.
I stood there for a second, then went back to Yuki. I told her to head home without me. I told her I needed to take care of something important. I handed her the box of Malo’s donuts to give him, but she shook her head. She said she could wait for me. She told me it didn’t matter how long it took.
That was... oddly nice. It caught me off guard. At least I wouldn’t have to walk home.
I spotted Beam sitting on the concrete curb outside the convenience store, staring at the pavement. I walked up to her and handed her a fresh Mountain beer and a new bag of chips.
"I saw you didn’t finish your snacks, so I got you another one," I said, holding them out.
She looked at my hand, then turned her head away, staring at the streetlights.
"I didn’t ask you to buy me anything. I can afford my own stuff. I don’t need your pity," she muttered.
Wow. She’s really hard to befriend. She fights you even when you’re trying to be nice.
"Just fucking take it. This isn’t charity. You’re paying me back later, somehow," I said, shoving the bag and the can toward her until she finally took them. "And please. Don’t tell Princess. I want to tell her myself. I don’t want her hearing it from someone else."
"You’re still worried about that? I’m not the one you should be begging," she said. She opened the chips with a loud rip.
"Kiara? Is she the one I should worry about?"
"Not her. Princess doesn’t talk to her anymore. I’m talking about her little minions. They’ve been very close lately, reporting back to Princess," she said, her mouth full of chips.
"Malo?" I muttered. But her expression said it wasn’t him. She looked at me like I was stupid.
Little minions...?
I watched Beam eat the chips, the crunching sound filling the quiet night air. I started thinking about everyone who had been around me lately. I thought about who knew my habits. Something clicked. A memory surfaced of a bag of chips being handed to me.
She knew I liked chips, brings me chips every weekend. Princess’s little niece,
Dina.
Everything started to make sense. The texts, overprotective nephew, asking random questions and always too close when Yuki tries to touch me.
Dina... and Kaye.
They were the ones. Princess’s little minions. They weren’t just taking care of me; they were reporting back. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
But If Princess knew about Yuki, why did she not say anything?.
