Free Web NovelChapter 196: Malo Wants Me To Be His Protection
The whole school has turned into a campaign, due to the school election. It feels like every hallway is plastered with bright colors and bold promises, making the air thick with tension and excitement. One of my friends actually happens to be one of them, Haley, wanting to be the next school president. She’s got that fire in her eyes, the kind that tells you she actually wants to make things better around here.
She and Sasha have been quite busy trying to convince other students to vote for Haley, running around with clipboards and rehearsed speeches. I have been helping mostly, not with the loud rallies or the speeches that make my head spin, but helping with the designing of posters and free gifts. We’ve been giving out hairpins, bowties, and these little robotic hand fans that Haley invented. They’re actually pretty cool, buzzing with a soft hum that keeps the heat away during the long afternoon classes.
I also learned someone close to Princess was contesting for presidency, Beamer Frost. It was a bit of a shock to hear the name. Princess happens to be in her support and not mine, which stung a little bit when I first heard it. I’m not wanting to argue with this but I’m not exactly happy about it either. As long as this doesn’t escalate there is nothing to be worried about, but the atmosphere in our clubhouse has been a little stiff lately.
But somehow we are rivals in school and then lovers at home. It’s a weird dynamic, having to separate the politics of the student body from the way we cuddle at night. I’m still not going to go there, I don’t want to think about that now. My brain is already too full of baby names and crib designs to worry about who gets to sit in the big office.
I was in the cafeteria, helping myself with food when some dude who happens to be my bestie named Malone Griffin asked me for a favor. He has been bugging me with that since morning, following me from my locker to the lunch line like a lost puppy.
"No," I said to Malo while putting the steamed spinach back onto the serving tray. The greens looked wet and sad, definitely not what I was in the mood for. But the lunch lady used her big spoon to block me from putting it back. I gave her a sharp look, my eyebrows shooting up.
"You need to eat healthy food..." she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. This has been going on for weeks, ever since my bump started showing through my hoodie. My lunch during school hours has been changed like a menu, like I was some vegetarian who only ate things grown in a dark garden. The only difference was the steak on the side of my food tray, a thick slab of protein that felt out of place next to all the green. The rest was totally grass.l
I did complain to Princess about it, telling her I felt like a cow being fattened up. But she just said the lunch lady is like a mother to her, that she is just looking after me and the pups. She also happens to be Sir Richard’s wife, which explains why she feels so entitled to police my plate. Not having what I want to eat in school happens to be one of the reasons Princess has sleepless nights, because I end up making up for the lack of grease and salt the moment we get home.
I groaned lazily as the lady added more spinach and potatoes to my tray, the weight of the plastic getting heavier. frёewebnoѵēl.com
"This is the worst, I want to eat burgers or soup noodles.. not this." I muttered sitting at the table staring at the food. It looked like a pile of compost.
There was no fucking way I would eat this but my eyes met with the lunch lady who happened to be gazing at me, monitoring me from behind the counter. She was leaning on her elbows, her eyes locked onto my fork like she was waiting for me to take a bite.
I had no choice but to start eating, I hated this. It has no fucking taste, just the bland flavor of dirt and water. Each swallow was a struggle, my stomach churning in protest.
Malo sat in front of me with his tray. It was like he was trying to torture me. He had golden fries, fried chicken wings that smelled like heaven, muffins with sugar crystals on top, and some other side dishes that looked actually edible.
"Can we switch.." I asked, my voice hopeful.
"I would, but Ms Anita keeps staring and I don’t want to get only seaweed tomorrow." He said, staring at the lunch lady then at my tray with a look of genuine pity. "On second thoughts, I will secretly shred this chicken and place it on your tray, if you emm..."
"Fuck no, I hate Beam and Kiara, I am only managing the sight of them because my girlfriend happens to be fond of them..." I said, cutting him off. I knew where this was going. He wanted me to do something involving them.
"It’s just a pick up, I need protection, Beam still gives me that predator look, I would have asked Sasha to follow but she is too busy with the election..." he said lowering his head, speaking in a small tone avoiding ears. He looked genuinely terrified, his fingers fidgeting with a french fry.
Princess’s medicine happens to be out of stock in the club, so she told Malo and her friends to help her pick it up in some town close to Blackwood. It’s a long drive, and Malo is still scared of Beam, scared that she might break his leg if he says the wrong thing in the car. So he wants a tag along to act as a buffer.
"Malo I cannot be in the same car with those two, find someone else to go with you... or lock in and follow them." I said, staring at the food counter checking if that woman had stopped staring at me so I could pick one of those wings and throw it in my mouth. I was waiting for the perfect window of opportunity.
"I will buy you whatever you want to eat, you want wings, I will get them for you.."
"I have someone that does that for me... mostly at night..." I muttered, thinking of Princess in her robe at the pizza shop.
"I will be your lunch guy, sneak in whatever you wish to eat for lunch.. Ms Anita wouldn’t notice a thing..." he said picking up a wing, teasing me with the sight of the crispy skin. Then he signaled someone from the food counter, a younger boy who looked like he was in on the plan. The boy quickly dropped his tray with a loud clatter, and immediately the lunch lady stopped staring at me to see who dropped the tray and made a mess on her clean floor.
Malo gave me eye contact telling me to go ahead and eat quickly before she put her focus on me again. I didn’t hesitate. I started eating from his tray, grabbing the chicken wings with both hands.
During that distraction I was able to eat the five wings on the tray, the salty grease finally giving me some life.
I wiped my mouth quickly with a napkin before she could look at me, making sure there were no crumbs on my chin. My mouth was full but I pretended to be eating spinach, chewing slowly and looking innocent.
"I have one question, why are you asking me, a pregnant girl, to be your protection..."
"One you are the moon wolf, even if we are still figuring out how your powers work, you are kind of OP, which is still pending... two you are Princess’s girlfriend, no one in their right minds will want to lay a hand on you, knowing how berserk she can be..." he said, his eyes scanning the cafeteria to make sure we weren’t being overheard.
I just stared at him, like what the fuck. He wants to use me as some shield, a pregnant bodyguard. It was ridiculous, but in a weird way, it made sense.
I get it Princess can be crazy sometimes, mostly when she gets in that numb state of hers... which I have been noticing lately. She’s been quieter, her eyes colder when she thinks I’m not looking. And also it’s her medication we are talking about, the stuff that keeps her balanced.
"Fine, I’ll go with you.. go get another chicken wings and you are buying me whatever I want on the way.." I told him straight to the face, giving him a firm nod. His face changed like he was rethinking his decision, probably calculating how much a hungry pregnant girl could actually eat on a road trip.
What does he expect from a pregnant girl? If I’m putting my life on the line in a car with Beam and Kiara, I’m getting paid in food.
