Page 77 of A Dead Man's B-Side
Wolf glared. “What was that scene about, today? In Ms Ransom’s class?”
Ah.
I settled back and avoided his eyes, focusing on the cigarette in my hands. I took a deep drag, hoping the matter would be long forgotten and buried by the time I emptied my lungs, but Wolf didn’t budge. “Are you going to stall any longer?”
I sighed. “Ajax just said some stuff I was wondering about, that’s all.”
Wolf twisted up his face, something passing over his eyes I couldn’t make out, there and gone. “When you and Ajax both skipped Mr Browne’s class.” He nodded to himself. “He’s on a rampage, by the way.”
Something heavy settled in my gut, like a poisonous dough, at Wolf’s words. “When isn’t he? Either it’s something I said or something I did–or didn’t. He’s exhausting.”
It was the first time I’d spoken freely about Mr Browne, but my words didn’t feel like something I’d regret in the near future. Besides, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
The professor in question had discovered that his mere presence boils the blood under my skin, and he’s found he rather likes enraging me. And so, his little game of ‘how far can we push Alexandr to the edge’ began.
Calling out to me to answer in class, interrupting my lunch for an especially mundane conversation of small talk, assigning me ‘extra credit’ work that was not exactly optional.
“He’s not that bad, come on.”
His words, that he didn’t agree, bothered me. “What’s up with you two, anyways?”
Wolf blinked and looked away for a moment before meeting my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You two being partners in crime.” My words came out harsher than I’d intended.
Though, they weren’t completely unreasonable. Wolf and Mr Browne, if I didn’t know any better, acted like brothers. The older one of the pair was always looking out for him, helping him with classwork, stopping him for a chat in the halls.
Wolf wasn’t completely innocent either. Oftentimes, he’d come into class late because he ‘needed extra help from Mr Browne’.
Like anyone believed that. Even Rain–
I paused in my thoughts, remembering what we’d been discussing. In fact, I hadn’t even meant for the conversation to shift the way that it had, but I was glad of it and intended to keep it that way.
“We’re not partners in crime; he’s just a good professor.”
“I bet he is, what with his supposed decades of experience.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. Just that sometimes you can be too trusting.”
That seemed to hit a nerve. “I am nottoo trusting. I am just the right amount.”
I tilted my head. “A professor being really close with a student… isn’t something that raises suspicions?”
He shook his head, almost giving himself whiplash. “Don’t do that, don't even attempt. Mr Browne is just good company. You’ve met him.”
“We haven’t met the same Mr Browne, I’m afraid. In fact, I don’t think any other student has met Mr Browne like you have. Unless we’re talking about every school he’s taught at… Then, I don’t know–”
Wolf got angrily defensive at my insinuation, as a muscle in his jaw jumped, almost making his grinding teeth audible. “You don’t know any–...”
And then, like a switch, like a candlelight flickering before blowing out completely, his eyes calmed. He blinked, and then he laughed. A soft laugh that came out of his nose as he relaxed his features and let his head fall in between his shaking shoulders. “You… You almost got me.”
I furrowed my brows and shook my head, leaning away as if he were crazy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He rolled his eyes before meeting my stare. “I bet you don’t. Tell me, oh great master of evasion, what happened with Ajax?”
Crap.
