Free Deception by Cyndi Goodgame Page A

classroom.
    “She’s mine,” Kin barked to the empty door. Kin’s high arched brows drew in and continued growling at every other male in the room like they, his friends, were now his enemies too.  Since this whole display of morbid affections took less than a minute to play out, and my real savior was now standing by to break this little party up, the moment passed like a blur and left me wondering if I imagined it. Then if happened over again. A second growl was coming from Ian who suddenly appeared, and I do mean suddenly.  I took a brief moment to have a standard out of body experience as I pictured an aerial view of this little powwow, and held back a snicker at the audacity of this group of men.  They looked like wolves fighting. I watched Ian go into some type of face off stance and Kin the same. "We made a pact. She chooses." Time to take action, I told my inner she-wolf. “Whoa!  This is unnecessary, boys. I can handle myself, Ian. And I belong to no one.”  I eyeballed him willing him to see it my way.
    “Yeah, let her handle herself, guardian boy.”
                  Two bodies flew towards each other. Mike threw the first punch but Ian was on the ground, pounding his face in.  Mike had to be twice his size and then some, but Ian had him laid flat. Ian was six feet, strongly built and the picture of a lean, fighter so it made Mike and Kin the size of cavemen. Back up to standing, Kin was laughing one second and snapping his fingers for the other crony to move back to their once again standoff. His eyes went flat staring at the doorway again .  All this repetitiveness of the day was waning on me.
    Inside I hoped for a teacher, but again, luck wasn’t with me today. Another body full of testosterone. Christian. He folded his arms and didn’t speak. He never did. I watched in disbelief as Kin backed off from his animal crouch away from Ian and motioned for the two cronies to follow.  Ian nodded to Christian and he stepped aside.  Kin and his towing tails left like rats on a sinking ship. 
    Christian stood right where he was and never moved.  Ian took my arm and we left without a word.  I was desperate to demand what and why. Sadly enough, I wasn’t shaken.  It wasn’t the first time Kin cornered me.
    At some point in the yank and tugging I asked, but he never once told me what it was all about. Just that he had a heads up Kin was going to try something and he needed backup. Since when Christian became his backup, I didn’t know, but I'd definitely ask before the day is out when and where did the famous Kin and my Ian made a pact . And what? When Ian half hugged me in the hallway, I just stayed put and let him. I couldn’t remember a time when Ian put his arms around me in a hug .  And this wasn’t a friendly hug.
    After school I met him at the lockers saying my mom texted and asked if he’d come for dinner that night.  She was making him chicken and dumplings, his favorite.  He said yes, of course.  He ate with us most days since his mom was out of town more than home. 
    Kin was ten lockers down bullying a freshman into his locker.  I almost slid by him, but he brushed my cheek with the tip of his pointer finger and back of his thumb.  I heard the sound of his rough fingers sliding across my skin and shivered.  Not a good shiver!  How did I even think I heard it, not felt it, I don’t know.  I was losing my mind.  And I smelled his sweat.  Like animal sweat.  Eww!  I jerked back and took off out the main doors to the senior parking lot.  Ian followed too close with his hand on my back adding yet another physical contact to the list from him lately.
     
    ****
    If the weekend was a cloudy, mud puddle mess, today was all blue sky clear and smelling like the beautiful Arkansas fall day it is known for.  We were to my car now where we parted for the ride home.  He didn’t turn to his bike, but side stepped forcing me to look him in the eyes then looked back towards