Chapter Twenty- My New Friend’s Loyalty

“Get off!” I commanded through a loud laugh two months later, half-heartedly slapping away the boy trying to fuss over my hair, which I’d had threaded with brown the previous weekend.

“But it’s so nice,” Matt gushed, reaching towards it again. I caught hold of his wrist.

“I don’t care. I didn’t dye it for you to paw.” At his quick grin, I arched an eyebrow, “Don’t you have friends to go to?”

“Yeah, but they’re not half as nice to look at,” he claimed, starting down the corridor and tugging my sleeve so I followed. “So, what merited the new hairdo?”

I shrugged blankly, “Fancied a change.”

“And this change wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain gorgeous Northerner, would it?” Matt asked coyly, giving me a knowing look.

I laughed, “You’re as bad as Harry! I don’t change my looks to suit a boy.”

“But would you change them to attract one?”

“Are you implying that I need to?” I asked, lowering my voice so it was huskier and sexier as I spun in front of him and leaned my body into his.

He swallowed nervously, “No, sir.”

“Good boy,” I told him with a wink, and then turned to almost walk headlong into Danny.

His eyes widened on seeing me, obviously not having recognised me from the back, “Tom! I- Wow. Your hair!”

I grinned, amused at his stuttered amazement, “Like it?”

“Yeah. It really suits you. And the style’s great as well,” he complimented, much to the girl standing next to him’s jealousy. She was hanging onto his arm, as if trying to claim him, and he wasn’t paying her the slightest bit of notice.

“I know. Isn’t it great?” Matt enthused, reaching up to play with the messily gelled up back and smooth down the soft fringe. He offered a charming smile as I scowled at him, “He brought it up.”

“Be gone, stalker,” I told him. He laughed, and winked at me, sliding his gaze towards Danny meaningfully before turning and walking off.

“You not like people playing with your hair?” he asked, drawing my attention away from the departing Matt’s bum. He laughed as he realised what I had been doing, “Feel free to rejoin the conversation at any time. Just bear in mind he already has a boyfriend.”

“Because I told him to go for it. Besides, I can watch his arse without wanting a relationship,” I reminded him. The girl on his arm looked momentarily disgusted, and I looked at her in amusement. “And- to answer you- I don’t like him playing with my hair because he has an uncanny habit of messing it up.”

“Well, then.” Danny shrugged off the girl, making insult flash across her face, before reaching out to touch a hand to my fringe gently. “Very soft,” he remarked.

“Thank you.”

This was when the girl tried to regain Danny’s attention. “Danny…” she purred, running her hand up his freckled arm seductively. “Why are we wasting him here? We have better things to do…”

I winced as I saw Danny’s eyes narrow, and he turned his head to look at her coldly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I want to-”

“Do you have a problem with Tom?” he asked casually.

She threw me a considering look, “Not really. He would be hot if he wasn’t a gay geek.”

“And if you didn’t know I was a gay geek?” I asked curiously, more amused than insulted. “Would you be clutching me like you are him right now?”

“Don’t take this lightly, Tom,” Danny snapped, his gaze firm on the girl. “I love how you can be so narrow-minded about him- when it’s clear he’s a friend of mine- and then expect me to tolerate it.”

“Danny,” I said worriedly, laying a hand on his shoulder as he glared at the girl. “It’s fine. Really.” He ignored me, still engaged in a staring match with the girl. So I yanked on his shoulder sharply, whirling him round to face me, “Danny!”

Once I was certain I had his focus, I sighed, “Calm down, will you? I mean, thanks for standing up for me and everything, but I’m used to it. Don’t let it wreck whatever you have going with…” At a lack for a name, I turned my head slightly to look. “…her.”

He nodded as my gaze flicked back to him, “Right. I’m sorry. Look, you wanna go to the cinema tonight or something? I’ll let you pick, and I won’t laugh if you pick something weird…?”