Semua Bab Alpha Theo: Bab 11 - Bab 20

THEO I lay on the horn as I roll up to the complex in Gray’s Jeep, waving a hand out the window at a very irritated looking Brooke waiting by the gate.“Let’s go!” I shout, hitting the horn a few more times. “Denver or bust!”She’s standing at the gate, arms folded, glaring at me. If looks could kill, it’d be my funeral.“What are you doing here?” Brooke demands, stooping to pick her duffel and backpack up off of the ground. She slings one over each shoulder, trudging toward the Jeep.“Gray had some pack business come up, so you get me as an escort instead,” I say, waggling my eyebrows. “Now hop in, kid, we’ve got a lot of miles to cover!”Brooke heaves an exasperated sigh, stomping around to the passenger side. She throws her bags into the backseat before sliding in beside me, buckling her seatbelt immediately.

THEO   It’s dusk by the time we roll back into the six-pack territory, the sky darkening as I pull up to the gate of the squad complex to drop Brooke off. “Need help with your bags or anything?” I ask as I throw the Jeep in park. “Nah, I’m good,” she sighs as she drags her bare feet off of the dashboard, slipping them into her sneakers on the floor below and unbuckling her seatbelt. I don’t know why I even asked, like I’m trying to be a gentleman or some shit. Brooke hops out of the Jeep, opens the back door to haul her bags out. I turn over my shoulder to watch her as she slings her backpack over one shoulder, duffel over the other. “Coming out tonight?” “Not sure,” she breathes, holding onto the back door of the Jeep. “Gotta see what my friends are up to.” If I know anything about the squad, it’s that the newbies never miss a night out. “In that case, I’ll see you there,”

BROOKE   “I brought options,” Fallon breathes, pushing into my room in the squad barracks with a dress bag slung over her shoulder. I spin around to look at her from my spot in front of the mirror, my vision fuzzy- she walked in right as I was putting in my contact lenses and I’ve only got one in. The other is perched on the tip of my index finger. I wink my contact-less eye closed. “Let’s see em’!” Fallon chuckles, kicking the door closed behind her and shaking her head. “Why don’t you get your other contact in first.” I turn back to face the mirror while my sister strides over to the bed, setting down the dress bag and unzipping it. I pop my other contact lens into my eye, blinking a few times before twirling back around. “Glad you went for the contacts on your own so I didn’t have to talk you into it,” Fallon mumbles, pulling dresses from the bag one by one and setting them out on the bed.

THEO   “Keep em closed!” “Theo, I swear if you’re taking me to a hotel or something, I’m gonna kill you.” “C’mon, don’t you trust me?” “Not even a little.” I laugh, turning onto the road that leads out of the six-pack territory. I should be paying Gray rent for how much I’ve been borrowing his Jeep lately, but it was necessary for this non-date with Brooke. I racked my brain for a full day before I came up with a plan of where to take her, and now that we’re almost there, I’m actually a little nervous. Which is crazy, right? I don’t get nervous. Then again, I don’t take girls on dates, either. But this isn’t a date, Brooke made that very clear. Even so, my palms are clammy, my heart’s beating fast in my chest. I pull into the parking lot of Cedar Ridge, the ski resort that sits right on the edge of the six-pack territory. The packs work together to run it and it’s a great source o

BROOKE   “Sup, nerds?” Theo greets as he walks into the IT hub on Friday afternoon, flashing that charming smile of his. I hear titters of laughter from some of my colleagues- they take Theo’s greeting as being funny, jovial, rather than as an insult. Over the past few weeks, we’ve all gotten used his presence around here and everyone seems to like his visits. The guys think he’s cool- they idolize him, want to be friends with him. The girls have all fallen for his good looks and charisma- they flirt with him shamelessly. I was the last holdout, but I find myself smiling when I look up to see him standing in the doorway, his big, bulky stature taking up most of the doorframe. Who would’ve thought that Theo’s afternoon appearance in the IT hub would become my favorite part of the day? I used to dread that cocky greeting, bristle when he planted himself beside me to chat. Now I’m finding myself looking forward to t