[TAC] THREE'S A CROWD

Chapter 11*

{Jumpol}

"It's only fair," New says as he counts up the pumpkin spiced cookies on his tray.

Off shakes his head as he chuckles at New. "How is that fair? You took five cookies and only left me three," he replies whilst looking down at the cookies on his tray. "There's a way to distribute eight cookies equally between two people, you know that right?"

New rolls his eyes fondly as he brings one of the cookies up to his lips to take a bite. He speaks with his mouth full of cookie crumbs as Off giggles in his direction. "Your mom baked these, so that means that you can have them whenever you want. My mom doesn't bake, so I'm gonna take as many of your cookies as I can and save them for later."

"You are really something," Off laughs as he highlights a paragraph in his notes. "I can get my mom to bake a whole batch for you if you want. She loves you, you know."

"Everyone loves me," New replies with a grin.

"Can't argue with that," Off replies, and he hopes New takes it as nothing more than a friendly compliment. He hopes the embarrassment of pining isn't showing on his face.

New picks at his cookie for a moment as Off continues to scan his eyes over his notes, half studying and half genuinely trying to avoid the sight of New's awful stunning face. It's become a tad bit harder to casually be around the boy, if Off is being honest with himself. Since Off had accepted that he had feelings for the boy, it's as though everything he does is to torture Off further. The way he looks at him as though maybe he matters to New a little bit more than he thinks he does, the way he laughs wholeheartedly whenever Off says anything remotely funny, even the way he texts him and uses those ridiculous emojis that Off usually despises. New is seriously wreaking havoc on him, and he doesn't even know it.

Off picks his head up momentarily to glance over New's shoulder at the lunch table Tay and his posse would usually be at. He can't find the boy or his basketball minions anywhere in sight at the moment.

"Wouldn't Tay be calling you over by now?" he asks as he shifts his eyes back down to his notes and flips a page.

New shrugs his shoulders as he continues to pick at his cookie, and his lack of an immediate answer causes Off to look up at the boy.

"He has a team meeting," New replies, his eyes not able to meet Off's and falling back down to his tray.

"During lunch?"

New stuffs his mouth with the cookie before speaking again. "Yeah, it's so stupid," he mumbles as he chews and swallows. "It's like the coach doesn't want them to have any free time."

"That is stupid," Off replies, setting his elbows on the table as he gives New his full attention. "All they have to do is get the round thing into the hoop. How much discussing does that require?"

New lightly kicks him under the table as he starts to laugh. "Basketball is a complex sport, Off. Just because you only care about studying, grades, and---"

"You," Off replies, not realizing what he's said until he's already said it. "I care about you, among all those other things. Like, family, studies, you." The sudden confidence that had just overcome him is vanished immediately as he looks back down, biting at his bottom lip. He has no idea why it's becoming more difficult for him to simply shut his mouth.

"You care about all those other important things...and me?" New asks, his voice small. "I'm in that category?"

Off lets out a nervous chuckle as he focuses his attention back on his notes, flipping another page. "It's not like I have many other friends, right?"