Pure Poison

Chapter thirteen

As he did his schoolwork, he decided to try to avoid the three men for the next few weeks. He never had to deal with these issues before and he does not want to deal with it now. Patrick has tried numerous times to talk to Neo about what has happened between them, but Neo does not want to listen. He did not want to be part of what is happening. He did not even expect to be alive still at nineteen. He tried his hardest to avoid Arc as much as possible. He did not like how aggressive Arc was, yes, he is an alpha, but he should still be considerate of others. James spoke to Neo once or twice, but he kept his distance.

During the two weeks he was avoiding his dorm and Patrick he kept trying to get his room changed. Every day he checked his email for an update but nothing. He did not want to keep avoiding his dorm, and he wanted to go back to a normal life. During the two weeks that he hid from Patrick, he felt sad. He felt like he was going the wrong thing, but he needed time to think. Patrick thought he fucked up. He did not really try in class, nor leave his dorm if he did not need to. He felt lost without Neo. His father told him this is how he would feel if Neo decided to hide.

When they were in class, Neo avoided all communication with the three men. He just wanted to hide. He no longer felt like himself. He did not feel real, he felt like a piece of himself was missing. Yet, any time he looked at Patrick he felt the complete opposite. He felt weightless, complete, happy.

Neo got out of bed early, around 6:30 since the other three tend to be asleep. He grabbed his outfit from his desk chair and went to the bathroom. He locked both doors and did what he needed to do. The bags under his eyes made him look part raccoon. He was standing by the door to their room slipping his shoes on while Arc was leaned up in his bed. Neo tried not to panic as he grabbed his jacket and backpack. He went so fast that he had not only forgotten his wallet but also his keys. He looked at Arc and walked out of the room to his first class.

Arc has been trying to wake up early enough to try to have a conversation with Neo about how he reacted. Patrick and James have been up his ass about it. Patrick walked into Arcs dorm room and laughed.

"Did we miss him?" Arc nodded while he let out a groan. He started to get dressed and James walked over to the door and saw Neos wallet and keys.

"One of us needs to be here when he comes home, or we need to find him when he goes to get food because he forgot this?" He raised his hand to show the wallet and keys. Patrick smiled and grabbed it. Placed it in his pocket.

"It is my time to try to speak to him. He seems not to hate me as much as he hates Arc." James nodded and left for class. Patrick and Arc talk some but soon all of them left for class.

The professor told the class the next few assignments and dismissed the class. Neo was one of the first to leave the class and head to his next one. Patrick followed him, but he lost Neo in the hallway crowd. James headed out with his friends and Arc found Patrick. They decided to chill until they remembered that Neo loved to go to the breakfast bar in the Bellous Building after his second class because he always comes back with a bagel to the dorm after his second class.

Arc headed back to his dorm room to clean and see if Neo would prefer a clean room. Arc was messy, but he was used to cleaners. Neo left his second class for the day and headed to the breakfast bar. He grabbed himself an orange juice, a bagel, and today he also felt like getting a muffin. He didn't know that Patrick was behind him.

"Your total is 6.94" the lady at the counter speaks. Neo went to grab his wallet and realized he doesn't have it. He started to freak out silently.

"Here ma'am. Keep the change." Neos face went red as he knew the voice behind him, Patrick. He grabbed his food and walked out of the line. Patrick followed smiling. Soon Patrick was sitting across from Neo in a booth. Neo slowly unwrapped his muffin.

"I went to say good morning to you, but you were not there. I started to talk to Arc, and I found your wallet. I wanted to give it back to you." Neo took it back and placed it in his bag. Patrick sat there smiling softly hoping Neo would speak to him.

"Th... thank you. Uh... What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you. I have not been able to see you, nor have you texted me, nor have you talked to me."

"I been trying to think about stuff." Neo slowly munched on his muffin. He felt tightness in his chest and his kept his eyes down.

"When is your next day off? I want to take you out to the town or just hang with you." He spoke softly. Much nicer than Arc. Neo looked up while chewing on his muffin. He was glad that Patrick has not said anything about him eating.

"I don't have one until the 17th."

"The 17th? Today is the 29th... that's what? 18 days? 19?" Patrick's voice sounded startled and concerned. Neo shrugged and ate his muffin. He sighed before he put the bagel in his front pocket of his backpack.

"19 days. I must so I can finish paying for the tuition for this semester." Neo stopped eating his muffin and sighed.

"What do you want with me? I been trying to wrap my head around all interactions we have had... yet the only thing I can think of is you want me in your pants." Neo said while he looked down at his phone. He wanted to have this conversation, but he did not want to look at Patrick.

"I don't know what I want. I was drawn to you for some reason. I just want to get to know you and your wolf side. The way my mind and body are different when I am near you, with you, or just thinking about you... is different. I feel protective of you. I feel whole with you. I do want to say sorry for all the physical interactions we have had... but I cannot say I did not like it." Patrick watched Neo. He smiled softly before he held out his hand for Neo. He held Neo's hand and kissed the top of it. He stood up and helped Neo up as well.

"What if we go for a walk? We can walk to your next class and just wait?" Neo nodded not wanting to cause problems. Saying he missed being around Patrick was an understatement. Would Patrick hate me learning I am trying to change dorms? Or that I might have to move out the second semester because of money?

They decided to go for a walk. With fall season coming through, the air was crisp, and the sun was hidden due to the clouds. They walked in silence before Patrick decided to speak.

"Why are you working so long?"

"Tuition. It is fully due by the eighteenth of next month. Then the following semester tuition is due by the end of the winter break." Neo said while they walked.

"Oh. I am sorry." Patrick said. He did not want to push the conversation any further. They eventually got to Neo's next classroom, and he smiled before he walked into the room. Patrick started to walk away and head back to the dorm. He pulled out his phone from his back pocket and called someone.

"Daniel. I need a favor. It is for Neo. Tell me everything you can find about him. I mean everything. Also, tell me how much his tuition bill is for the whole year. I don't want him killing himself from work and school." He hung up and decided to meet up with Arc.