The 6 Greatest Errors of All Time | ✓

XIV. code red arrived

I rose to my feet and attracted a few curious glances at our table. The woman waiting at the register raised her eyebrows as she peered at the three of us in a long-standing battle of intense staring before she accepted a tray of hot chocolate and walked towards the back, giving room for another man to stand at the register, and ultimately, watch us under his hood.

"I'm not with him," I threw it out there to Cody, who was darting daggers into Pierce's soul from behind me, "And stop looking at him like that. You don't know the man, show some respect."

"I smell a hypocrite," Pierce whispered from behind as he cupped his mouth with one hand and leaned closer to the arc of my back.

"You're not helping, you rotten fossil." I smiled through gritted teeth as my head angled to the side.

Cody, observing our odd interaction, paused for a moment before he commented, "You stood me up for some other guy when you specifically said you were going to stay home."

"Did I now?" I abruptly retaliated as I met his eyes, "I said I needed to study, I never said anything about doing it at home."

"Study," he cocked his eyebrows at the man over my shoulder, "with this suspiciously good-looking man?"

"Thanks," Pierce popped a smile as he went back to drinking his coffee.

Cody, a bit wrapped up in his heated argument with me, didn't think twice as he shot back, "No problem."

I snapped out of my frustration as I awkwardly looked at the man before me. "Um, Cody, you just—"

"Why couldn't you just tell me you had a date?" Cody continued ranting blindly as he folded his arms, "I thought best friends told each other everything? What did you have to hide? Who the fuck is he?"

"Hi, I'm Pierce," the man sitting down waved.

I almost choked on air when my best friend wriggled his fingers back in greeting obliviously before glaring back at me.

It took him a full three seconds to realize that he had, in a sense, to put it most elegantly and straightforwardly, with the utmost manners and civility, at that precise moment, the moment we all coexisted, he... I forgot my sentence.

Oh, right.

He was flirting with Pierce. Pierce. Why in the world was their subconscious relationship more harmonious than mine?

"Wait," Cody blinked, slowly taking a good look at Pierce, "I'M MAD AT HIM." He pointed his finger and his face contorted into anger before I lamely swatted his hands away to prevent a fight from breaking out.

"Look here," I jutted in, well aware that our group was slowly shifting from a private conversation to something more serious like being reported for public disturbance, "Lower your voice, please."

Cody wrapped his coat tighter around his neck as he switched his smoothie from one hand to the other. Checking the dashboard above the counter for the drinks from the café, his eyes narrowed after some time before he looked back at me.

"You know what?" he spoke up again slowly, "I came here since you said to get something warm, but now? Now I'm going to walk back out the door. See you at scho—"