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Awww! I’m such a fuckwit! I hurt the kid’s ego. I need to think before I open my big fuckin’ mouth, Mal gave himself a mental kick. Besides, he couldn’t deny being a little attracted to this skateboarding sophomore; he grinned, thinking he may have to start dating sophomores, since they might be the only girls who hadn’t heard all the rumors and gotten wind of his ‘bad boy’ rep. Without thinking of personal space, he just reached across and tapped her chin with his forefinger, “No, not that little at all”, he agreed, with a wink.
Malachi laughed out loud when Colby declared Rienzi the best House, “Hey, cool with me, Colby!”, he soothed, “Everyone should feel that way about their House.” He gave her another wink, “On behalf of my fellow Beaus, I thank you for agreeing that we are not so bad.” Oh man, how adorable is she, acting all tough?, he asked himself, amused. “Hey, I’ll just bet you can take care of yourself, but you know…”, he rubbed his chin and looked serious, “…you have to let us guys feel important and useful. So, let your brothers at least feel like you need them.”
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The way Colby flushed and stuttered, Mal thought that maybe he shouldn’t have put his hands on her. He may have made her really uncomfortable and the last thing he needed was pissed off brothers hunting him down. Anymore fights and Pendragon was going to mount his head on her office wall.
Twirling the hair and blushing? Could she be a little interested in me?, he wondered. Trying to calm Colby a bit, Malachi graped the subject of her Beauregard friends and went with it, “So, who are your friends at Beau, Colby? I’m sure I’ll either know them or know of them.”
The eyeroll and heavy sigh she gave over her brothers made him grin; being an only child, he had to rely on cousins for that sibling-like relationship…and still, it wasn’t the same. “Damien and Shane? Do they both attend CCI? Would I know them?”, he asked, knitting his brow.
Chewing the inside of his lip, Malachi was mulling over a reckless idea; he wondered how the pint-sized angel would react if he offered her a ride on his bike.
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Friends and family were two subjects Colby was happy to talk for hours about. She smiled. "Well, Janis and I are buddies, and Sam and Brody, and I know Casey, too. Oh, and Sunny and I know Jenny a bit, we're in Herbology club together, and I know about Ella because of her and I know a little bit about Conor and Vinnie, but they're both in Dame's year."
"Day goes here - he's a junior - but Shane and the others went to school back on the West Coast. Two of my cousins go here too, though. But you probably wouldn't know them that well, Zoe's a freshman and Isaac's in my year." She gave a sheepish kind of grin, running a hand through her hair. "I have a kinda big family."
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“Whoa, babe!”, Mal laughed and held his hands up; Colby was talking at light speed. Holding up his hands, Mal ticked off on his fingers, “Okay…Janis, Sam, Brody, Casey, Jenny, Ella, Conor, Vinnie and now, me! That’s a good start you have there, Colby! You’re pretty well connected for a sophomore.”
“Hmmm, I just might know your brother, Damien, but I’m not sure about your cousins. I have several cousins here too.” When Colby ran her hands through her hair, a few strands fell down along the side of her face; Malachi smiled and tucked the blonde strands behind her ear. “Sounds like you really do have a big family, angel”, he agreed.
“Hey, I was heading to Taco Bell for a bite. Wanna jump on the back of my bike and tag along?”, he raised an eyebrow, “I’ll even let you wear the helmet”, he chuckled.
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“Don’t be sorry, Colby”, he made an effort this time not to call her little girl, “It’s kinda nice to hear someone get excited over their friends like that. They don’t all have to be best friends”
“Damien sounds like a good guy. Family is important, angel. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”, Mal’s face and voice got a little more serious than he intended, thinking of his father’s murder.
Shaking himself out of a sad memory, Malachi smiled and repeated, “Never ridden on a motorcycle?” Bending to scoop up her skateboard, he winked, “I need to remedy that, baby! Come with me. I have some cords to fasten down your board. Let’s make a run for the border.”
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Looking into Colby’s liquid blue eyes, Malachi spoke seriously, “Never underestimate the importance of friends and family, angel. I can see that you have no problem meeting people; you have a shining personality.”
“Spanish?”, Mal asked, confused for a moment. Then he grinned widely and laughed, “Oh no, little girl! Not a real border. I’m talking about shooting over to Taco Bell. I know it’s not so exotic, but they have some pretty tasty things on the menu”, he stooped to look her directly in the face, “What do you say? Hungry? My treat!”
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Malachi thought it sweet the way Colby looked to the ground and played with her hair, as she talked to him. This was no rowdy party girl; she was a sophomore with brothers who cared about her and watched over her. He tucked her skateboard under his arm, Probably a virgin too, he figured.
“Si, es verdad!”, he chuckled, “The espanol always comes in handy.” Hooking his arm loosely around Colby’s back, Malachi started walking her slowly towards the parking area. “Hope you like the Harley…”, he chatted, “…you’re gonna have to hold on real tight now, okay?”
When they reached the motorcycle, Mal placed the small helmet on Colby’s head and fastened the chin strap for her, “Need help climbing on, angel?”
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“Oh? Are you from Florida, Texas, New Mexico?”, he asked her. “Your Spanish is very good. I just know a little from a girl I used to date, awhile back.” He chuckled, My mom’s family would like me to be fluent in French, but I’m not. I do okay, though.” This Colby girl was nice…easy to talk to, he decided. Maybe his senior classmates were snobs, ignoring sophomore girls.
Mal could admire a girl who admired his bike; this girl kept surprising him. When Colby was taken aback by Mal putting the helmet on her, he grinned and knocked on the top of it with his knuckles, “All set”, he declared.
Having a girl stick their tongue out at you always gets your attention! Malachi laughed at Colby, because she was so refreshing; he knew it was totally innocent and exactly what she meant by it. If a senior girl stuck their tongue out at you, well it usually meant they wanted to stick it in your mouth…or do something pleasantly x-rated.
Colby’s gymnastic run and mounting of Mal’s bike had the tall boy laughing and clapping, “Fuckin’ awesome, little girl! Where did you learn to do that?!” Mal was chuckling to himself as he climbed on his Harley, “Okay, now, remember….”, he patted his flat abs, “…hold tight!”
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“Never been to California…always wanted to go though”, Mal replied. He grinned at her mention of the French, “Yeah, well, my mom’s side of the family is all so very French”, he sighed, “Me and all my cousins were expected to learn it.”
Being very obvious about looking her over, Malachi noted, “You certainly do keep in shape, if you don’t mind me saying so.” He winked at her and gave her a wicked smile, “I suppose you’re very bendy, yes?”
When Colby slipped her arms around his body and hugged his back, Mal could feel a warmth spread through him; he loved to have a girl on the back of his bike, holding him like this. “That’s it, baby. Perfect”, he all but purred to her in a low, silky voice. With a satisfied smile on his face, Mal gave the Harley gas and peeled out of the school parking lot.
Malachi wanted Colby’s first ride on a motorcycle to be fun, so he made sure to take a few side roads that were like corkscrews and a few that had hills; he also tried to pick out a more scenic route than the expressway. Turning his head slightly, he called back, “Having fun?”
It took him twice as long as it should have, but Malachi finally got them to the closest Taco Bell and pulled up to the front, “Here we are, little girl!”, he announced, “Need help getting down or are you going to dazzle me with a back flip dismount?”
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"I love it, I live not too far from the beach. It's awesome." Colby made a little face. "Well that sucks. I mean, if you're making someone learn something it's not the same as them wanting to learn it."
She blushed bright red and immediately stared at her feet again, biting her lip. "Um, yeah, I guess so. I mean, you have to be in order to be a gymnast."
When he took off, Colby had a moment of panic and clung tighter to him, pressing her cheek against his back. Her stomach dropped at all the twists and turns, just like riding a roller coaster. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. She nodded at his question, not trusting her mouth to speak.
She thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I would if my legs didn't feel like jelly, and I'd rather not fall and twist something. I can show you a back flip another time."
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“Man, that must be nice to live near the beach”, Mal sighed. “When I was a little boy, back in Maryland, my dad used to take us to Ocean City every summer”, he shrugged, “It was a big deal to me. I know the Atlantic isn’t quite the same as the Pacific.”
Malachi thought her shyness and modesty was adorable. He was used to girls that practically ripped his clothes off. Having a girl that blushed when he spoke was a nice change. “I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable”, he soothed, “You do know you’re a pretty girl, right?”
Speeding along, Mal could feel Colby’s heartbeat through his back and it made his own heart race to know how excited she was. He wondered what her brothers would say if they could see her now. He wondered if they would forbid her to be around him.
Colby’s answer made him grin, “Here you go, angel…”, he offered her his hand, “…I got ya!”
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“Damn, girl, I’ll bet you would be poppin’ wheelies in a week if you practiced. You definitely have the heart to ride a bike…you’re a skatergurl, a gymnast, fuc—get about it!”, he exclaimed, catching himself at the last, trying not to swear around the younger girl.
Taking Colby’s hand, just as natural as if they’d been holding hands for years, Mal headed into the Taco Bell and walked up to the counter, “I’ll have a Mexican Pizza, two Grilled Stuft Steak Burritos and a large Sierra mist…”, he smiled at Colby and prompted, “…what do you want, angel? Get as much as you want, okay?”
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Mal shrugged, “Well, if it’s too much for you, little girl, I understand”, he teased. He knew that a girl who went from doing ollies on a skateboard to riding on the back of a bike, belonging to a boy she’d just met, had the brass ones to handle a bike herself.
A sideways smile split Mal’s face; he was tickled that this little bit of a girl had such an appetite…he loved it! He gave her a soft punch on the arm, “If you can’t finish all of that, don’t worry, I’ll clean up the rest”, he chuckled.
Collecting their food, Malachi led them to a booth in one of the corners, “So, tell me, Colby…”, he chatted, opening his Mexican Pizza, “…what lucky boy at CCI has your heart?” His reddish-brown eyes locked in on her soft blue ones.
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Malachi laughed and held his hands up, “Okay, if you say so. Maybe I’ll let you prove it. One weekend, when you don’t have anything else to do, we can get together and I’ll give you a few tips and we’ll see how you ride it around campus.”
This time, when Colby stuck her tongue out, Mal stuck his tongue out too; he wasn’t sure why he did it…it just seemed like fun, “I don’t know how your tiny tummy holds all of that!”, he chuckled.
Mal’s grin grew devilish when he saw how much the question about boys embarrassed Colby. Then, when she answered that there was No one, his jaw almost dropped, “What?! No one?!! What the fuck? Are all the sophomore boys dickless?!” Right after he blurted all of that out, he wished he could take it back. Mal knew that he had a problem with colorful language, as Headmistress Pendragon called it; he was trying so hard not to swear in front of Colby, her being a sophomore and a girl…a nice girl. “OOPS! Sorry about that, angel!”, he apologized, “What I meant to say was…what’s wrong with those sophomore boys, letting such a cute girl slip through their fingers?”
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Mal pumped his fist in the air and exclaimed, “Alright!” Taking a big bite of his burrito, he winked at her, “Tough chick”, he declared, after swallowing.
Brazenly looking the girl over, Mal gradually smiled, “Well, angel, if you have to chow down to keep that hot little shape, I say bring on the next course!”
Now, it was Malachi’s turn to blush, “Yeah, well, I’ll bet your brother’s wouldn’t be so happy if they heard me talking to you like that”, he reasoned. Mal knew, there were some girls you could talk to like that and some you couldn’t…hell, there were some girls that talked so nasty that they made him blush.
Sometimes, it was more interesting what people didn’t say, than what they said; Colby completely glossed over the question about sophomore boys. She really didn’t know Mal, “So, no answer about the boys or it’s none of my business? Hey, angel, I can respect that.” He had only been teasing, mostly. Mal didn’t want to pry, if there was something hurtful that came along with the answer.
“Hey, little girl, eat all of your food and I’ll take us somewhere for dessert!”, he teased.
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“Yeah, same here…”, Malachi winked, stretching to show off his long slender torso, “…I can eat just about anything I want and no tummy!”
Malachi had no doubt that one of her brothers knew of him and his reputation, so he’d better enjoy this time with Colby, because she’d probably be forbidden to see him soon. That would be a shame, because he liked this little cutie, “If you were my little sister, I’d probably hide you away from guys like me”, he chuckled.
“Ice cream it is, angel!”, he agreed, jumping up to refill his large Sierra Mist. When he sat back down, he scooted around and bumped her.
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“You bet it’s an awesome gift”, he replied, “Especially, since I love to cook.” He gave her a measuring look, Maybe if you’re good, I’ll even cook for you some day”, he gave her a grin and a wink afterwards.
Having already finished his food, Malachi watched, as Colby ate her salad, “you are preaching to the choir, little girl…”, he agreed with her, “…that’s what gets me in so much trouble, people telling me what I can and can not do…”, he shrugged and took a long sip of his large drink, “…it just pisses me off!”
“Okay, angel, I’ll let you pick…Baskin Robbins, Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Parlor, Creole Creamery or The New Orleans Ice Cream Company…what’s your pleasure?” He leaned in close, “I promise to have you home before you turn into a pumpkin.”
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“What kind of food?!”, Malachi asked, incredulously, “I cook all kinds of food, little girl!” He clicked off on his fingers what he was saying, “Down home Country cookin’, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Greek, French, Thai, Barbeque…whatever your little heart desires!”
Wiggling his eyebrows, Mal teased, “It does? How many guys do you know, naughty girl?!” Colby was fun to tease; it made him wish he’d had a little sister. Of course, he wasn’t thinking of Colby as his sister…that would be sick.
“Okay, let’s hit the Creole Creamery”, Mal decided, “Then I can drive you back and you can wonder…”, he used a high girlish voice, “…will he kiss me or won’t he?” He was teasing Colby and it was fun, but in reality, he sure wouldn’t mind kissing the cute little sophomore.
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“My mom and my Uncle Julien taught me from when I was young”, he shrugged with a proud smile. “I love cooking, it takes me to another place.”
“MmmmmHmmmm”, Malachi teasingly gave her a skeptical look. He wouldn’t keep up the messing with her long, but he wasn’t ready to give it up just yet.
Okay, he had better review that decision about the teasing. Poor Colby looked like her head was going to explode; her face was crimson red. He slipped one long arm around her shoulder and gave her a one-armed hug, “I know, baby, I’m just playing…”, he gave her his best puppy dog eyes, “…forgive me?”
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