32. I don't hit girls

                                    

                                          
Shout out to @ImTheBoss23 for the awesome cover.
                          
Thanks!
                          
Cody's POV
                          
Thirteen seems to just shut down after Jason's persistent questions. She keeps her back to us as she continues chopping whatever it is she's making.
                          
I glance over at Devin who looks back over at her and then to me and shrugs, as if to say 'don't look at me, I don't know what to do.'
                          
He turns back to his chess game and glances up at Chase, who is solely focused on Thirteen. I watch Devin switch some of Chase's pieces, and remove the queen altogether. I shake my head.
                          
"Devin put the pieces back." Thirteen orders and I watch his mouth drop open in shock.
                          
"How? What?" He stutters. "You had your back turned!"
                          
Chase looks down at the board and glares at Devin. "Where's my queen?" He questions.
                          
Devin shrugs, a devious look on his face. "I don't know." He replies, before getting to his feet and bolting down the hallway, Chase gets up not too long after and runs after him.
                          
Jason stands and looks between me and Thirteen. "I'm going to go for a swim." He announces before turning and leaving. I turn to Thirteen who's still chopping away.
                          
"Thirteen," I start.
                          
"Cody, I really don't want to talk right now." She mutters.
                          
I walk up behind her and put my hand gently on her shoulder turning her around to face me, the chopping knife still in her hand. I reach for it cautiously and place it on the counter next to me.
                          
She shakes her head at my actions. "You act like I'm going to stab you."
                          
"Well, you never know," I say jokingly. "I'm just trying to live a little longer." She shakes her head again but smiles slightly.
                          
"What is so wrong with the idea of you and me?" I ask after a moment of silence.
                          
She sighs, "There's nothing wrong with it but that's all it is, an idea." She pushes away from me and heads off down the hall, "I'll be in the gym." She mutters.
                          
"Can I give you a suggestion?" I turn and glare at an 'innocent' looking Zack.
                          
"No," I growl sharply. He holds his hands up in mock surrender.
                          
"Well, I'm going to anyway." He says. "Maybe you should try being her friend first, and then something more."
                          
"What the hell are you talking about?"
                          
"Look, from what my brother's told me in the past, she's got a good reason not to trust people. You might want to try to gain her trust, before trying to gain something else." He shoves his hands in his pockets and walks off. "Just a thought." He adds.
                          
I ponder over his words, debating whether or not to listen to him. After all, I don't know that I can trust him. A crashing sound breaks me out of my train of thought.
                          
"Devin," I mutter and start heading off in the direction the sound came from. What did he demolish this time?
                          
I turn into the gym, only to see a rack of weights scattered all over the floor, along with a broken table. Except, Devin isn't the one who's caused all of this. In the middle of the room, Thirteen and Chase stand on sparring mats, each one going at the other.
                          
I lean against the door frame as Thirteen gets in a good hit, and Chase dodges another. Zack stands slightly behind me in the doorway just as Chase knocks Thirteen on the floor and she trips him onto his back, pinning him down.