OUT OF MIND² ━━ Bellamy Blake

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈: The Bittersweet Science

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THE BITTERSWEET SCIENCE

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"LYRA, GET OFF of the ground."

Lyra's response is muffled. "No."

Monty huffs out an exasperated sigh. Lyra ignores him. There's the sound of his feet shuffling across the floor and she imagines that he's ventured closer to her. Not that she'd know. She's been laying face-first on the floor of the corridor for what's felt like forever, her face smushed into the metal floor. Thankfully this corridor is small and tucked into the back of Alpha Station, meaning that the only people watching her mental breakdown live and in person are Monty and Jasper.

"So your dad knows you slept with Bellamy," Monty says smoothly, as if discussing the weather. "Big deal. It's not the end of the world."

"Ooh," Jasper makes a hissing noise from the chair he'd shoved into the corner. "Poor word choice, dude."

Lyra picks up her head slightly to glance up at Monty. He's towering over her in concern. "My dad thinks that I'm a whore."

"He does not - "

"No, he does." Lyra puts her head back down on the ground sorrowfully. "He told me."

"I can vouch for that!" Jasper announces, sounding terribly amused by the whole situation. "He did. His exact words were, and I quote, You know, you think being waterboarded is hard. Then you find out your minor daughter is having sex with an adult in the middle of an apocalypse, like a whore!"

"It's only a two year age difference," Lyra moans miserably.

"OK," begins Monty placatingly as he kneels down to be eye-level with her. It's rather difficult, though, as she refuses to pick her head up again. "We all know Noah. He was just joking - "

"Mmm, I'd say half joking," Jasper decides. "Maybe sixty-three percent. Or sixty-nine. . . ha! Get it?"

Lyra gives a pathetic laugh. "That's a half laugh. Sixty three percent of a laugh. Or sixty nine."

Jasper shrugs unconcernedly. "I'll take it."

"Dude," Monty sounds annoyed. "Not helpful."

"I'm not supposed to be helpful," retorts Jasper. "I'm supposed to be making sure Lyra Jupiter stays twelve feet away from Bellamy Blake at all times and are never left alone together. Also, Noah gave me a yardstick so that I could measure."

Monty must give him a look, because Jasper finally relents.

"OK. Fine. . . " the depressed boy sighs raggedly. "Well, uh, your hickeys look better."

"Really?" Lyra lifts her head up hopefully.

"Yeah," says Jasper earnestly. He eyes her neck. "You can only see that one, and that one. . . ooh, that one might count as two, it's kind of big. . . And I think that's, like, half of one? Do we count half-hickeys?"