Conveniently Inspired

Chapter Twelve

Skylar and Kaden were so used to sitting on the outdoor table that the other students would physically get up and move when they saw them approaching. Oddly enough, it felt like she was some celebrity with a fan cult. Before she was associated with Kaden, when she had long ago claimed that table, nobody blinked an eye if they took her spot. And she never had the guts to kick them out, so she let them have her spot before sitting alone on the grass. But things were different now. And she was dreading the day that everything would go back to normal.

Kaden had already texted Thomas to meet them outside. They were busy working on their English homework, with Skylar quizzing Kaden on Shakespeare quotes for their upcoming quiz, when Kaden nudged her knee with his own. "Don't look. He's coming."

Of course, she now had to look. A quick eye dart just to confirm. And there he was. The same Thomas Saunders from earlier, otherwise known in her diary as boy-from-the-party, strolling their way. "Hey." His voice was slightly higher pitched than the average teen boy. "Did you call me over here?"

Kaden brightened. "Yeah, man. Have a seat. Right there, beside Skylar, yup." Skylar felt weird, having two boys sitting with her. One on either side. A foreign experience. Just then, Kaden's phone beeped. Since she was so close to him, she saw through her peripheral vision that it was nothing more than the next ios update. But Kaden feigned distress, packed up his belongings and said, "I gotta go. Mom just texted me. Family emergency."

Thomas frowned. "But you just-"

"You two bond while I'm gone. Alright, gotta go."

The second Kaden stepped away, it was nothing but pure silence. Pure silence and chirping birds and the sound of Thomas' black converse tapping against the pavement. "So." She blew out a laugh.

"So."

Skylar flashbacked to the pep talk that Kaden drilled into her head just five minutes prior: "Be confident. He's not better than you. So don't act like it."

Right after, she blurted out, "You're really wearing all black in this twenty-five degree weather?" God. That was rude. Why was she being so rude? Although, if she was truthfully giving this new 'confident' thing a trial, she should attempt at speaking her mind sans overthinking. And truth be told, she really was wondering that. His black pants and oversized black hoodie made her sweat just by looking at him.

"You're wearing a cardigan. Are you really one to judge?"

Damn. Glancing down, she saw he was right. "Sorry" she blurted out again. "I- that was rude. I shouldn't have commented on what you were wearing. I just didn't know what else to say and-" Deep breath in, deep breath out. So much for confidence.

Thomas, thank the gods, didn't seem offended in the slightest. "For what it's worth, I like your cardigan. And the shirt underneath. What does it say?" He tilted his head. "Is that a Shakespeare quote printed on there?"

She nodded, sheepish. "I know. I'm a loser."

"No, no, hey, English is my favorite subject too."

Skylar squirmed. "Wait, really?"

He nodded. "I'd rather take advanced calculus than poetry, but I always loved reading. The idea of analyzing literature and writing essays on the themes was just always ten times easier for me than finding x. You get what I'm saying?"

"Yes! I'm not good at black and white answers. I'd rather dissect the information and formulate my own response."

"Yeah, see, you're the first person who gets that. All my other friends are huge STEM geeks, so they're just obsessed with finding the one perfect solution."