Cipher

Chapter 33

Cipher released a long breath as he slumped back into his chair.

"You did great," Isaac whispered from his own desk. Joslyn smiled over at him as she took her seat.

"Thank you." He hid his face in his arms crossed on top of his desk. The presentation had been nerve-racking, but he hadn't made a single mistake. All their practice had paid off. That didn't stop his hands from trembling even now that it was over. He quickly got it back under control, shoving all that anxiety back where no one could see it, and sat up straight; missing Joslyn's look of concern as he focused on the next presentation.

***

Cipher sank almost bonelessly down into the grass, landing with a huff.

"Hard day?" Joslyn asked, setting her book aside.

"It has gone rather well, actually." Cipher turned on his side to face her. "The most stressful classes are past and only one more class to go."

Joslyn hummed in agreement, "I look forward to my last class all day."

"It is art, correct?"

"Yeah," she smiled gently. "We're working with charcoal right now. It's a complete mess," She showed her hands, still a bit stained with spray paint, as if they were already covered in black powder, "but I really enjoy it."

Cipher's complexion warmed as contentment seeped through her aura. Art seemed to be one of her outlets and, in Cipher's opinion, she was very good at it. Even if that weren't the case, her joy in her art was more beautiful than anything he had seen, from this world or his own.

Isaac came striding over, "Hey."

"Hey," Joslyn smiled up at him as he took his place among them.

Isaac groaned as he laid back onto the grass. "I'm so ready for this week to be over."

"It's Tuesday." Joslyn shook her head, the ghost of a smile crossing her lips.

"I know. Why can't it be Friday already?"

"Because it is Tuesday." Cipher said flatly, not opening his eyes.

Joslyn couldn't hold back a grin at their antics. "We could always plan something for this weekend. Give you something to look forward to."

"Yes!" Isaac sat up quickly. "We haven't had a game night at my house in forever."

"Do I get a vote?" Cipher asked. Joslyn noticed he tended to have more sass when he was half asleep. Or maybe he was just getting more comfortable around them.

"No," Isaac replied cheekily. "You live there, you come with the house."

There was a sound akin to a laugh, "okay. You can inform me of the details when I wake up."

Isaac laughed as Joslyn looked fondly between the two.

"So what're your game nights like?" Joslyn wondered.

"I guess you'll just have to come and see," Isaac teased. "But really, it's nothing crazy if that's what you're worried about." he said pulling out his phone.

She nodded, thankful that he understood. Parties weren't really her thing, at least not anymore. The only person that could convince her to willingly go to those loud events with so many people squished together, was Jason.

"Will your friends from the mall be there?"

Isaac looked up from his phone. "Probably. I'm sending the invite out now. Michael is usually able to make it without much notice. I swear the only thing in his life outside school is robotics club." The last part he says mostly to himself as he slips his phone back into his pocket. "David's also usually pretty free and so is Meg. Santana and Shawn sometimes have stuff going on, but I know neither of them want to miss out on my mom's food if they can help it."

"Ah, so that's the secret." Joslyn smiles wryly. "You bribe them with food."

"It's no secret," he smirks. "It's a known fact: my mom's food is the best." He pauses shortly, "but don't tell Santana's abuela, she's definitely a close second. And she might stop sending over tamales for Christmas if I offend her."

"We wouldn't want to risk the tamales."

Isaac matched her smile. "I really hope you can make it on Friday. I know Cipher looks forward to spending time with you." Joslyn glanced away feeling a warm blush creeping up the back of her neck. "And I'm pretty sure Meg imprinted on you," he continued. "So you have to come."

"I wouldn't want to disappoint Meg," she agreed easily, thankful to have someone besides Cipher to talk about. She likes spending time with Cipher. She knows she cares about him and it's obvious he cares for her, but to what end? They were friends, there was no questioning that, and she didn't want to risk ruining all that for a maybe.

Joslyn looked to where he lay next to her in the grass, a small part of her envious of how quickly he was able to fall asleep. The bigger part of her mind worried about him. Being the perfect student was enough pressure when the worst thing that could happen was not making it into your first choice school. When the fate of your species hung in the balance...  She didn't want to add anything else to his already full plate. She could live with being friends for as long as it took. Even if that was forever.

***Author's Note***

It's been a while since the last update. I don't know if I've already said this, but I will not be abandoning this story. I will one day be publishing it as an actual book. It just may take a while to get there :)

So, please, I would love constructive criticism for this first draft. I'm mostly just trying to get the ideas out there right now. I will fully admit that the tone and pacing will probably be off in some places. Thank you!