icarus

xi. rendezvousing

Yara groans, her pen twirling around her finger as her dark eyes flit across the textbook before her. Vivienne and Raven are by her side, and they are equally busy. She whips out a calculator and press numbers, recording them on her notebook as Vivienne taps her shoulder. Yara watches her mouth fall open, and her eyes turn shy. Arlo, Zane and Atlas take the seat before their table, and place their bags on them.

"We'll be right back." Arlo says. Yara stealthily winks at Atlas and he narrows his beautiful eyes, and her heart flips. They leave as quickly as they arrive.

She rolls her eyes as Raven giggles. "Your brother is so hot."

Vivienne adds with a dreamy sigh as she stares at the boy's receding figures. "So is Atlas. I swear he can..."

"Absolutely not, keep the horny in. Girls, we are expected to have more decorum than this, y'know." Yara interrupts, her eyes threatening to roll again. Her fingers drum the table lazily, her eyes droopy.

Arlo and the boys walks back to the table, chattering amongst themselves. The girls are sat on the other side of the table. Atlas still isn't looking at her, and Yara can tell that if his cheeks are lighter, they would be rosy.

"So Atlas, how much are you liking Westwood so far?" Vivienne asks, her hands cupping her chin as she stares at him infatuated.

Atlas looks up at her, still not looking at Yara and her smile threatens to widen. He shrugs nonchalantly. "It's fine. Still getting used to it." Vivienne's lusty smile freezes when he glances back at his book without the slightest concern for her.

"I'm sorry, he's been grumpy all afternoon." Arlo apologizes, and Zane chuckles.

Yara giggles, patting Vivienne's shoulder in silent, amused support. "Why are you so grumpy, Atlas?"

"Grumpy makes me seem like an adolescent. I can assure you I'm not." Atlas said, smiling at her. She can feel her finger lift and flip him off. Everybody else just laughs, and looks down at their books. Her phone pings, she glances down at her phone, and her cheeks threaten to burst into flames.

'You of all people should know that by now.'

'I'm assuming you mean the kiss alludes to something else because you can't be bragging about how I kissed you.' 

Atlas opens his phone, and chuckles lowly. Yara flips her hair over her shoulder, her eyes tracing the words on her textbook slowly. Her phone vibrates, and her heart skips a beat.

'I'm sorry if I disappointed you, we can however practice till I match your expertise.'

A grin spreads on her face, and she types quickly and sends it to him. Atlas opens the message, and starts to coughs violently, and Vivienne shoots out of her seat to pat his back lovingly. Everyone looks at him with concern, and he waves her off while patting his chest. Vivienne's eyes sadden and Raven smiles apologetically at her. She takes her seat quietly, her face forlorn.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Raven asked.

Atlas nods, still looking down at her message, which read, 'I think I liked you better with my hands around your throat, where you didn't speak so much.'  "I'm just a little surprised at a message I received." The three dots that indicate texting appear, and disappear, and appear.

'I'm sure you did.'

Yara sends him the middle finger emoji, and he places his phone down, just as Thomas and Kara waltz in. The girl walking straight to Atlas to smile flirtatiously at him. Her finger trails down his arm, as she giggles. Atlas looks uninterested, and his face doesn't look at hers as he picks up his phone again.

She tugs at her collar, and sighs loudly when Thomas takes the seat next to hers. Yara places her headphones on her ears, and her music can't be loud enough.

'Can't stand them too.' Atlas texts her.

'I can't stand them, you on the other hand, are the one that leave certain parties with one of them after rendezvousing with me.'

He lets out a huff that sounds similarly to a laugh. 'jealous?'

'Devastated.'

Zane texts her. 'At least pretend you both aren't planning on eloping to Moscow or something.'

"Atlas?" She calls out, and he lifts his head to look at her. Everyone is staring at them, as he hums in acknowledgement. "Do you like Moscow?" He cocks his head to the side, most definitely confused.

"I think it's lovely. Why?"

Zane rolls his eyes, and Yara answers him. "No reason."

'We'll update you if anymore plans are made.'

'Fuck you.'

Atlas: Moscow?'

Zane wants to know where we'll get married.

Atlas: 'My family owns a chateau in Moscow. We can spend our honeymoon in Venice if you want to.'

Yara replied him quickly. 'Okay, so the only thing left is your proposal.'

'Should I do it now?'

'If you did, I think I'd kill you.'

'Odd way of saying you want to do bad things to me. Kinky.'

Yara groans outwardly, and he laughs softly. Kira is sat beside him, and she cups her chin as she stares dreamily at him. The boy doesn't look at her, just staring at his phone as he types, his black nails glinting dully in the light. Yara rolls her eyes and stares down at her books, placing her headphone over them and continuing to solve the equations that she'd been doing.

************

It's too quiet. The dark is heavy. Yara's brush is loud. Yara pushes her brush down, and leaves it to dry. The multicolored eyes seem to glow in the dark, and her cheeks heat. She turns away and opens the door, and pauses to lock the door before running down the stairs to the hallway to her room. The girls are sat in the beanbags in the common area, each with a glass of wine and green masks on their face.

Vivienne is sniffling, and Raven pats her back consolingly. Yara raises her eyebrows reflexively.

"Atlas's distaste is making her sad." Raven explains.

Yara nods, and pats her head. Now probably wouldn't be the best time to admit that her and Atlas had kissed and had been flirting like dogs in heat. "Can I have a glass as well?" They nod, and Vivienne, although a blubbery mess of damaged Dior mascara and tears, pours her a glass of champagne and hugs the bottle close to her.

"What about the boy you were dancing with at Xavier's party?"

"C-list." Is her only response, and for a second, or rather multiple seconds, laughter threatens to burst out of Yara. Raven shakes her head sympathetically, and hugs her even tightly.

"Before or after having non-penetrative sex with him infront of half of the A-list did you find he's a lower-lister?"

She pauses to glance down sheepishly. "Before."

"You're killing me." Raven groans.

Yara hides her eye roll by taking a sip of her champagne. "And Atlas is..."

"Hot, and my ticket out of that disgrace and into the A-list." Then she lowers her head and mutters, but Yara hears everything clearly. "It's not like you are much help anyways."

Raven exclaims. "Vivienne!"

Yara almost jerks in surprise but schools her features to reveal amused disdain. She tips her glass back and pushes the poisonous retort on her tongue. She places the glass on the table and walks into her room, her movements almost unsteady. Vivienne is quiet. The room is probably thick with stale awkwardness.

She pokes her head out of her room. "I do not have the right to induct anyone into the upper list. I would die before asking Tanner for anything, so your plan, although desperate and asinine, is probably feasible. Good luck."

Champagne doesn't really hold her tongue back.