From Above the Treetops

IX

I reshuffled the deck of cards N.J and I had been playing with, about to deal another round, when I heard the clattering of footsteps approaching the top of the fire escape we were sat at the bottom of. Sure enough, Mila soon came bounding down the steps in a flurry of perfume and curly hair.

"You destroyed his neck, Xan." Mila gasped, "He didn't even bother hiding it, but if he had wanted to try and cover it up it would literally be impossible."

While that made Icarus a little bit smug, it made me cringe slightly.

"Yell it for the world to hear, why don't you. It's not like wolves with super hearing exist." I grumbled, dealing her into our card game now that she was here.

"Is he in the common room?" N.J stood up, about to race up the steps to go and see.

I yanked his hand back down so that he fell on his bottom, hitting the metal steps with a loud bang.

"No, I think he and his friends hang out in the library, or something." Mila frowned, "I have cross country with him after school, though, if you want to come and pick me up."

"I always pick you up; I'm your personal taxi driver. If you keep rubbing this in my face, however, you can walk from now on." I warned, picking up my set of cards.

"I'll come and see it." N.J whispered to Mila, but of course I heard.

I rolled my eyes but let it go as they picked up their own cards and we started the game. We quite often played cards on the fire escape if there was nothing else to do during free periods or lunches. In fact, we played so often that N.J, in particular, had gotten quite good. It was rare that I won against him anymore.

Today was another one of those days that I just couldn't win. N.J was on top of his game and Mila quickly ran out of patience, throwing down her cards and raising to her feet. Mila liked to win or she got sulky; she was an awful person to play Monopoly with. Absolutely ruthless. Plus, she always insisted on being the banker as the only one in our trio who studied any kind of maths or economics A-level.

"I'm bored already." Mila announced, "Let's go and get food; I'm hungry."

She wasn't bored, she was just a sore loser, but I held my tongue.

I trailed behind on our way to the cafeteria, passing dozens of students who stared when they thought we weren't looking and dropped their eyes to the floor when they realised that we had caught them staring. We stood in the queue like everyone else and ignored when people stepped aside to let us step in front. Why would we not wait?

N.J eyed the different food hungrily, eyes wide with choice. Mila was complaining that the options were always the same, but my eyes had already settled on something different. It wasn't very often that we came to the cafeteria, but now that Gracie didn't pack their lunches anymore, it had become a necessity for sustenance.

Mila was right about his neck...

He was happily chewing on some orange-wrapped chocolate, his soft cheeks dusted pink and his loose curls falling into his eyes as he ducked his head down. Even across the loud cafeteria filled with students chatting, I could hear his friends teasing him for the absolute state of his neck. If I was a half-decent person, I would feel bad, but part of me enjoyed it. That part of me was probably just Icarus. He really enjoyed it.

I had to stop my mind from wandering to what else I enjoyed about Nico, snapping my eyes away from him before he caught me staring. That would be a bad thing to focus on in school.

I knew it would be a bad idea to hook up with somebody I was in such close proximity to. Sometimes I just really couldn't help myself from making bad decisions. Why would I do this to myself? Now I have the pain and suffering of seeing him around and remembering what a good time we had.