CONSUME

[19] i get it

***

kameron springfield

I shivered from the breeze once more. The sound of the trees' leaves rustled, it threading between our conversation. "What are you doing up there?" I asked him. He was sitting on the flat part of his roof, and to the side was a ladder that led up there. His bedroom window was between it, indicating that he must have climbed from his room to the top of the house.

"Nothing." He replied, staring off into the distance. Then he averted his eyes to me, and tilted his head sideways. "Come up here if you want."

I clenched my teeth, looking to my left and then my right, seeing our neighborhood completely still throughout the darkness of the night. I smacked my lips and then licked them hesitantly.

I've been wanting to talk to him all this while, and now that I've finally got ahold of him, I'd may as well take whatever opportunity I can, right?

I pursed my lips and dropped my backpack to the ground, leaving it in the grass. Then I sniffled some chilly air and wrapped my fingers around the metal of the ladder. I put one foot in front of the other, slowly, my Converse sneakers gripping onto the steps as precisely as they could.

Axel didn't look at me as I climbed. He just smoked in silence. When I finally arrived to the top, I crawled on my hands and knees and then planted my butt next to him, a few inches away. I huffed out a breath of relief over the fact that I'd gotten up here safely.

Looking to my left where he sat, I felt my heart begin to beat faster and hot prickles went down my throat. His skin was smooth, and clear, the only marks on his face being the tanned freckles he has. They sprinkled across his cheeks sporadically, and over the bridge of his nose. 

I had the urge to count every single one of them.

The bridge of his nose is straight and sharp, and just below them are his rounded, full lips. He brought his fingers to his mouth, removing the weed that was between his teeth. After inhaling he held the smoke in.

He turned his head to look my way, and I widened my eyes, staring into his icy blue ones.

"What?" I said. I felt my face get hot, which countered the cold weather I was withstanding. I cleared my throat.

"You're staring at me." He said, the smoke escaping his lips and nose as he spoke.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, looking away. I pulled a strand of my curly hair behind my ears. The long thick braid that my hair is in has become messy from the day. "I'm not." I said. "I just haven't seen you in a while."

"A while?" He repeated. I heard him inhale a breath, and then let it out. "It's been like four days."

I licked my teeth, as if I've been caught. It's only been four days since I've seen him-- that's true. Why does it feel like longer?

"I just..." I looked down, seeing a leather brown book next to him, a pen within it. It looked like some kind of notebook or journal. I turned my face back to the scenery in front of us. The view from up here on the roof is one I've never seen. I have never thought to come up to the roof of a house and sit there. There's the street, and mailboxes, and trees. Lot's of trees, and a forest. The leaves are turning orange and brown, and above them is the sky.

"You haven't been in school."

"I'm sick." He justified.

"You don't seem sick." I said.

"I was sick." Axel reworded his claim.

I nodded. "So I'll see you at club tomorrow?"

Axel didn't reply to that, sticking the joint in his mouth again, and sucking. His eyelids were low, and I can see that the white surrounding his blue irises is actually red. He exhaled, blowing out the smoke, and the smell wafted into my nose. I bit the inside of my cheek.