Out

Neither Am I.

"Purple." Nicodemus spluttered
"Your eye is fucking purple! Who did that?"

Dmitri sighed, mashing the soggy tater tot around his lunch tray.
"C'mon, I've had a black eye before, this isn't even the worst one." He laughed.

Nicodemus grew quiet and Dmitri looked up at him.
"I'm just clumsy. It's not what what you think, I promise."

Nicodemus wasn't sure what to say. What if he could've stopped this? What if this was his fault? For keeping Dmitri too long, for dropping him off too late? He felt his stomach pit and he pushed his half eaten lunch tray away.

"You're not going to finish that?"

"Not...not really hungry."

"Mind if I...?"

Nicodemus shrugged and Dmitri pulled the tray over. He felt the change in the air and set his fork down for a moment.
"Nicodemus. I'm fine."

"Yeah. Ok." Nicodemus couldn't bring himself to look at Dmitri. He could've stopped it. He could've stopped it.

"What are you doing after school?"

"Nothing important. Why?" Nicodemus sighed

"I was thinking you could bring your math homework by. We can work on it together."

".... To your house?"

"No. To my work. I work at like... a record store. But it's also a movie rental place...and we sell CDs and shirts and posters. It's cool."

Nicodemus laughed.
"Don't you have to, y'know, work?"

Dmitri waved a dismissive hand as he finished the last tater tot.

"Nah, it's Thursday. We're really only busy on weekends. I guess that's when people want a movie."

"I mean.. that's pretty logical. That's when I would rent a movie. Hey, I didn't even know we had a store like that around here."

"Oh we don't. It's like twenty minutes away. I hitchhike."

Nicodemus furrowed his eyebrows
"You hitchhike?"

"Yes?"

"You shouldn't do that. That's not safe."

"Dmitri scoffed in surprise
"What, are you worried about me?"

"Yes."

"What, you liiiiike me?" Dmitri teased

"Yes, I'd rather you not get murdered, that means I like you." Nicodemus rolled his eyes
"Which days do you work?"

"Monday to Thursday."

"And what time?"

"Two thirty to eight, but I really am fine hitchhiking! If I wasn't, I wouldn't be doing it."

"Dmitri."

"If you're sure." Dmitri shrugged.

"I'm sure."
**********************************************
Dmitri liked working late, it kept him away from Vadim, and it was something he couldn't get yelled at for either. He delicately traced the purple around his eye and winced. It made him feel gross, like he really was just trailer trash. He wondered if Tinny would let him borrow her concealer. He looked over the hallway- Nicodemus had instructed him to wait outside the English classroom, so he propped himself against the cream coloured faux brick wall, and waited.

"Hey!" Tinny smiled, clutching her school books tightly to her chest. Her hair was locked in two buns today, sometimes Dmitri wondered what she looked like when she wasn't trying to be put together. He was sure she was still lovely.