Forbidden Eyes

' skinship,

At the sound of the bell that announced the first break of the day, Ky jumped from her seat. Her eyes were not yet used to the contact lenses replacing her glasses. Her vision blurred momentarily. When everything was back in focus, Nyla was pacing backwards to the door, wagging her index finger for Ky to follow.

Ky hopped down the stairs, Nyla hot on her heels. This time, her stomach didn't drop halfway, and she didn't feel the need to throw up her breakfast once she reached the bottom. Everything was so outrageously normal as she stepped outside and breathed in the chilly November air.

Yesterday might as well have been a dream.

"Let's go soak up some sun. I'm freezing my butt off," Nyla hissed, hurrying away from the lengthy shadow their school building cast on one half of the yard.

Ky followed her eagerly. Her pastel-coloured "I'm not sorry" jumper coupled with her black skinny jeans wasn't a combination that made for adequate warmth. Normally, Converse would have only added to the feeling of cold seeping through her clothes, but Estonian socks had already provided an ideal solution.

Ky thought fondly of her internet friends in the frosty Northern European country, wondering whether they'd already seen the first snow of winter. Screwing her eyes against the still persistently bright sun above her head, she knew Western Europe's first snow was still far away.

"Marina and the squad at 12 o'clock," Nyla chirped, falling into step beside Ky.

But something else had already captured Ky's attention.

At the opposite edge of the yard, the ground fell away into a staircase that led to the crafts lab. A tall wall extended outwards along one side of the stairs, fenced with waist-high railing. There was just enough space for one person to walk the length of the wall, bypass the fence, and be safely out of the school property.

Matthias was walking the length of that wall with practiced ease now, heading back to school after having been out, one hand holding onto a lidded coffee cup.

He ditched first period and now showed up with coffee. Not bad.

Marina jumping in front of her diverted her attention away from Matthias. "You're wearing lenses!" Her breath smelled of banana-flavoured gum. She bounced up and down like a little child. Her smile was contagious.

Ky couldn't fight back a grin. "Didn't poke my eyes out putting them on, too. Progress." She prepared to suggest that they go off alone, in hopes of asking Marina all the Matthias-related things she was itching to discuss.

Marina's spontaneous hug took Ky by surprise.

She forced herself not to flinch, instead wrapping her own arms around Marina's slim waist. "Listen, I--"

"We're going back upstairs," Marina announced, untangling herself from Ky. "We're dancing for the Christmas school celebration. Chop chop." The final words were shouted over her shoulder.

"But I have to talk to you about--"

"Tell me upstairs!" Marina hollered, hurrying ahead.

With a shrug in Nyla's general direction, Ky followed.

Upon setting foot into the building again, loud music permeated Ky's ears. Marina tugged on her arm, leading her up one flight of stairs. Another one would lead to their classrooms. Marina skipped it, stirring them instead into a room where every desk had been pushed back against the wall. Small speakers were propped on a pair of chairs, blaring upbeat Christmas music. Four or five people, mostly girls, improvised by dancing freestyle to it. Several guys Ky knew only by name sat around, watching them.