Coffee with Wilde

Chapter 10

"One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry" - Oscar Wilde  

Pulling the large boy, by the ear, Athena threw him into the seat opposite Klade.

"I asked you for a set up, not a kidnapping," Klade said.

Taking the seat to their left, she sat next to Lena, who shook her head at their antics.

"I am doing this out of my own goodwill, Ant, and if I have to, I will call backup," Ty said, taking his phone out of his pocket.

Physical backup seemed unwarranted considering over the years, the soccer player had bulked up. Yet knowing Ty meant knowing his connectivity with half the world. Including Stephen Vestergaard.

Athena's eyes widened, before diverting them back to the half written-on page of her notebook. Diving into the crevice of her brain to find a way to describe blood, something Ty would shed if he wasn't careful.

"Klade, don't be rude, speak to the boy," Athena said.

Klade raised an eyebrow at her before slamming his notebook shut, dramatically. The big Maori boy sat in front of him, tugging at the blue cuffs of his jersey sleeves, refusing to look at anything else.

Klade let out a groan, throwing his head back. He beckoned Athena over. "I've just realised that every boy I've been attracted to is in one room. I should have gone to Astwright like you suggested," Klade whispered.

"But you've just met me," Ty said. "And you're not a very good whisperer."

"We were in Mrs. Andrews Year Two class. I used to sit on the table behind you and steal your coloured pencils," Klade said.

"That's right, I used to throw my gluestick at you," Ty said, enunciating his words uncertainly.

Athena rolled her eyes at them, they probably spent the same amount of time in the time out corner where Klade's crush had blossomed.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, I wasn't the one caught sneaking love poetry into the boy I like's binder. Eros, Eros/notice me/I can be you Psyche," mimicked Ty, in a falsetto voice.

"He showed you that," she said, twitching slightly, swallowing whilst tapping her foot against the floor.

"I'm his best friend, if he finds out who was sticking notes in his folder he's going to tell me, especially if we're best mates."

At that point, it was Athena who was groaning and hiding her face in her hands. I need to work on my poetry skills, she thought.

Folding her arms, placing her head on them, she closed her eyes, trying to think of anything but the poem, which in hindsight wasn't a good idea.

"How have you been?" Ty asked Klade, still fidgeting with his jacket sleeves.

"Can't really complain," Klade said, with a shrug.

"But that's your favourite thing to do," Athena said. "You have notebooks filled with complaints."

"His eyes are like the depths of a Nordic bog," Klade said, with a straight face.

Athena lunged over the table, grabbing Klade in a headlock, pushing his head face onto the table.

"I was waiting for her to lose it with you," Kwan said, putting their drinks down with a sigh.

"He made fun of my writing," Athena said, through gritted teeth. Weaving a hand into his hair, while he got up. "You won't make jokes about my writing and I won't tell people who yours was about," she said, giving his hair a squeeze.