Wayfaring Companions

vii. Home

vii. Home 

The weather was sticky.

With the last weekend of the summer coming to a close, the last weekend that Xander and Kira had to themselves before they'd resume classes as high and mighty seniors, the two of them "prepared" themselves by passing their time in their favorite place; atop the tattered old sofa.

"Hey, Xander?" Kira asked, cutting the sticky atmosphere of silence in half as she studied her chipped, plum-colored nailpolish against her short and stubby nails.

Xander looked up from the bright glare of his laptop, and he blinked at her from across the room with squinted eyes. He awaited for her to begin with raised eyebrows and took in her lanky legs that were sprawled across the head of the sofa as her body lay against the rest, her head just set off of the cushions as she lounged in a completely crooked manner.

"Hmm?" he responded, seeing that she wasn't going to look over.

"It's Saturday," she stated obviously, keeping her gaze fixated on her slender fingers as her dark eyebrows furrowed together soon afterwards. Xander didn't say anything, knowing that Kira would continue whether he was really listening or not; he merely kept his eyebrows raised while his eyes skimmed over his class schedule for the twentieth time that hour. "And in two days, we'll be seniors. And on that second day, from now, I mean, we'll be going to classes with other students. Some we'll know and some we won't, and those who know us, only those who know us, will know how our summer has passed. But we'll have new teachers. Seven new teachers. And on that first day of school, two days from now, they won't know anything about us. So they'll ask, like they always do; they'll ask us how our summer was and if we did anything exciting, anything worth sharing. And I was just wondering - Xander! Are you even listening?"

Kira glared at Xander from her awkward position on the sofa as she lay half on and half off of the cushions, her arms flailing about her head as she attempted to balance herself.

"What?" he looked up from his laptop screen quickly, causing a sting to ripple through the base of his neck as an aftershock. He winced. "Yeah, 'course I am."

"What could possibly be more interesting than listening to me?" Kira inquired lightly, deciding to fall off of the sofa and crawl over across the room, stopping when her knee brushed against Xander's as she pulled in and dropped down beside him.

"Well," he began with a smile, earning a nudge in the stomach. "I'm kidding. I was just looking at my schedule. I have psychology fifth period but I didn't even sign up for it?"

"Huh," Kira murmured. "Why does psychology fifth period sound so familiar?"

"Hm?"

"Oh, I know!" Kira clapped her hands together loudly. "D'ya know who else has psychology fifth period?"

"Um, no?" Xander replied slowly. "But judging the way you're saying it, I'm guessing it isn't good."

Kira grinned mischeviously, "C'mon, guess!"

"I don't know," Xander replied helplessly. "I'm horrible with guessing games, you know this!"

"Oh, come on," Kira urged. "Who do you always have fifth period with?"

"Kira, after an entire two months away from people at our school, I'd be surprised if I could even remember someone's correct initials. The only person I really know is you."

"How flattering," Kira mused, rolling her eyes. "Just think, you've had fifth period with her since freshman year. Oh, and you hate her yet she's absolutely and totally in love with you."