ANATOMY OF A GIRL

part eight, ii

Ayden showered quickly, changing into the first thing he pulled from his cupboard – a pair of sweatpants and a black shirt. He grabbed a jacket from his closet and pulled on a pair of socks and his Nikes before turning to Leo.

"Where're the keys?" he asked, slipping his phone into his pocket.

Leo grumbled, reaching into the drawer of his desk and pulling out the car keys, throwing them in Ayden's direction. Ayden extended an arm, letting the keys land in his palm.

"You coming with to Raye's?"

"Can't, but ask Sapphire. You know that girl. Always hungry," he said. "And Flair might want a coffee, too."

"Yeah, I'll ask," Ayden said, turning to the door. He mumbled a quick goodbye as he closed the door.

The walk to the girls' dorm was short, and it seemed luck was on his side for that moment, because he found no one around the dorms and in the hallways. He wasn't in the mood to feign kindness. He barely ever was, if he was being honest, but there were times he was almost pleasant. Not often, but it happened.

He knocked twice on the wooden door. Behind it, he heard shuffling and a faint come in.

Ayden opened the door just enough for him to step in. "Anyone hungry?"

Sapphire looked up from her textbook, smiling, and said, "Yeah, sure. Lemme just put on a jacket." To Ayden, it looked like she'd been waiting for an excuse to stop studying. And he knew her well enough to know that was probably true.

As Sapphire pulled on a denim jacket, Ayden looked to Flair expectantly. "Flair?"

"Busy, thanks," she mumbled in reply, barely sparing him a glace. She was like that sometimes. Most of the time, if he was being honest. Of course, Flair was charming, too, but she didn't care what others thought of her. She didn't often feign emotions. It also meant that she didn't ever change for people. She was the same around everyone, and Ayden liked that about her. If she didn't like someone, she didn't pretend otherwise. 

Sapphire looked to him, halting at the sight of the keys. She gestured to them with a tilt of her head. "The cafeteria's open, why do we need the car?"

"Uh," he hesitated. "I just wanted to get away from the campus for a little while."

She nodded, opening the door wider and stepping out her dorm. "Okay, cool. Let's go."

"Golden melt coffee?" she asked Flair.

Flair smiled, which Sapphire must have taken as a yes, because she started walking, turning around and gesturing for him to follow. Ayden stepped into the hallway, letting the door close behind him.

They were in the car by the time they spoke again. Sapphire must have noticed how tense and agitated he was. She didn't know about the actual fight, not yet anyway, but she was good at picking up on things like that. She was the most observant person he knew.

Ayden tried to forget about the fight — forget about what it meant for his future. Bryden knew better than to challenge him directly, but Bryden was tricky, and he'd attack when Ayden wasn't able to fight back.

Ayden reached forward, turning the volume dial. Music burst from the speakers around them. He could feel the bass in the trembling of the car's seats and the steering wheel.

He smiled at Sapphire, who'd pressed the palms of her hands against her ears. He called out, "This fine?"

"Not really," she yelled over the music.

He smiled wider — wider than he thought possible. All teeth and dimples. "Great."

Sapphire held out her hand, pressing her fingertip to his dimple. He tightened his hold on the wheel, using one hand to swat her hand away from his face.