Ruin Me

68. Rescue me

"So," Mina announced animatedly as she plonked herself in her designated seat beside mine, she was ten minutes late for art and her dramatic introduction was clearly intended to distract from her flushed cheeks and ruffled hair, "what are your thanksgiving plans?"

I slowly raised an eyebrow as I gave her my you're-convincing-no-one stare, "please tell me your not ten minutes late because you were making out with Conor in a cupboard somewhere?"

"Not in a cupboard," Mina objected her cheeks darkening ten shades to Bright Red.

"Whatever," I dismissed as I shook my head, "you are a poor student and I'm disappointed in you, taking time from school to make out with a boy."

"Like you've never done that," Mina turned to her sketch book in an effort to switch the attention from her.

"This isn't about me," I corrected, I had missed school because of a boy but mostly that was due to the bruises on my face that no amount of foundation could hide, "this is about you making out at school." My mouth twisted at the thought of it.

"It's hot," Mina shrugged, "the thrill of it, like you could be caught but you do it anyway."

"Seriously?" I raised my eyebrows disbelievingly.

"Uh huh," Mina nodded with a pencil between her teeth, she took it out between two fingers as if it were a cigarette, "I forgot you live at a school so you're used to making out there."

"Not true," I laughed, "does this mean you and Connor are fine then?"

Like I'd suggested Mina had spoken to Connor and as I'd thought he had no recollection of the way he'd treated Mina and once he'd found out had been devastated. He'd spent hours apologising to her, had taken her out for dinner and had brought flowers to school for her which he stuck to her locker every morning. Mina had joked that they should argue more often, but she had made it clear that he was never allowed to act like that towards her again.

"We're amazing," Mina swooned a loved up smile on her lips.

"You're sickening," I told her seriously.

"You're jealous," Mina responded with a sly smile.

"I'm living my best single life," I responded easily while brushing my paintbrush in long illustrious strokes across my page. I was working on a detailed watercolour of King's Bridge and was currently tackling the grass and sky.

Mina gave me a skeptical look, "sure, with all those gorgeous boys around you."

"Their faces are nice to look at," I allowed with a small laugh.

"Mmm hmm," Mina nodded her eyes drifting dreamily.

"Oi," I poked her with the end of my paintbrush, "you have a boyfriend."

Mina stuck out her tongue, "doesn't mean I can't admire."

My time for admiring was limited, Nico had already left and the rest of the boys, bar Mitch, would be leaving tonight with Mitch going tomorrow morning. Then I had a three day weekend in which I would be alone in King's Bridge which would become a ghost house without all the boys in it.