The Enigma

Chapter Three - White Earphones.

The rest of the week pretty much continued on as normal. I went to school, went to work, avoided the idiot and did my homework. I worked my customary double-shift on Saturday, except this time I handled the dish cart. It felt like my arms were going to come out of their sockets as I hauled that thing back to the sink, but there was no way on this earth I was letting him anywhere near it ever again. He just held the door sheepishly for me as I struggled past. Needless to say he was then subjected to a death glare.

The following Wednesday saw Everett and I leisurely strolling towards the schools cafeteria. He insisted on draping his arm over my shoulder, even though it felt more like a dead weight than anything else. His constant movement didn’t really help either. Every time he twisted his body to shout something at a person he apparently knew, I would end up getting elbowed in the face.

Not exactly my ideal situation.

“Why are you frowning now?” he asked, lifting his free hand to trace my down-turned mouth with his thumb.

“It might have a little something to do with the fact I just got your bony excuse for an elbow shoved into my cheek. For the fourth time,” I huffed.

“Bony?” he scoffed “Babe, I think pretty much everyone will agree that there’s nothing bony about this.” he flexed the muscles of his right arm, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Two freshmen visibly swooned when they saw him, one leaning against her locker for support.

“Put it away.” I smacked his side “before you kill someone. I’m pretty sure that freshman’s’ stopped breathing.”

He shot me his trademark smirk, before removing his arm from around me to stretch both above his head. The corners of his shirt hiked up, displaying his self-titled ‘washboard abs’.

“Will you stop it?” I half-laughed, equally annoyed as I was amused. “They’re two seconds away from hyperventilating.”

“Can’t help it.” he shrugged “I’m just too hot to handle.”

“Attention-seeker,” I muttered, and he shot me yet another smirk. “How has your neck not snapped yet?”

His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “What?”

“From the sheer size of your over inflated head.” I rolled onto my tiptoes so I could mess his hair, a grin breaking out onto my face when he squawked in protest.

“Not the hair babe, not the hair,” he whined, reaching up to pat his hair self-consciously.

“Awh, did the mean lady mess up wickle Everett’s hair?” I grinned mischievously.

“Where’s the lady?” he pretended to search the hallway, before I smacked his side once again.

“Remind me why I’m still with you?”

“Well that’s simple,” he said “who could possibly resist this face?” he waved his hand in front of his face quickly.

“It is a nice face,” I agreed, reaching up to trace his jaw line lightly. He flung his arm back over my shoulder and made a show of planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek as we passed the two freshmen.

“Ew, gross Everett,” I whined. I shimmied the sleeve of my knit jumper over my hand and used it to wipe his spit from my cheek. Everett pulled and overly-offended face.

“Most girls would kill to be on the receiving end of one of my kisses.”

“Hannah Fredrickson would anyway,” I said dryly “Leah told me the most interesting story about that party on Saturday.”