Battle Scars

thirty one

3 Days Later...

"My ass is literally about to burn off if we don't relocate."

"Do you want to trade places?"

I give Blaine the most disappointed look I can manage.

It's sunny and humid, yet cloudy and windy. Welcome to Westman everybody.

"Let's go sit over there." I point to the bench on the opposite side of the courtyard. "Where it's shady and not directly in the sunlight."

"Oh, right." His voice cracks.

I shake my head. Blaine stands up and runs his fingers through his lofty hair, following me to the shaded bench.

This boy isn't so bright. I mean, he's alright. He can be funny at times. He's just..

Blaine.

He kissed me yesterday. On the lips! It felt weird. Not bad, but not special. It was after rec when everybody was cleaning up. Nobody was watching, and nobody saw the puzzled look on my face.

Without thinking, my eyes force their way to the far left. The 'E table' is what I started to call it. Emily and Ethan's everyday designated table.

I squint, trying my absolute hardest not to make direct eye contact. What are they playing? Go Fish?

..Solitare?

I shift my gaze as soon as Ethan's eyes meet mine. I roll them back towards Blaine. He's about to sit in another sunny spot.

"Blaine!" I raise my voice. He looks my direction as he takes a seat. "Over here!"

I feel eyes on me, and not Blaine's. Heavy eyes. Somebody is analyzing me. It has to either be Ethan or Emily.

Blaine catches up, placing a hand on my shoulder. My trance blurs. He follows me to another shaded bench. A large gush of wind travels south, almost knocking me off my heels.

"Ethan! Make sure the cards don't fly away!" I take the slightest peek to the E Table as I hear Emily's aggressive voice. Shiny green eyes peer into my blindspot and my anxiety boils up.

I quickly turn away and shake it off, reminding myself he's nothing more than a player. I sit down on the shaded bench. When I look up, I see two teenaged asshats running after cards. I quickly stop myself from laughing before I become too loud.

Blaine grabs a deck of cards before arriving at the table. A second gush of wind blows his hair out of place.

"You really think cards are a good idea right now?" I gesture over to the E table. "Look at those buffoons."

As soon as Blaine looks over, the cards soar out of his hands. "Crap!" He cradles the remaining cards in his arms and runs after the others. I laugh and join him as four cards are about to fly out of boundaries.

"Alright guys and gals, let's pack it all in! A storm is about to wave through!" Molly yells from the south tables.

I continue to tail Blaine. "Just stop running! You're going to drop the rest of them, I got this!" I shout, but by then its too late. The cards have blown away into the breeze.

I sigh, then turn around and follow the rest of the herd inside. I see Ethan and Emily ahead. They somehow managed to capture every single card and return them to the deck.

Emily wraps her arms around Ethan's torso when Molly turns away. My eyebrow raises as Ethan gently nudges her away. Emily looks at him for a long while, giving him a death glare, and then she lets it go.