Fly High | ✅

15 | Shepherd's pie

◈A D R I A N◈

"Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor! Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!" Kelly's steady voice reverberated the hall.

I steeled myself to take a peek at the audience. Mr. Hawthorne had both his hands clasped on the desk, his eyes intent on the performance before him. My heart felt like it was having a shotgun ride on a roller-coaster going a thousand miles per hour— descending a ninety degree slope.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Kelly's voice never wavered. Still going strong with her lines and I secretly hated her for it. I took a deep breath. Once, twice and three time's a charm. It felt like déjà vu all over again, except this time, I wasn't perched on the edge of a building.

I would very much rather be there than here, I thought to myself. At least I can spare everyone from the major clusterfuck of an embarrassment I was about to make.

"The future in the instant," Kelly turned to face me. It was my cue.

"My dearest love, Duncan comes here t-tonight," my voice trembled slightly as the foreign words escaped my lips. Shit! I hoped no one caught that. My eyes shifted to Mr. Hawthorne. His expression was unreadable.

"And when goes hence?" she asked.

"Tomorrow, as he purposes."

✴

I leaned against the tree like a deflated balloon, my nerves were still traumatized. Kelly slid down next to me, extra careful with her skirt. She too, let out a huge breath.

"That was intense, huh?" she mused.

"Try suicidal," I replied dryly.

We both looked at each other. My gray orbs staring at her blue ones. Maybe it was relief or some unseen forces, we both laughed. So loud that we gained some raised eyebrows from the passersby.

Our laughter died down soon and I cleared my throat awkwardly. I slid lower and lied down on the grass, my left arm bent behind to cradle my head. It was quiet here, a haven away from the buzzing cafeteria. The foliage above shielded my eyes from the soft rays, occasionally playing hide-and-seek when the leaves swayed to the rhythm of the wind.

The atmosphere was light with ease. Amanda wasn't at school today. Neither of us noticed her absence since we were both caught in our own bubble of insecurities. I supposed that was the reason why Kelly wasn't acting as if she had her head on a guillotine.

I heard the crinkling sound of a wrapper and was reminded that it was lunch break. I squinted my eyes to look at Kelly carefully peeling off the plastic wrap from her egg sandwich. The slight sulphuric smell of the egg with a hint of tangy ranch sauce called to my stomach as it gave a less-than-delicate rumble.

Kelly raised an elegant brow and a slight smile was playing on her tinted lips. I pushed myself up and reached for the takeout bag Logan had given me on Saturday. There were two shepherd's pie in it initially, one I'd eaten yesterday for dinner. As delicious as it was, I've decided against eating both for dinner, wanting to prolong the odd bubbly feeling in my stomach.

I didn't realize Average Joe served any pie when I caught a glimpse of the menu. Logan told me that it was a secret menu, reserved for regulars only. If the pizzas tasted that good, I was sure the pies were divine as well.

The rich aroma of minced beef in gravy permeated the air as soon as I took it out. The flaky crust was a little moist from the gravy but it looked just as delectable. I pulled at the tinfoil and took a huge bite, almost half of it was gone.

"It smells good," Kelly complimented.

"Hmm," I grunted in response since my mouth was full.

"It tastes just as good," I replied once I swallowed the last bit. Her smile widened, clearly pleased that we were talking. Like any normal friends.

"Where did you buy it?" she asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"It's a secret menu. You wouldn't be able to buy it anyway," the words left my mouth a little harsher than I'd intended.

If Kelly was offended by the statement, she hid it well as she hummed in acknowledgement. I cringed internally, cursing at myself for the lack of brain-to-mouth filter.

"Adrian," Kelly started as she turned to look at me. She placed her right hand on my arm. "I...I want to apologize. I know I can get a little insensitive at times but...please...I didn't mean it. Any of it."

I knew she was telling the truth. Today had been a revelation. Like any humans, Kelly had many facets of herself too. And I was too hung up on her bad side.

"I know. Don't worry about it," I mumbled, still slightly uncomfortable with this sudden soul baring conversation. She shot me a grateful look and started to get up. The bell had rung, signaling the end of lunch break.

"Truce?" she offered her hand to me.

I sat up and accepted her hand with a smile.

✈

Author's notes

Phew! I'm done with the play.

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{Song: Monsoon by Hippo Campus}