Striking Blue || Connor Murphy

SubtleRed

I sit in my seat next to the window. Do you think if I jumped out the window the fall would kill me? No all you'd get at best is a bruise dumbass it's the ground floor. Oh look Connor's storming off. My thoughts are interrupted when the bell goes. Go find connor. I try and shove the thought down but it keeps surfacing as I tidy my things away into my bag. Giving up I rush out to the parking lot and see Connor leaning against the hood of his car reading a book, he's clearly upset judging by the scowl. "Are you okay?" I ask leaning against the car next to him. "Yeah" he barely looks up to acknowledge me. "Do you wanna skip?" I ask picking at my nails again. "Stop doing that" he motions towards my hands, they stop immediately. "I thought you had english work to hand in or something" he continues turning the page of his book. "Yeah and I did, now I'm bored. You don't have to come with I just assumed seen as you skip more than I do." I say nervously readjusting my bag. "Sure why not? Anything in particular you wanna do?" he asks folding the page and shoving the book into his bag. "We could go to the orchard?" I ask putting my hands in my pockets so I don't pick at my nails.

"Why do you pick at your nails? It's bad for them they won't grow" he asks as we pull out of the parking lot. "Dunno it's a nervous habit" I mumble making a mental note to not do it around him. "Do I make you nervous?" His question is innocent, I falter for a moment "Uh everyone makes me nervous," I pause for a moment. "That's not true actually usually I'm quite explosive I guess today is just a nervous day? I dunno" I chew my lip staring ahead.
"I didn't take you for someone who had a temper" he muses not really speaking towards me. "Oh well I do, I'm getting better with it though"

We hop the fence of the orchard, Connor doesn't wait for me he just keeps walking. "Hey wait" I call hopping down. He stops, letting me catch up. We walk in silence before he veers off the path to a random apple tree, there aren't any leaves left, not after autumn. "You know, you aren't that bad of company." Connors voice cuts through the silence as I doodle on my arm.  "I like to think so, although I do only hang 'round Evan and Jared really." Mumbling a reply I continue to doodle. "Do I scare you?" After a few more moments of silence Connor speaks again. "What? No sometimes I'll hear about things you've supposedly done but you don't scare me" I reply absently picking my nails. "Stop doing that, it's really fucking annoying" his tone changes as he grabs my hands. "Sorry, I don't mean to it's unconscious." I say shortly pulling my hands away from him. God dammit now he's annoyed at you. "Whatever" he shrugs it off searching his pockets presumably for another cigarette. "Your gonna give yourself cancer doing that" I say motioning to the cigarette in his hand. "Good"

"What are you listening to?" Connor asks pulling headphone out of my ear. We've moved up on to the hill at he back of the orchard. "Uh you wouldn't like it." I falter, blush creeping across my neck. "You don't know that" he huffs putting the headphone in. "I mean you do you" he says giving me them back. "Who are they?" He asks lying back on the grass. "Uh well that was handsome ghost" I reply as I put my headphones back on. "We should go, it's getting late" I mumble getting up. Connor doesn't move, he turns his head to look at me. His lip is still swollen from Friday. He slowly gets up picking his bag up we start to head back to the car. "Your quite good company, to be bored with anyway." I say as we walk back through the woods, the light is waning so it's getting difficult to make out the ground. He doesn't reply, we keep walking picking the pace up a bit it still takes us some time before we reach the fence.

"You can just drop me off here" I say. "Thanks for skipping with me, if I didn't care so much about finals I'd say I'll do it again but if your free on the weekend if you want" I rush out "uh yeah that'd be uh good?" He seems unsure and tense. "Here's my number, text me yeah?" I quickly scribble it out on a piece of paper before opening the door. "Oh also, my mum goes through me phone so like keep it pg. no swearing she's a bit of a neat freak" I say hopping out of the car. "Noted" he flashes a small smile at me before I close the door.