beaming | keith kogane

XVIII | place

☀

—

"SO, YOUR PLACE?" I glanced at Y/n, swinging my bag onto my shoulder. The girl nodded quietly. Ever since her slight outburst, our conversation had toned down considerably into small talk, consisting of occasional whispers and the sounds of our pencils against papers. "It'd be easier then. Besides, I have a headache and my medication is at home."

I was about to say that I had aspirin in my house, but I could tell that she was lying. There was that dull glaze over her eyes and she seemed paler than usual, tightly gripping onto her bag. Something was off, but it wasn't in my position to pester her about it. "Alright, whatever works for you, but you know that I'm here to talk, right?"

I tried not to make it clear that I knew she was lying. Y/n seemed surprised by my response, but put on a bitter smile. The girl nodded meekly again before gesturing towards the sliding classroom doors, the rest of us filing out as soon as the bell rang. We walked our regular way home, the two of us talking on the way home. 

She'd laugh sometimes, but not as often as usual. It concerned me, but I didn't want to bother her. If she wanted to talk about it, she would've done so by now. Instead, I waited patiently at the crosswalk before we crossed to the next curb. "Hopefully we can get this project over with; big assignments are never fun," I commented, clicking my tongue.

Y/n nodded for the third time in the last twenty minutes, looking up at the slowly darkening sky. I started following her down the street, but a bark stopped me. I paused and turned my head to the left, seeing an open sidewalk and a large silhouette bounding towards me. The tail of the creature was wagging and it barked again.

I blinked incredulously and once my eyes turned gold, I could tell who it was. "Kosmo!" I yelled, dropping to my knees and opening my arms. Instantly, the dog jumped into my arms with another happy bark, nearly tackling me to the ground. He licked my face furiously, tail still wagging as he let out another joyful sound.

Y/n looked over at me, "I guess that means your mom's home?" She questioned me, an eyebrow raised. My eyes widened in realization. I missed her so much. I looked back at her, "I'm sorry—" She shook her head and cut me off, countering my statement. "—rain check? Don't worry about it." The girl grinned widely before heading back home.

I let out a sigh of relief and ran my hands through Kosmo's fur again. "Let's get you home, buddy." I stood up and started walking down the sidewalk, the large dog following alongside me. Kosmo was a curious little pup, but he knew when to be obedient. I was just glad that I didn't need a leash to drag him around places.

We came home to the door that was slightly ajar. I pushed it open more, catching sight of my mother's shoes on the shelves of footwear. "Mom?" I yelled in the house, immediately getting a response. Even from the front door, I could catch the scent of her ravioli. "Keith!" She popped her head out of the kitchen before approaching me with fast steps.

Before I could hug her, her hands rested on my cheeks. "I was starting to get worried. You were taking longer than usual to come home. It usually takes you ten minutes to walk home, last I remember. Are you getting bullied again?" A frown shaped her lips and it was something I didn't like to see on her face.

I shook my head and pushed her hands off my face, hugging her gently. "No, nothing like that. One of my friends started walking with me too, so I guess I started to walk slower subconsciously so that she can keep up." I sighed, sparing a glance at Kosmo. "Also, you left the door open and this little rascal followed my scent." I scratched the back of his ears as he whined at the feeling.

She looked at Kosmo and let out a reluctant huff, "I love you, but you're such a brat." She knelt to pet Kosmo before rising to her feet. "Anyway, a new friend? You usually mention names, but this is a first. Also, where's Perla?" My mom looked at me expectantly as Kosmo escaped her hand, padding away to the living room. 

"Her name is Y/n and she just transferred in earlier this year. She's nice, I guess. She has the happiness sprite, but she doesn't always seem like it. I don't think she has a weapon either, but she has bandages instead." I shrugged, slipping off my own shoes and tossing my bag onto the couch. I knew my mom would scold me for it, but she seemed too distracted to do so.

"Oh? A transfer student, huh? Anyway, you still haven't explained about Perla." Her hands rested on her hips, lips pursed expectantly. I was about to open my mouth and answer her, but there was a burning scent that caught me off guard instead. "Mom, the ravioli!" She cursed loudly before telling me not to repeat what she just said, running into the kitchen.

Once more, she popped her head out of the kitchen, nervously chuckling. "Sorry about the messed up ravioli, Keith. Can you just order a pizza?" I rolled my eyes at her antics before taking out my phone and dialing up the local pizza place. "I can't lie and say that I didn't expect this outcome," She nearly nailed the wooden spoon onto my forehead if it weren't for my reflexes.

"JESUS CHRIST, WOMAN—"

"—DON'T USE JESUS'S NAME IN VAIN!"

"I'LL DO WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT TO—"

"—OH, SO YOU'RE AT THAT AGE?!"

It was a shouting match that went back and forth. If I was in Lance's shoes, then no doubt that my mother would have actually hit me with a chancla; bullseye. My phone talked for a second, an awkward person on the other end of the line.

"Um, sir, are you still there?"