Dirt

7

Princeton

Grace had lunch our period so she ate with us and her brother for the past two days. Knox wasn't thrilled to be amongst us longer -he wouldn't much more after having three out of six periods together with me alone- and wasn't too happy when Cedar stole his time away from his sister. But Grace hadn't mind. She was happy and eager to tell us all about her classes and the people she had talked to.

Grace even got Knox to answer questions too. Though some of them were about their music classes and things I'm not smart enough to really know about. Stuff about the teacher being arrogant about their abilities and how he was sure he was still right about the school not owning a decent musical instrument. I don't know if either of those were true but Knox seemed so sure I can only assume he was wrong. 

Knox didn't really talk anymore the past two days of class. He got in trouble almost every period for wearing his headphones though. 

"There you guys fucking are. How much laundry did you have, Prince?" Cedar taps the concrete ground with the end of his pool stick. Raine looks up from chalking the end of his, Basil's eyes rise from his position at the tall table near our usual pool table.

Roger grunts behind me but its barely hearable over ESPN on one of the basement TVs. My mind kicks into gear. Tossing back the liquid in my second water bottle, the liquor stinging down my throat. Thankfully I've mastered the skill of descret drinking in public. Once could say it's in my blood. 

I toss my backpack and water bottle on the floor near Basil's chair and grab my own pool stick, "Grace and Mom are up at the high school gettin' 'er measured for a choir dress so Dad asked us to tote Knox along," Then Roger weakly waves at his nephew behind him before walking around the table to get his stick. 

Knox just stands as he had been since i met them at the entrance of the YMCA; Blank stare, invisible, and with two earbuds in. 

Raine nods, Cedar beams. Basil manages to muster a smile, "Of course. He can sit out with me and see if he wants to play next game."

Roger, the ever-loving uncle, pokes Knox in the neck with the end of pool stick before managing to wrap around his earbud string and yank it out Knox's ear. Knox responds quickly, first tapping his victimized neck, all while building the largest glare known to man, before picking up his plucked bud.

"You're playing next game. Zone the world out for 45 minutes and then you're in the real world," Roger doesn't even face his nephew when he barks the command, instead typing something in his phone.

"Roger!" Roger's head doesn't lift at Basil scold. 

Knox mutters something incredibly low under his breath as he stuffs his earbud in again. He strangely walks around the table to slide onto the high chair of the same table Basil's sitting at. I figured he'd choose one of the couches or other tables around the room. Granted the far right side had kids from our school playing foosball with way too much umph. My eyes watching, caught off guard by the action, but he simply slides in and taps something on his phone before laying down on his forearms.

"Dude's really excited to be roped into guys night," I can't help but snicker at the energy radiating on the stiff shoulders of Knox.

But it all rolls off Cedar's shoulders with a shrug, "Ey, pool's not everyone's cup of tea." 

Raine rolls it off his too. So we start our game, Roger gets break shot for our team. Every few steps I can't but look over my shoulder to see if he's move, but Knox is still in his arms, his back rising and falling with steady breaths. Like he's asleep.

"How were my babies' first days?" Raine smirks brightly at us, tapping the end of his cigarette ahead of sticking it in the corner of his mouth, unlit.