Human Kid (II)

9.

Ethan carried his food tray and headed outside to the orchard.

As he passed by a table in the cafeteria, he saw Ashley getting into a seat beside Janet and the Squad 15 members.

"Oy! Ashley!" he called, causing some heads to turn in his direction.

Ashley waved at him. But she remained seated where she was.

Ethan walked up to her at the table.

"C'mon, the rest of us are outside already," he said and helped her to picked up her food tray and led the way out.

She followed him into the orchard.

Suzanne was already seated on the grass at the foot of a huge tree, digging into a big, juicy hamburger.

A crunch was heard from the back of the tree; it turned out to be Andrew, who was seated there with his laptop on his laps and an apple in his hand.

"So he brought you along," a cold voice that belonged to Ryan stated.

"Huh?" Ashley looked up and saw him looking down at her from the tree branch where he was seated on. His lunch box was up with him.

"Hey, how'd you know he was up there?!" Suzanne asked as Ashley settled beside her.

"His voice sounded from above," Ashley told her as she took a spoonful of rice.

Suzanne pouted. "But the first time I came to eat here I didn't know that he was up there."

"That's cos you're pretty dumb," Ryan snorted rather coldly.

Ashley packed her food up.

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked when she stood up.

"Nothing. I'm going up too," she told him sweetly.

Ryan's brow furrowed.

"Why? There's no space for you up here," he scowled.

She ignored him and started to climb up the tree.

"Careful, Ashley," Suzanne said as she looked up at her Squad member before resuming her atttack on her almost finished hamburger.

"Thanks, Suzanne," Ashley grinned and soon reached the branch that Ryan was seated on.

There was a quiet scuffle up into branch before she was comfortably seated beside Ryan.

She beamed at Ryan who frowned at her in return.

She yanked his cheeks with her two hands and stretched them in attitude line as she chanted, "Smile! smile!! smile!!!" at him.

She looked very proud of herself when she left his cheeks looking very red and sore.

Ashley looked around her from high up in the branch of the tree. "It's quite a view from up here."

Ryan rubbed his sore cheeks, rather annoyed.

He turned his back at her and started eating his sandwich.

"Ryan," he heard Ashley call out after a while.

Suzanne and Ethan were already bickering below the tree while Andrew continued with using his laptop, unaffected by the squabbling duo.

Ryan ignored Ashley at first but when she turned his name into a song and began humming softly to the tune he turned to her in disgust.

"What?" he snapped.

She beamed at him. "I'm still hungry."

"What?!" He was quite shocked.

She showed him her empty plate.