The Transtempus Penalty (ERERI//RIREN)

Chapter 28

Angstttttttt. Love y'all bitches.

Lunch eventually came to separate the long school day, and Petra and I found Riko and Oluo, convincing them to come search for Levi with us so that we could ditch the rest of the school day and go to the city. We found him in his usual haunts at the back of the school, behind the noisy air conditioning unit, smoking a finely rolled spliff.

"Oh, you don't expect me to share with you?" he scoffed, looking up and addressing all of us as he got to his feet.

"Well, now that you said it," Riko smirked, plucking the burning paper from his hands and taking a quick inhale of the cannabis smoke before slipping it back between his lips.

"You ready to rock n' roll?" Petra asked Levi, who nodded as we walked around the building to where the cars were parked, but as Oluo was the only one that had driven to school that morning, we would either have to make due with his single bench pickup truck or drive to one of our houses to get another car.

"So, what's it gonna be, gang? Petra's place to get the Trans Am or are we just gonna push through with all five of us in the truck?" Oluo asked, looking at Petra as he regarded her, passing the decision onto her.

"I think my parents are home today, so I'd be dead meat if I walked through that door before school's out," Petra replied.

"Well, then rock, paper, scissors to see who the two losers are that have to lay in the bed," Riko said, before adding, "and it ain't gonna be me, because I have girlfriend privileges."

"Fair enough," Petra said, holding up a fist, readying herself for a duel with me and Levi.

"I think Petra should get it," Levi said, looking at me with a stern expression on his sharp features. "Ladies first, and all that."

"What a gentleman, I'm flattered," Petra said flatly, flicking Levi in the head while the three of them piled into the cab of Oluo's truck. "You were just afraid you'd lose to me in rock, paper, scissors. I am the reigning champion," she said haughtily while she slipped into the cab. Levi and I were quick to jump into the bed.

"Lay down until we're on the highway, alright? I don't need the fuzz on my ass because of you two," Ollie instructed from an open window while he started the engine. We did as we were told and laid down beside one another while Ollie peeled out of the parking lot. Laying right up against the cab, we were out of sight of the rear view mirror, and seizing this opportunity, Levi's hand gradually found mine. As his fingers laced themselves between mine, we looked up at the vast sky. Deep azure, only broken up by soft cirrus clouds that wafted through the air like the wispy ends of timelessly beautiful hair.

"How was your day, Eren?" Levi asked quietly, his voice dulled by the whipping wind, signalling that Ollie was picking up speed.

"Pretty good, how about you?" I replied, closing my eyes, and relaxing my muscles while I laid down beside him.

"I'm doing alright," he said, giving my hand a quick, reaffirming squeeze.

"That's good to hear. So, why do you need to go into Diez Coronas, anyway?" I questioned why he'd been so insistent on going, but failing to entertain us with the idea of why.

"I need to get a part for the bike that they don't have at the auto shop in town," he answered openly as soon as I had asked.

"Oh, okay," I permitted, before pushing further. "Why didn't you just say that? I'm sure that Petra would have been more keen on taking you if you'd just told her you needed to run an errand."

"I don't make a habit of asking people for favors," Levi sighed before I heard the back window of the cab unlatch and begin to slide open. I felt Levi's fingers quickly wrench themselves from mine while he snapped his hand back to his side. Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw Riko peeking her head through the new opening.