the girl on the roof

Chapter 6: wishing on passing cars

I got to the bottom of the stairwell not 10 minutes later, I could already hear the laughter of Lira and Finn from the top floor. I ran up the stairs 2 at a time until I reached the last flight.

"Yo Lira you never told us where you were all day yesterday" I heard Kit say. I stood in the stairwell out of sight to see what she would say.

"Yeah sorry about that man I was gonna come to college but, ya know plans changed and I ran into Max" I heard her say. I smiled at hearing my name come from her.

"Does he know?" Emma said sounding slightly serious. I stood there wondering about what she meant by that.

"Know what?" Lira asked.

"You know what" kit and Finn said at the same time in a deadpan way.

"Oh that. Well it hasn't come up yet" Lira said sounding a little guarded.

"He has a right to know, if you're gonna keep him around" Finn said sounding sympathetic. My mind reeled back to yesterday evening when he and Lira walked off, I could only think what ever they were talking about then is the same thing they were all talking about now.

"I'll tell him, just not yet, okay?" Lira said in a outwards breath.

"Sorry Li, I don't mean to push but he's a nice guy a lot nicer than well ya know" Finn said. There was silence after that. Only the soft sound of the portable speaker rang out.

I waited a few more moments before walking up the last few steps and out on to the top floor.

"Hey guys" I said to the small group of friends sat down in the corner by the drainpipe of the roof. Each pair of eyes snapped up warming as they landed on me.

"Hey Max" Kit and Jamie said at the same time Finn nodded in a friendly way with a smile. But I couldn't see Lira. Emma, Lilly and Sara were a few feet away messing around with their own skate boards, a smile crept up as I pulled my camera out snapping a couple shots of the girls, as Lilly and Sara tried to teach Emma how to kick flip.
They guys laughed along as the board went one way and Emma went the other.

But I still didn't see Lira, as if reading my thoughts Finn pointed up to the roof
"of course" I thought before dropping my bag and climbing up the drainpipe.

There she was. Just sat there knees tucked up to her chest blowing away the smoke from her cigarette. The light from the afternoon sun caught her tanned skin perfectly.

"Hey you" I said walking along the roofs edge before sitting next to her, lighting a cigarette of my own. She turned her body so that we sat face to face. She smiled at me but sadness crept into her golden brown eyes. Making me wonder even more what goes on in that head of hers.

"Hey Maxie" she said softly as she flicked her cigarette away. I smiled at the fact she called me 'Maxie' the nickname I've had my whole life sounded natural on her London accent.
We sat there not talking to one another just looking out to the city below.

The sound of the group laughing, the soft music and sounds of skateboard wheels slamming down on the tarmac filled the air around us. I looked over to Lira to find her gaze back on me smiling, this time without the saddened undertone it.

"Where'd you go last night?" I asked her gently. Lira looked at me and smiled simply.

"After I skated back with you?" She asked already knowing the answer. I nodded in response urging her to carry on.

"Well I was nearly home when I noticed I'd left something in the park and had to go back" she said sounding fragile almost.

"What'd you forget?" I asked softly, sensing that it was a hard subject. Could this be what they were talking about before I showed up? I wondered. Lira looked at me with an assessing look on her face gauging her reply.