Coraline's fingers fumbled as she turned the next page. The binding bent back, revealing the next words that captured the girl's attention.
"Urgghhh!"
What was going to happen next? Did the alien have enough fuel to reach home? Why was the friend being so stupid and not helping? Totally seems like something Wybie would do. If she desperately needed help and was stupid enough to ask him, he'd probably do the complete opposite of helping. In fact, he'd probably just stutter away, in that adorable way of his, and – wait what?
"Hey, Jonesy!"
Her book, having a mind of its own, flew out of her hands and the hammock nearly capsized over. Women and children first. She glared as Wybie laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world, hugging his stomach as he gasped for air.
"Don't do that!" Coraline sat up, eyebrows furrowing as her friend emerged from the woods. "Don't you have anyone else to stalk?"
She was in the garden, lounging in a hammock as she read the day away. It was her favorite series –Flying Monstrous Wonders – and out of 113, the girl was only on book six. The fact that she was a slow reader was one thing, but the fact that Wybie managed to find her was another. And she was just going to have to entirely ignore the fact that she just used the words "adorable" and "Wybie" in the same sentence. In fact, it never happened so Coraline wasn't quite sure why she was blushing anyway.
"Y-you should've seen…the look…on your face!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," she said and picked up the book. "Go take a look in the mirror first before you start remarking on my face."
"Yeesh! Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed?"
Coraline simply ignored him, attempting and failing, to focus on the words on the pages, which were now blurring into a bunch of gibberish. Wybie tilted his head and inspected his friend, not before wandering towards her. If it was difficult to focus before, the fact that his shadow was now casting upon her made it even more of a battle.
"Flying Monstrous Wonders…" he read, gloved fingers tracing the cover. "Any good?"
She shrugged.
"Jonsey."
The fact that there was no mirth to the name, no hint of teasing or playfulness caused a crinkle to appear between Coraline's eyebrows. It also caused her to begrudgingly lift the book, coming face to face with a Serious Wybie.
At first they didn't say anything, simply staring, and something strange tickled the air, prickling at Coraline's ears and then her cheeks. She wasn't exactly sure, but –
"Wanna take a picture of this weird jelly thing I found on the road?"
Coralline blinked. "You're so weird."
He mumbled something but the girl simply giggled, poking him in the sides and chased after him.
