"Oh my gosh, David! I can't believe it, you're really alive after all!"
"Yeah, that's me. Just doing the alivey thing, y'know. Despite the odds."
"Can you really blame me for thinking you might have died? You went flying down the hill super fast and smashed into that wall and bam and you were screaming and Terezi was wailing and it looked like it really hurt. And your chair totally got busted!"
"...Thank you," you say, as sarcastically as you can, "for summing that up. Any other facts you want to add?"
"Mmh... she's right, you know; statistically speaking, your accident survival rate is pretty high for someone your age."
"Gee, thanks Rose, that was very inspiring. I'll try to keep up the good work." You give her a deadpan look as you deliver the sentence with an equally deadpan voice, hopefully that should be blunt enough for her. When she gives you a small smile and puts her hand on your shoulder for a second you know you've made your point.
You glance back at your friends standing around you in a semi circle. Aradia covered her mouth to hide a smile at Rose's comment while Kanaya looks at her with shocked disdain. Really, she should be used to that sort of thing by now, it's not like she's ever held back before. You think it might be your cast. It's very white and very hard to miss given that the rest of you is, well, less white. Kanaya often complains about you favouring the colour orange so much. Her loss, it's a dope ass colour, thank you very much. So far, the only thing Rose and Roxy have done to deface the cast were a few doodles of cats and squids and the occasional bird, courtesy of you. Doodles are fine, you can handle that, but god forbid someone tries to write a note along the lines of 'Get well soon! xoxo' because if that's not the cheesiest thing you've ever seen, then you'd love to meet whoever found something better and give them an award-congratulations, your shitty sayings are even more of a testament to cheese than curdled milk. You are nothing if not determined.
The conversation seems to slump for a moment and you take that chance to pick at one of your exposed right fingers absentmindedly. You're pretty sure cutting off their blood supply with a cast like that isn't the best idea but Doctor Foster looked like she knew what she was doing. It's not like you've had a broken arm before. They do feel kind of numb though and it makes you slightly uncomfortable, so you stop picking at your fingers and turn to your pants instead.
Aradia clears her throat. "So… was it an open break?"
The collective groan of disgust and shock goes through your entire group and past the hallway you're gathered in, and you turn to see both Sollux and Karkat walk around the corner, the former with a hand on his face and latter with a grimace. You grin as they join the four of you and Sollux breathes out heavily through his nose. Last night after Rose'd called Kanaya you thought letting your other friends know you're alright wasn't such a bad idea. It was still different to see them in person. "I can't believe you just said that. What made you think that was tactful?"
The girl in question brings up her hands in front of her. "It's a genuine concern! If the bone was exposed to air, the risk of infection is way higher, and trust me, you don't want your bone to be infected. Damara was in the hospital for weeks, it's not fun."
Karkat looks like he's about to spout some nonsense, so you snort to cut him off before he has the chance. Karkat's cool and all but you're still tired and your arm hurts a fuckton even through the painkillers, you don't want to deal with his terrible volume control this early in the morning. Lunchtime is probably the earliest you'll go for. He can schedule an open slot with your secretary. ... Hire secretary, you add to your mental list. You have too much shit to do to deal with this yourself. Important shit, like sleeping, ignoring everyone, and hating this cast. "Nah, wasn't open. It still hurt, you know. I'm not sure I'd like to find out how much the alternative does."
Kanaya nods seriously. "And neither do we." She moves to put a hand on your good arm but takes it back halfway, like she's afraid to hurt you. Oh, come ooon, you're not a baby. You hoped no one would treat you like a porcelain doll but you pretty much guessed that it was a long shot. At least Aradia somehow lacks the ability to do that with anyone.
You remember the first time she asked you to go excavating together. Mom had objected (who would have guessed?) and in the end the two of you agreed to thoroughly examine both of your Cool Old Things under the microscope Mom keeps in her office. She doesn't really use it anyway, it's mostly decorative and therefore perfect for situations like these. When you weren't even close to finishing two hours later, she suggested you meet up again some time soon to continue. By now your weekly hangouts have become a regular thing and Mom sometimes even gets you spare stuff from the lab to look at and dissect. How cool is that?
Kanaya gives you a quick smile as the bell rings. What's your first lesson again? English lit, you think. Not too bad. Almost all of your friends are in the same class, you even managed to sit somewhat close to each other. So while Sollux and Aradia leave to find the math floor, you give Rose a nod and let her take the handles of your wheelchair. Luckily Mr. Pacey's classroom is not too far away from the school's entrance and you don't have to put up with every single student staring at your arm out of morbid curiosity. It's not like you don't notice their usual looks, but this feels different.
On the way, Rose and Kanaya strike up casual conversation, mostly about the movie you watched last night. Despite only having been released in theatres a week ago Roxy somehow managed to get a crystal clear version of Dark Shadows from wherever. It was an okay movie you guess, but of course Kanaya would be more interested. To be honest, with all these vampire movies coming out left and right, you think she might get ideas soon. You can't take another vampire sleepover, the Twilight one from last year was bad enough. The thought of the last movie being released later this year makes you shudder. Only figuratively, obviously. In reality you just look miserable.
Out of the corner of your eye you see Karkat looking at you weirdly. (Wait no, never mind, that's just his face.) He notices you looking back and raises an eyebrow questioningly. "Why do you look like someone just handed you a mirror for the first time?"
You stare at him intently. "Vampires, Karkat. Vampires."
"What?"
He gives you this look that's straddling the border between an incredulous what the fuck and an "I can't believe you're this weird/stupid" what the fuck. It's his signature expression, but as far as you're concerned, he always ruins it by saying it out loud too, like-
"No, seriously, what the fuck are you even talking about? Those disgustingly overrated mutated mosquitoes have literally nothing to do with anything we've been talking about except maybe a little bit about 'Dark Shadows'. Which was a pretty good movie, but that still doesn't excuse you blathering on like an idiot. Or do you mean that you can't see your own face in a mirror?"
Incredible. At least the man sticks to his patterns.
You pucker your lips into a professional smoulder and glare at him as soulfully as you can. "It's true Bella, mirrors refuse to show me my reflection, too scared to shatter their fragile hearts in the process. Fragile…" Your voice drops to a deep and pained tone - at least as deep as a thirteen-year-old can manage - and you start to lean in Karkat's direction. "Like yours…" Queue the kissy mouth.
He screams. You're sure he would have punched you too, but it looks like the cast isn't so useless after all, so all he does is flail and yell obscenities at you, while you burst out laughing. This is fucking hilarious, holy shit. Amidst your laughter you manage to lift your left fist to your shoulder and, without even pausing her conversation, Rose bunps you in holy triumph. Kanaya is laughing too. Damn, you think, this is gonna be a good day.
You should have known that was a sign, though. You don't just think things like that and expect shit to work out, nuh uh. So when your group comes around the last corner to Mr. Pacey's room, someone promptly runs into the flailing Karkat. They both yelp and something falls to the floor with a clatter.
"Hey fuckwit, are you blind?" He snaps and seems like he regrets it a second later. Of course he does. You think he shouldn't be bothered to look so sorry.
"Yes." Comes the voice. (nasally!) "I am."
Terezi crouches down to retrieve her cane while Vriska, who was walking next to her, sneers at Karkat. "And? You're not going to apologise?"
For a moment he opens his mouth but closes it again, pressing his lips together tightly. Next to you, you can see his hands balling into fists. "No." He says with gritted teeth.
Vriska's eyebrows take a lift and she places one hand on her hip. She sounds like he just told her he'd given up the life of profanity and instead joined a cult of mashed-potato worshippers. Or something equally ridiculous. "No?"
By now, Terezi found her cane again and puts a hand on Vriska's shoulder after a bit of searching. "It's fine, let's just go."
The other girl sighs dramatically and winks at Karkat. "Count yourself lucky, you escaped the spider this time." With that they both walk past you and to wherever their classes were.
Wow. What a fucking coward.
Karkat ruins the moment once again, his only true talent if you can think of one, by making gagging noises well within their earshot. "And you escaped my fucking shoe, you hag!" He screams after them, to no avail though. You thought wrong Vriska, maybe the potato cult will convince him some other time. That's another thing Karkat might be useful for, easing up uncomfortable silences. Sure, he causes them most of the time, but no one is perfect.
When you continue walking, Kanaya lets two of her fingers brush against your right armrest. You know Rose noticed as well, but you shake your head minimally to get them both off your back. What they're trying to do is nice and you appreciate the thought, but the last thing you need right now is anyone's pity. Honestly, the lesson can't start quickly enough.
Kanaya pushes your chair as you both leave history, your shared last class of the day. You hold your backpack and her messenger bag (you're pretty sure carrying all this shit on one shoulder's gotta be pretty damn uncomfortable, but she said it was the price one had to pay for beauty and shrugged it off with some mysterious Kanaya smile, and you were all like 'ok Kan you do that' and left it there) in your lap as she wheels you out into the sunshine.
"Hm," she hums from behind you. "I wonder where Rose and the rest have gone. Or perhaps they just aren't here yet. I don't see them at the usual spot, do you?"
You wonder how long it'll take for her to remember you're all the fuckin' way down here in a chair, not as tall as she is by a long shot. She keeps peering around, and you don't think she's remembered yet. "Wow, I sure can see a lot of backpacks and asses," you prompt after a second.
"Ah," she says. "I suppose that's your way of saying you don't know what either the backpacks or asses of the rest of our friends look like, then."
You can't help but snicker. "We're probably just early. I mean, we're hot shit, and as they say in nerd physics class, higher temperatures mean higher particulate velocities or whatever, am I right?" Science is... actually hella cool. You affectionately blame Mom and Roxy for your interest in it, even if physics isn't your total cup of tea. Archaeology, now that's your shit.
"Or it could merely be that our class is nearest to the door," Kanaya points out, reasonable as ever. You roll your eyes and attempt to cross your arms, except you have this goddamn uncomfortable stupid cast on and backpacks in your lap and long story short, it really, really just doesn't work, so you settle for rolling your eyes again.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, go with the boring explanation, why not."
She stops walking now that you've reached the shade of the third tree along the parking lot, the designated spot that your group has more or less claimed for your own during after-school-waiting-for-buses-or-parents time. "At least I had an explanation, yes?"
You're about to reply, except you just caught sight of one of your-your former friends. Well, your only former friend. You're usually pretty chill about forgiving people, but... not this time.
Terezi's standing not too far away, and you feel a little bad but you're almost grateful she's blind, because it means she can't see you awkwardly staring at her for a second. She looks like she's hesitating-started walking over here out of habit, probably-but just as you force yourself to pointedly look elsewhere, she reluctantly turns and meanders away. You ... god, okay, you feel more than a little bad, and you can't help but remember that there used to be some really good times with her, but... no. It's over.
Kanaya's hand finds your shoulder, like it almost did this morning. This time, it's not a featherlight, afraid-to-break-poor-broken-David-even-more touch; it's a good one, a nice, friendly one. It's why you don't shrug her off.
"David! Kanaya!" Aradia comes jogging over, her hair messy and face flushed. She has PE for her last class, a fact that you will never stop poking fun at her about because you don't have to ever go in that shitty gymnasium and play dodgeball or whatever. It's like, the one good thing about having useless legs. You glance at your feet with distaste, your glance falling on your cast again, too. And just like that, once again, you feel so fucking helpless, because three out of four of your limbs don't work, and it's so stupid, and just-ugh!
"Hello," Kanaya greets her. "How were your afternoon classes?"
Aradia rolls her eyes, a habit you're pretty sure she's picked up from you. "They're classes, same as usual, Kan! More fancy English and more biology. And history! And then PE, but we don't really talk about PE." She shrugs, then drops it to swivel around and look at you again. "So! Friday night! Movie night! What are we watching? Can we bake cookies again? Your mom wasn't that mad about last time, right?"
"She wanted to know how the fuck we got cookie batter on the underside of the dining table more than anything else," you snort. "So yeah. We can do that. By which I mean you can, and I'll just sit there and tell you where shit is."
"Okay!" She seems plenty satisfied with that. "Cookies and movies on a Friday night. Honestly, this is the best idea we've ever had."
"What is?" asks Rose, appearing behind Kanaya so suddenly that she jumps, and you nearly drop your backpack. Aradia bursts into laughter. "Sorry," Rose says, with that smile you know very well to mean I'm not actually that sorry. That's something Rose has mastered. She puts a hand on Kanaya's shoulder and adds, "I couldn't resist."
Kanaya's blushing. ...Right, you're gonna just divert the conversation from this hella obvious flirting and go back to movie night. "She was saying movie night is the best thing we've ever done. Even though I feel like it wasn't a collective group idea, it was mostly me inviting people over once and then Mom deciding to nag us into asking them over again and then everyone was like shit, free food and TV time, we've gotta show up at the Lalondes' place every weekend."
"So, it was a group decision," Aradia points out. God fucking dammit, what is it with your friends and being reasonable? "Therefore, the best idea we, plural, have ever had!"
"Okay, whatever," you shrug, reaching over to flick her arm with your good hand. "Where's Sol and Karkat? The sooner they get their asses over here, the sooner we can-"
"What's the rush? We can't go anywhere until Roxy gets here with the van," Rose points out, reasonably, again.
"They still do need to get their butts on over here," Aradia says, looking through the crowd of mingling students, waiting on the bus, to try to see them. She goes up on her tip-toes to check, too, and lets out an exclamation and points, coming back down. "They're coming," she announces. "Probably Mr. Grumpypants let them out late again."
"Most likely," Kanaya agrees. "One day or another, that man will make someone miss the bus home."
"Sure would suck to be that poor asshole," you comment. It definitely is nice to not ride the bus. Perks of having an older sister who can drive you home and gets out of school early enough to do that, right?
As if conjured by the thought, Roxy's van suddenly vrooms on over. She lowers the window and leans out. "Yoo-hoo, kiddos! Ride's here, come on come on!" she calls, waving widely. As everyone starts moving, just as Sollux and Karkat reach you, she hops out of the door to help you, more or less pushing Kanaya out of the way to push your chair. When you get to the van, she wheels you around and helps you into the shotgun seat, planting a kiss on the top of your head. You wrinkle your nose at her, but she just laughs as she goes to put your chair in the back.
"So," Aradia says again, when everyone's settled, "what are we watching?"
"No, Sollux, we are not watching Bee Movie," Karkat says immediately. You don't even have to turn around when you hear him yelp ow! to know that Sollux just kicked him.
You can't help but snicker as you lean back in your seat. Ah, yeah, tonight's gonna be just perfect.
AN: Well, thanks to this site's login not working for a while, we didn't quite make our monthly deadline. But here it is, chapter four! Look for chapter five at the end of September! :) Thanks for reading, and if you wouldn't mind, drop a review!