I went to class, in awe of the conversation that literally just happened. Maverick spoke to me! He really spoke to me again! And he asked me out! Well, technically, he did but still, it's a date; he even said it! Omg, omg, omg, omfg, omg! I was so happy, I could've puked; I didn't but I could have, if I wanted to. His mood swings, though; yikes. I could do without those, for sure. Oh, well; we've all got flaws.

I ended up being late. Mr. Ugly (Strong) reprimanded me, of course, but, surprisingly, not too harshly; usually, teachers make you go straight to the office for a tardy slip and, after three strikes, you get detention for a week, as a lesson to be on time (fuck you for that bullshit of a rule, by the way). I'm glad he didn't enforce the rule; it's fucking stupid. If anything, it makes us more likely to make trouble, not less likely. Teachers will never learn; well, teachers that aren't like Mr. Ugly-Strong. Maybe it was because he liked fucking students, which I still don't know if the assumption was true or not but I'll pretend it was. You never know.

Only when I was in the hallway, heading to my next class, did I realize that Constantine hadn't sat beside me. I didn't feel the slightest bit guilty; the pathetic, bitch ass, fuck boi could suck a dick. He should be happy he was getting some willing ass from Erica; selfish hole seeker. I was glad he was being a little bitch, though; I didn't have to deal with his rapey tendencies. Unfortunately, my relief and happiness was short-lived; he caught up to me in the hallway, Magnus right on his ass. To my dismay, he didn't hate me after my dismissal of his proposal; the boy was stupid. I was kind of happy that Magnus still liked me, though; he was cool. …Well, to be fair, I let him down a lot nicer than I did Constantine, so him still liking me, I could understand. Constantine must be a desperate bitch.

I can hear you complaining about my past, and present, tense. And my repetitive thoughts. I've already told y'all; I'm dying right now. I can use whatever tense I want to use and I can repeat myself as much as I want.

Anyway, to much more of my dismay, Constantine was back to his usual self in the hallway, making grabbing motions at me, which I dodged because nope; consent is sexy. As he kept attempting to touch me in inappropriate places (I'm probably just exaggerating again), he told us about the weather forecast, which I didn't give a damn about but told me anyways, he did. Apparently, the rain was gonna chill out for a while, as in a few hours tops, so a beach trip was plausible. I still didn't care. As "fun" as the beach sounded, no, thank you. Despite my true thoughts, I lied for some clout; I can't get popular (and stay popular) if I don't do shit with the populars. Which meant a beach trip. Ugh. And even if it didn't rain that upcoming weekend, it was gonna be hella freezing. Bummer, for them; I love the cold. Wink.

The remainder of the morning zoomed by, thankfully.

I still couldn't believe my luck; Maverick really spoke to me that morning. His eyes had done the weird thing that they do; switch colors. I knew for sure it wasn't eye contacts because why would he lie about me seeing things if that were the case? So, obviously, deep down in my soul, I knew he was magical, mystical. Well, I knew something was up, of course; how could I not?

Hmm? I'm stalling for time to make my story longer? Naah. What makes you think that?

...

ANYWAYS!

I knew Maverick was hot for me, too; after all, even though he doesn't want me around him, he clearly wanted me around him. He was, obviously, playing hard to get, just like I was. I see how it is, baby. I see how it is.

Thanks to knowing that, I was super anxious and happy as I entered the cafeteria with Gossip Girl (Erica). I wanted to gaze upon his beautiful face; I needed to know if his mood swings would strike again. Was he a cold-hearted snake once again? Was he still as he was that morning, a confusing mess that wanted me but didn't want me at the same time, because of playing hard to get?

In my ear, Erica rambled continuously about the dance. In front of us, Chrysanthemum and Heather were walking alongside Magnus and Scout, who were their dates to the aforementioned dance. I was happy for Chrysanthemum and Magnus; maybe, they'll get married someday. And, maybe, Scout will get laid by Heather, thus leaving me without a morp date; that would be a blessing.

Idle chatter filled the air around us.

My feelings were flooded by downcast, disheartment, and other words that mean the same thing; I was displeased to find that, while his not-siblings were at their usual table, Maverick was nowhere to be seen. At least, not in that particular area of the cafeteria, but I didn't bother looking everywhere else, so I just assumed that he left early to avoid me again.

I was broken-hearted.

I followed my fake and actual friends down the lunch line. I wasn't hungry anymore because I was so lost in my negative feelings about a boy I liked not being there, so I grabbed a chocolate milk, several sodas (all Dr. Pepper), and a strawberry milk; I was very thirsty, okay, and something needed to fill the emptiness in my stomach. Plus, I wanted to cry in a corner as I drowned in my beverages.

"Maverick Soren's gazing at you, again," Erica complained, sounding envious. "Typical. Oh, and look, he's moved to another seat; I can't imagine why," she continued, with sarcasm. "Lucky bitch," she uttered, not wanting me to hear but I heard nonetheless. Go fuck your own boyfriend, bitch; leave mine alone. I should've said it aloud, but then, Maverick would've heard and I would've been all embarrassed and shit. So, I'm glad I kept it in my head, where he couldn't hear it. Spoilers, hehe.

My heart jumped from my chest. My spine spasmed. My body jerked. Was he really there?

I followed her finger to where she was pointing; in all of his magnificent glory, Maverick was sitting by his lonesome, smiling his unique smile, staring directly into my eyes. He was nowhere near his not-siblings; no wonder I hadn't spotted him initially. It wasn't laziness at all or me just giving up quickly. I just completely missed his presence, somehow. Totally. Anyway, he waved me over. I gasped in surprise; he actually wants to be with me? My dream was coming true at last. He winked at me; my loins quivered in anticipation. You know exactly what that means. Wink.

"I suppose that's your cue to get over there, Iris," Erica continued in complaint. "Do remember us in your golden years."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her dramatics. "Stop making such a big deal out of it. He probably just needs help with homework or something. I'll be right back. Probably. Depends on him, really." Deep down, I was hoping I would stay by his side, at least until lunch was over; forever came later, wink wink.

With my beverages in hand, I walked to his table and immediately sat down across from him; he already invited me over, so why not? I stared at him, menacingly; I'm lying, I would never. He was smiling non-stop, which was good because I was dealing with an awkward, nicer Maverick, not the mean, annoying one. He's so pretty; I'm certain I was blushing, or flushing, eh, whatever, same thing. Probably.

Anyway, I was beginning to believe I never woke up; I had to be dreaming. There was just no way we were actually interacting that much for once. He stayed silent, still smiling. "So," I spoke up, breaking the silent air between us, making the sexual tension around us shake. "I see you're trying something new today."

Maverick shrugged. "What's the point of delaying the inevitable? I'm already heading for the fiery pits of Hell." He stared at my beverages, which I, of course, already told you that I carried over there with me. I twisted the cap of my strawberry milk and started drinking it, still staring at him. Hopefully, I looked sexy whilst doing it. "I see you're incredibly thirsty today."

I finished my strawberry milk without pause. I put the empty bottle down and opened the chocolate milk. "Firstly, I'm heading there, too; maybe we can be roommates as we burn for eternity." I sipped my chocolate milk. "Secondly, I'm always thirsty." Thirsty for that dick! I regret nothing. I'm dying; therefore, zero regrets being made in my thoughts of retelling.

Maverick shifted in his chair; ha, a win, I made him horny! He glanced behind me briefly, still smiling his wonderful smile; I hoped he never stopped smiling, mostly because mean Maverick would come out whenever he stopped smiling (and started smirking). "Is it safe to presume your friends are grumpy with me for kidnapping you today?"

"Their lives don't revolve around me; they'll make it," I stated. Unfortunately, I could feel their stares, thanks to Maverick reminding me of their existence; what a pain. Actually, excuse me, I could feel Chrysanthemum's and Magnus's staring (likely just out of curiosity), and everyone else's glaring (out of jealousy).

Maverick smirked at me. And, believe me, I got a tad bit worried and slightly tensed up because, usually, smirking meant I was about to deal with an annoying, mean hot boy. At least, I think he smirked during that kind of behavior, of his; I might just be talking outta my ass now. "And if I decide to keep you?"

"I already told you that they'll live," I retorted, rolling my eyes, drinking the rest of my chocolate milk. "However, I'd be absolutely into it."

He hummed. "Interesting." He paused briefly. "I suppose you were right; we'll be roommates in Hell."

I nodded and opened a can of Dr. Pepper. "Yep." I sipped it, eying him from head to torso; his eyes were a different color again. Because of course they were. They are never the same color, for some reason. It was weird. It really couldn't be contacts; they don't change your eye color that many times. At least, I don't think so. "Does this mean we're…friends?" I chose not to skip a step and say lovers; we weren't truly on that stage, yet, but I knew we would be. And we are, currently, but sadly, without the sexy times. Bummer; dying a virgin is a bitch.

He didn't seem happy about that term either; he looked disgusted, maybe disappointed, too. "Friends, huh?"

"Well, we certainly aren't lovers," I pointed out. Yet.

He snorted, nodding shortly. "Yeah, we aren't." He grinned; not as lovely as the smile but whatever. "Alright, I suppose we can try being friends, but I can promise you that I won't be a very good one."

I snorted. "That's a bit of an understatement; you're terrible." I smirked, speaking dully and/or nonchalantly. "So, it's a good thing I laugh in the face of danger. Ha, ha, ha, ha."

"'Lion King'. How original," he sarcastically remarked.

I became a bit sheepish. "Yeah, those quotes are a bit overused, huh?" I grew quiet, sipping at my Dr. Pepper every now and then. I continued staring into his eyes, when I wasn't glancing down towards the table in embarrassment. I thought about the car accident; about how he got to me so quickly, how he moved the vehicle, how he saved me yet no one seemed to realize he was even there to do so, how no one questioned his lack of injury compared to the "injuries" I got and how hurt Scout was.

He watched me with curiosity. "What's on your mind, Iris?"

My insides squealed; he finally said my name. I was super, duper happy about that shit. Staring into his gold, but not gold, eyes, I told him the truth. "After all of the things I've witnessed with you, I don't think you're human."

His eyes twitched. His smile/grin faltered. His hand grabbed the side of his lunch tray tightly; lucky for him, it didn't bend or anything. I was getting a glimpse of mean Maverick; he wasn't fully exposed, though. "And how's that thought process going?"

I was almost taken aback by his offhand comment, but I knew how he could get when he was pissy. "Well enough, I guess; I've got a few theories." I was lying; I only just started thinking about the bullshit again. I hadn't had time to think of what he could possibly be if not a human.

He snorted; it made me happy that I was still amusing him so much because it meant I was keeping his interest. "And they are?"

"Utterly ridiculous," I answered, feeling embarrassed again. With what little time I had to think of something, only Marvel Comics came to mind; so unoriginal, very cliché. There was no way in hell I was telling him of those thoughts; he'd just insult me, again.

"You won't tell me?" he wondered, fascinated by my obvious refusal.

"Nope," I replied, shaking my head for emphasis. "Like I said, they are utterly ridiculous." Not to mention the other two things I said in my head.

"That's irritating," he admitted, not necessarily complaining but more so pointing out the truth. "You can't just mention you have theories, make my curiosity peak, and then not tell me any."

I shrugged, pointing out something, too, but about him. "And you can't just save someone and claim you'll explain, only to gaslight that someone further about it." I narrowed my eyes. "I'm not crazy; you were on the opposite side of the parking lot when the car accident began. I know because I never looked away from you, not once. So, if you are gonna keep that explanation to yourself, I'm kindly gonna keep my theories about it to myself."

"Such a temper," he uttered, smirking shortly afterwards.

"Funny; I can say the same about you," I retorted. Ah, I loved our banter. Well, it wasn't necessarily banter, to the outside perspective, but to me, it was banter. Eek! We are bantering. Omg, omg, omg! We truly are soulmates!

He stared into my eyes for a few moments, entering my soul (not really but he was really staring me down), before he became visibly frustrated. "You are very difficult to read, you know. I intend to find out why."

"It's because I'm a real life Mary Sue," I answered seriously. I drank my sodas; yes, still Dr. Pepper.

His frown faltered, looking almost like a smile. "Maybe."

"Oh, warn a girl next time you decide to actively avoid her for no apparent reason," I stated. "You'll end up driving her insane. Just a thought."

He chuckled lowly. "Alright, then."

I hummed, nodding my head, grinning. It was starting to look like the beginning of a proper friendship. And, eventually, it would blossom into a hot relationship, thanks to our sexual tension. "Awesomesauce."

"In return," he started. "I want to hear a theory."

"Are you a mutant, like Quicksilver?" I immediately asked, throwing caution to the wind. Or something like that. I decided not to be embarrassed by my unoriginal thinking in my panic to think of something original. "Or are you like a…Godly Being, like the trickster Loki?"

He scoffed and responded with sarcasm. "How original of you." He sighed a moment later. "Neither, but I'm surprised those two are the ones you suggested, though, again, not a very original thought process."

"E.T.?" I asked afterwards. "Are you an alien of some sort, like Silver Surfer?" I paused briefly. "Well, maybe he wasn't exactly an alien by real life standards, but he was definitely otherworldly."

He snorted. "Nope. Sorry."

I pouted, even though I was jumping all over the place in my insides; I amused him, again! "You don't sound sorry…" I gave up with my guesses; at least, for right then. "I'll think of something, one of these days. And I will be correct. Just wait and see."

He gave me some mercy. "I'll give you a hint; I'm the villain, the bad guy."

Duh. Sorry, not sorry. You'll discover the song in the future. Or it's already the future when you are reading my life story that I've only now decided to recall to you. What? I spoiled that I actually live? Nah, nah. I died. I swear. I'm a ghost writing this story. Haven't you read the Remember Me series by Christopher Pike? I… I possessed my father! Yep. I am having him retell my story. So, I died. I'm dead. I'm dying and, then, I'll be dead. Mhm. Not gonna live, not at all. Nope.

"Aha, so I was on the right track, sort of, with Loki," I excitedly proclaimed. I nodded, mainly to myself, in acknowledgement. "Alright, so, you're just dangerous like him, as you've tried telling me, vaguely, a few times in the distant and recent past. And if you're bad, you're just Michael Jackson's Bad. Nothing too horrible, nothing too noble; just a regular dude with as many dangerous tendencies as any other person alive." But with superspeed and super strength.

He looked confused. "That's…one way of looking at it, I guess?" I think I broke him. Eh, I'd fix him later. Not really. He'd fix me; not really but also yeah, really.

Suddenly, I realized how fucking silent it was in the lunch room. I gazed around and did a double take; literally everyone was gone. We had spent most of lunch staring and chatting. Holy shit. Epic. I stood. "Best be on our way."

"I'm ditching," he revealed.

I gave him an awkward thumbs up. "Cool, man; good for you. I don't want to," I told him. I did want to, actually, but, you know, playing hard to get. Yeah, that's why. Not because of "plot" related things. Hmm? Did I say plot? Nah, you're imagining things.

"Bye, then," he bid me farewell, in a supposedly uncaring manner.

I left the cafeteria, taking my time to my next class, even after the bell rang. Mr. Stark (hehe, I called him Stank last time; whoops~) wasn't in the classroom when I got there, so I was super lucky; no tardy mark for me. I calmly went to my seat. Constantine looked constipated; jealous git. Chrysanthemum looked happy for me; she's a true friend; I'm still never calling her Cyrus, to her face; in my head, maybe a few times, like when I'm saying I'll never call her Cyrus. Anyway, Mr. Stark strolled in with boxes soon after. Putting them on Constantine's desk, he made the fuck boi pass out whatever it was.

As soon as Mr. Stark started explaining the lab of the day, I zoned out. Well, not entirely. I may have zoned out with his words, but I paid close attention to what he was doing with his hands. He ended up pricking Constantine's finger. I watched the blood squeeze out his fingertip. I didn't care all that much about it, to be honest; it was just blood. But, thinking about Maverick and how he was ditching class without me made me wanna ditch, too, but in a different, more subtle way. With my brilliant acting skills, I made myself look faint; I laid my head down and closed my eyes, and acted like I was about to have a panic attack. Mr. Stark, worried, sent me out of the room, with Constantine of all fucking people to escort me to the nurse's office. Fucking hell. I wish I slapped him; instead, I had to play pretend, so I unfortunately allowed him to carry me out of the room, by my shoulder.

When we were far enough from the building, I pushed Constantine away from me, so he'd stop groping me, and sat on the ground. "I need a moment," I lied. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I laid my head on them, closing my eyes as Constantine purposely put his bleeding finger near my face; he was trying to trigger me on purpose, but there was nothing to trigger, because I was lying my ass off to get out of class. I acted like I didn't notice his finger; I didn't wanna pretend to faint.

"You gonna faint?" Constantine asked me, eagerly. "Don't worry; I'll take good care of you." Oh, great; I got stuck with a potential rapist. Actually, I'd known that about him for a while, so disregard that thought.

"Iris?" I know that beautiful voice! I thought he was ditching; then again, you can still be on school grounds when ditching sometimes, though that's risky because of cameras, which our school doesn't have, so lucky him. "What happened?" My heart was swooning; he sounded so concerned about me.

Constantine was annoyed; I could tell by his tone. "She's fine. Go away. She doesn't need two people watching over her; just me is good enough."

"Iris," Maverick repeated but with more urgency.

"Don't leave me with him; he's a psycho," I answered immediately, not caring to fake faintness.

Constantine raised his hands in defense, looking alarmed and nervous. "I swear, I haven't touched her, man; I was only taking her to the nurse's office, like the teacher told me to. But then, she just stopped walking and flopped to the ground. Honest."

"Go die in a hole," I told him.

Suddenly, I was lifted into someone's arms. I was about to protest, but then, I realized it was Maverick carrying me, so I let him be, for once. He could carry me whenever he wanted to. To his bed. To my death. I didn't care; I was in his arms. I need a cold shower.

"You feel warm," he gently stated as he walked away from Constantine, with me still within his arms, bridal style. At least, I think that's what he said; my memory is failing me. I was too lost in my wetness to pay full attention to his words.

"That's nothing; I'm always warm," I quietly told him. Especially whenever he was around. God, he was hot. Not in temperature, but looks. I wonder if he can tell how aroused I am by him.

"Are you actually feeling faint?" he asked me, talking normally again. "Because that's pretty cliché, if you faint at the sight, or smell, of blood."

I dropped my act, wrapping my arms around his neck. I smirked up at him. "Nah, I just wanted to ditch with you." He snorted. "But I wanted to be subtle, not just straight up ditch like you did. So, I pretended to hate the blood. Only, it kind of backfired; I wasn't expecting the rapist wannabe to escort me." A low noise erupted from him. "…Was that a growl?"

"No."

"It sounded like a growl," I stated smugly. "I figured you'd be a protective bastard."

I'll make this next bit really "quick" because not much happened after that. So, we neared the nurse's office. I got back into my act; I pretended I was "still" feeling queasy from the blood I smelt/saw. The nurse was…so uncaring; she did not give a damn. 'I don't get why these kids keep fainting from blood. It's just blood'; bitch, you're a nurse, so you're the only one used to it. She sucked. Trip off a cliff, thank you.

Anyway, I was in there for, like, two minutes, pretending I was just so bad off that I needed to go home. With some epic teamwork, Maverick and I convinced her to let us both continue to ditch without allowing her to realize that we were ditching. While we waited for…slips or whatever the fuck, maybe her letting our next teachers know we were gonna be absent, Maverick let me know that he'd still been there at the school during his ditching (obviously); it's how he quickly came across me and Constantine. He even stated he knew Constantine had ulterior motives when it came to assisting me, supposedly because of his behavior during our three-way conversation, so I was right; he did growl.

Another student was brought in from my class and Constantine came with them. For fuck's sake, why won't you stay the fuck away from me? Thankfully, it was a dude this time (and he was passed out), so he was perfectly safe from Constantine's obvious, uncontrollable lust. Anyway, Maverick and I darted out of the nurse's office, with me holding my breath and such to continue the act of me being faint by the sight and smell of blood, and stuff. We had a very brief conversation about smelling blood, by the way, which Constantine, the bastard, overheard; he thought humans couldn't do that, smell blood, but we can, though. He can't be that stupid… Then again, he was looking angrily at Maverick, so maybe he was just trying to make him seem like an idiot but it backfired, of course, because I know humans can smell blood (metallic, by the way; and absolutely vile when it's aged). And other creatures, too; wink, wink.

Blah blah blah, whine whine whine, beach invitation, glare glare glare, goodbye Constantine.

Excused from the remainder of our classes, thanks to our combined efforts at lying (even though my future bae was already ditching), Maverick and I stepped outside into the gloomy weather, and walked a bit. The smog in the atmosphere made the parking lot look a lot like a Silent Hill game. Fucking awesome! I smiled to myself.

"Happy to be ditching?" Maverick commented, noticing my big smile.

"No," I immediately responded. "…Well, yes but the weather is just reminding me of something that I really like. That's all." I turned towards him fully instead of walking into the parking lot. "About that beach invitation you overheard, I was wondering if you'd be coming along anyway to spite Constantine." He appeared to be considering the offer/suggestion. "It's in Le Pull." As quickly as his slight interest had been there, it was gone; he looked bored. Must be a terrible beach, then. Damn; too soon for me to back out now. "Should I assume your answer is no, based on your forever changing facial expressions?" I tried not to sound disappointed.

Maverick, still looking bored, nodded shortly. "Your assumption is correct."

I sighed lowly. "Alright, then; maybe next time." I glanced at the parking lot, towards where Thelma was parked. I bit my lip, thinking for a brief moment, before I looked back at him. He was staring at me, intensely. I gulped, my palms feeling sweaty all of a sudden. "We don't have to go our separate ways so soon, you know." I was desperate to keep him around, just in case he was gonna ignore me again the following day. "We could chill inside Thelma for a bit." He raised an eyebrow. Oh, right. "That's the name of my vehicle."

He snorted. Success? "I shouldn't be surprised." He got quiet for a moment. Deep inside my bones, I was dreading the wait for his answer; I was worried he'd say no to that, too. "Very well. I suppose I can spare a few minutes to lounge with you further." YES!

I grabbed his elbow and practically dragged him to Thelma. I entered the driver's seat and unlocked the passenger's door, allowing him to take a seat inside, too. I cranked her up, so we could use the heater and stereo; warmth flooded my face as Bohemian Rhapsody began playing.

"Queen?" He sounded amused. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you've learnt how I can be from our brief encounters," I answered, grinning. "Obviously, I was gonna be a classic rock girl. And an alternative pop type of girl, too." I paused. "Well, really, it's all thanks to my mother; she had both types of music on blast all of the time when I was a child. Ultimately, I grew attached." I shrugged for no reason. "I listen to other types, too, but I prefer what I've grown up with."

Maverick nodded shortly, understanding. "I prefer Opera, but I enjoy Classic Rock just the same."

I grinned wider; I was enjoying our conversation, which was entirely pleasant (for once). I'm gonna miss these memories when I'm gone, which will be soon because I'm currently being murdered in slow motion. Yeah, y'all thought I was done mentioning it. Nah, sucka. "Cool."

The rain gently slid down the windows of Thelma. Ah, so peaceful. And probably out of character of me, but you'd feel content, too, if you were in my position.

Suddenly, he asked me a question. "Could you tell me more about your mother?"

"She's hopeless, odd, protective, and nosy," I immediately answered. "We look much alike but we act the opposite of one another. For example, I was the responsible one; she tended to forget about very important matters, like paying the bills, so I was in charge of keeping up with that and reminding her. It is what it is. I love her very much, despite her glaring flaws." I sighed deeply. "I'm glad she has Alfie now; that's my stepfather, in case you don't remember our awkward first conversation." Which I glossed over for y'all because it was just so, so awkward. And boring. And unimportant.

"I remember," he stated. "Was their marriage rushed?"

"I'd say so," I replied. "They only knew each other for about a year before they got engaged. And, then, the wedding was, like, six months or so later. Maybe less." I shrugged. "I mean, I get it because when you're so in love, you want to take that next big step quickly, but she did that with Dad and they got separated not long after I was born." I looked out the window. "They seemed obsessed with each other the last time I saw them together; her and Alfie. So, maybe, they'll last forever. Maybe, they'll last just slightly longer than she did with Dad." I sighed again. "Who the fuck knows."

Maverick hummed, acknowledging my words without saying anything in response.

I stared at him for a moment. "…What about your parents? From before? What led you to being adopted into such a large, fascinating family?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot recall; it's been years," Maverick solemnly revealed to me. I instantly felt bad, thinking his parents died when he was a child. That assumption turned out to be wrong, of course, but I didn't know that yet, so I continued feeling bad about bringing up his biological parents. "Ansel and Clover are my parents now, and I love them very deeply. I'm lucky to have them in my life." He smiled to himself. "I'm grateful to have my siblings in my life, too."

I hummed, acknowledging his words without saying anything in response. Yes, I reused that.

"…I suppose it's time for me to go," he said, glancing at his wristwatch. "School will be letting out soon enough."

I frowned, disappointed; time passed by so quickly. I'd been really enjoying the conversation; it seriously was the first one we ever had where neither of us lost our shit (got angry or annoyed). I hoped for more of those chats in the near future; we did, in fact, have more civilized conversations but not too many, unfortunately. "Oh… Right… Well, I guess I'll just see you tomorrow, then?"

He shook his head, staring at me. "I won't be here. River and I will be camping."

It didn't make sense to me for them to skip school just to go camping, but I said nothing about it. Well, nothing negative. "I hope you two enjoy yourselves, then."

He smiled playfully at me. "And I hope you don't get yourself killed this weekend."

I snorted, rolling my eyes; I'm not that clumsy. And death didn't follow me either; nearly getting hit by Scout was a fluke. "Oh, fuck off." He laughed as he got out of Thelma, closing the passenger's door behind him as he went. Briefly, I watched him walk across the parking lot. I'd stayed longer but, then, I'd have to deal with my "friends" when they came out, so, with a deep sigh, I stopped staring at his backside and left the school.