Awkward

~PILOT /PART 4/~

~/•/~

"Are you sure he's coming?" asks Mae, looking around. She's hooded in a black raincoat that falls to the middle of her skirt. The moist breeze patrols the empty classroom areas, foreboding a storm.

Julianna shivers.

"Here. Take my raincoat," Mae says, expelling a fresh white cloud with her lips.

"No, Mae, I—"

"Take my raincoat."

Mae holds her book between her legs, takes off her backpack, unzips her raincoat and puts it in Julianna's hand.

"Thank you."

Mae shrugs.
"Don't give it to your boyfriend though."

"He's not my boyfriend," Julianna responds. She looks around to see if anybody's coming. The train's deep metallic roll resounds in the distance.

"Right. Just give it back tomorrow okay?"

She turns back.
"Mhmm."

"Put it on."

Julianna's eyes drift to the large folded raincoat in her grip, parts of it unfold and streak to the floor. Mae straddles, cowboy style, to the edge of the nearest classroom and peeks towards the infirmary.
"I can see the train," she says. When she turns back, Julianna is wearing the raincoat. It falls onto the middle of her thighs like a garbage bag.
"Now your hair's messed up."

"Mae, it's okay. I'm not trying to..."

"Nonsense!" Mae fixes Julianna's hair, stroking and puffing.
"Theerree weee goo.. sooo cute! I could just eat you up!"

"Mae..."

Mae winks, turns and walks off. She opens her book, flashing a new bookmark.
"P.S. I'm telling your aunt you got a boyfriend."

The last thing Julianna sees is Mae unclipping her hair, masking her snowy neck with a long brown curtain.

Julianna looks in the direction of the train.

Sigh.

~~~|~~~

/THE INFIRMARY STATION/

We spill out of the train's sliding doors in no state to walk proudly in society.
There are faint yellow pools staining the armpits on our white kits, Alastair has thick bog slathered down his bum, and I'm only wearing one shoe - to make it worse, a football boot.

It's been a while since I took the train though and I must say, we came really quick.
As we step out of the infirmary's long roof, Alastair rambles on about 'you-know-who'.

"And THEN her great uncle's cousin's nephew's aunt's friend who married into her family has Swiss blood. That makes her one thirty-fifth Swiss, you know? You should be able to see it in her smile — or her eyes."
He sighs. I'm trying to do the math when he throws his arm over my shoulder. "Thank you so much for this bro." Then he goes right on to enlighten me with more 'fun facts'.

I finally spot a silhouetted figure in an all-too-big garment outside the nearest class.
Julianna.

"Hey," I begin, cutting off Alastair. "So - did you want me to talk to her aloooone or for both of us to go because I... I didn't tell her we were tag teaming," I explain.

Translation: go away.

Alastair waves it off.
"It's no sweat, we'll be a three!"
It is sweat. He looks absolutely disgusting. Looking him up and down, I just don't know why I hang with him. I halt so we can talk it out.