"For you? I'd hold the skies on my shoulders, if it came down to it."
*****
He didn't think she'd ever look his way. Let alone, stumble into him- and into his life. But all things happen for a reason, and sometimes- when you love someone from afar...
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"I HEARD THAT auditions for this year's play are going to be next week," Vineet tells me, as we walk to the cafeteria for lunch. "Jade mentioned wanting to audition- A Midsummer Night's Dream, right?"
I nod, tightening my grip on his arm as I make sure to step only into the narrow red tiles with my toes and not the white ones. "I spoke to Mr. Rossi this morning, he told me to attend the auditions. You can come with me if you want to."
"Sure," he pulls his arm back with a hiss when I nearly stumble, steadying me on my feet, "Careful, klutz."
"Sorry," I say sheepishly, letting go of his arm and deciding to continue my little game later, "but you know Naureen? She's auditioning too."
"Naureen?" Vineet's eyebrows go up, "As in the one who's friends with Atlas Jackson?" I nod, and his eyebrows raise even more. "Huh. You never told me how you became friends with that group, by the way."
"I...don't know," I can feel my cheeks turn a little red, "I'm not sure if we're friends. Naureen is my English partner- she just invited me to sit with them"
"And Atlas?" Vineet's eyes are curious as he narrows them down at me, and my cheeks warm further under his gaze.
"Well..." I begin trying to be as vague as possible as I avoid looking at him, "Mr. Pritchett made him sit next to me in Calculus. And he's helped me out a couple of times...that's all."
"That's all?" Vineet scoffs, with a half-grin, "He doesn't seem like the type that would help just anyone."
I know, I think to myself, that's why I don't get it.
I don't voice that thought. "Turns out, he hates Claudius too. Maybe that's why he helped."
"That doesn't make sense in this context, but alright," Vineet says, his eyebrows furrowing in worry at the mention of my brother, "Hey, that shithead didn't hurt you again, did he?"
I shake my head, as my lips turn downward. "I've started packing my stuff. I didn't eat dinner with them, and I locked my door the whole time- so I haven't seen any of them."
He purses his lips together. "You can stay at my place. Or Mr. Rossi's- we can help you with whatever you want, you know that, right?"
I sigh tiredly, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I know."
I had told both Vineet and Mr. Rossi what my brother had done. I had also told them that my parents were making me move out.
Vineet's mum was a real estate agent, so he told me that she promised to try and look for places that I could rent out or buy- and she had also offered to let me stay at their place till I had figured my stuff out.
Mr. Rossi on the other hand, while outraged at what my brother had done, was confused when I told him I didn't have a place to stay. After a few moments of silence, he had also offered me a place to stay- before he walked away, muttering something about making a phone call.
