Free Fall

: Chapter 6 : You should give it a try. I'm serious.

In comparison to the apple orchard scent of Christian's jeep, Dryden's car fills my nasal cavity with a robust sweaty scent. Given the period that had passed since I was last inside his car, I realised how much I hadn't missed it.

"Car still smells of football sweat," I tell him as I slide into his car, not knowing what to expect. Would he take it as though I had offended him, or would he be at the judgement of a friend and use his scholarship towards me?

"We have it in the motherfucking bag. We're the state champions!" He exclaimed with excitement. This was Dryden, the frustrating and loud side, not the one calling out grades. Though, I knew that would change soon enough. "Of course, we have to beat," that was where I tuned him out, as I usually do when he starts talking about football.

That's when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Not wanting Dryden to know about the texting between Christian and myself, I don't bother to answer it.

"The other school is going to lose to you," I say to him, half paying attention as I count down the minutes until we arrive at school so that I can text Christian. I did not feel comfortable telling Dryden about the texts between Christian and me, even though we drive by his jeep as we pull into the parking lot every morning.

"I have your support, even if you cannot be there," Dryden tells me as we drive into the parking lot. The familiar Jeep is where he expected it to be. "I think you're going to be studying," he says casually. I grab my bag and exit the car as he puts it in the park. I was familiar with the voice by now.

Christian:
Brought homemade 🍩🍩
Trade you for 🍕🍕

As I adjusted my backpack, I stood with my locker open, wondering what to say to him. Outside of school, however, I knew exactly how to respond. After our scientific field trips, we constantly texted when he dropped me off at the end of my driveway. I started to reply when a hand grabbed hold of my locker.

"Dryden, look, I just can't deal with your shit!" I proclaimed loudly, certainly not letting my abnormal stress escape my attention. "I have other plans to attend to before," I said slowly as I considered what I had wanted to say before moving forward. If I had turned before saying anything, I would've known the person behind me didn't have red hair but sandy blonde instead.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Christian replied in an authentic voice, watching me close my locker, revealing himself standing there with his messenger bag over his shoulder, his confidence glowing, grabbing my attention.

"Sorry about that. I thought you were Dryden," I tell him aimlessly. I lean against my locker as various students walk by, headed to multiple locations. I didn't want him to think I had purposely yelled at him for no reason on something he had no control over.

"You don't have to explain," Christian tells me degenerately as we start our formal walk towards the physics room with space between us as we head in the direction of the physics room. Before we reach the room, Christian hands me a crisp, light and incredibly fluffy food; the doughnut I had guessed Christian had promised me via text.

"Friendship doughnuts?" I ask a little awkwardly as I stand there one-handed, wanting to try these, even knowing that eating them is what he spent his time making them for. "What are they?" I ask, unable to understand what exactly they are. Unlike Dryden, who was classified as a friend by my parents, I had hoped to define friendship on my terms and decision making. Therefore, I considered Christian to be that by definition.

"Zeppole. They're Italian doughnuts, Hemsworth," he tells me as we slip inside the classroom just as the bell announces the beginning of class, and we make our way to the middle section of the school to get to our table.