The next school year comes, facing the fall time. Summer has slipped away from our grasp, but I don't fight against it. I don't mind it. It's a fresh start.
Telling Kandi wasn't hard. There was disappointment in the aspect that I felt the need to hide it from her, but it was far better than what Laurance gave me. It took a while for him to even look my way, but he eventually moved on. There's still not so subtle digs thrown our way, but he's talking to me again.
Vylad stuck with me through it all. I can't help but notice I give him slight flirtations every once in a while, but I'm not against it. Maybe this time it would be different. If there is this time of course.
As for myself, these few months have brought a new sense of healing and moving on. I can look Garroth in the eye and walk away. It may never be the way it was between us pre-relationship, but it's better than how it was when we broke up. Now, I'm happy. I'm confident again.
"That's a newly formed bruise," Vylad comments, motioning to my leg with the toe of his foot. I follow his gaze down to the bruise in the center of the bottom half of my leg. "What did you do this time? Or do you not know?"
"Cheer problem."
I'm too embarrassed to admit that it didn't happen during practice, but instead afterwards. I stumbled into a bleacher seat after a careless step when I was getting my backpack. It wasn't to the point where I'd bleed, but to the point where I would have a bruise to mark a memory.
"I can officially drive Vylad. Just need someone else in the car."
He chuckles and nudges me with his elbow. Vylad and Kandi were able to begin driving in April. Just twin things. "Should we grab Kandi and take a spin in Garroth's car as your first lesson?"
My eyes sparkle at the insane thought before laughing to myself. "He'd fucking kill us," I comment, profanities slipping. Could I care less? No. What is Vylad going to do? Tattle on me? Oh no.
"Hey, don't swear."
I stick my tongue out at him before sitting down in my seat. The lunch table spots never changed. Two weeks into the school year, and this remains true. It's not as awkward as it was the last few weeks of school last year.
Kandi sits down and plops a brown lunch bag on the table. I giggle at the thought of it either being the paper bag or a unicorn lunch box she had back in kindergarten. "Mom's on her lunch kick again. Four lunches made in the morning. Each with a note."
I look over at her before sneaking to the bag, grabbing the note instead of actually looking at her lunch. It's the same as Vylad's. I already ransacked his and read his note. The notes are what's different. I'd do the same to Garroth, but we're not at that point in friendship anymore. Something I'd do as a girlfriend, but not as whatever we are not.
"If you don't want it, I'll take it," I comment before placing the note back down inside of Kandi's bag. She takes it out, reads it, and smiles a little before shaking her head at the silliness. "You can have my stupid salad."
"For real?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
The salad is taken away from me and the bag is its replacement. I don't complain. I think I'm the one who won here. Vylad reaches into the bag and sticks the sticky note on my forehead. We giggle before I continue on with my little happy dance.
The boys eventually follow behind, placing their food at the table. Garroth follows them like a lost puppy with his bag in hand. It looks funny. But because he is Garroth Ro'meave, no one questions it.
"You'll get acne if you keep that on your head," Laurance says.
I shrug. "I already have acne. Bring it on."
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Kandi waits for me as I tie up my shoe. I'm a bit slow at this right now as I dilly-dallied doing it because of a conversation, but I've had to wait for her to put her hair into a ponytail one too many times before in the past. She's doing it right now.
"I see sparks flying between you and my brother." I can hear the smirk on her lips.
"I feel like we just had this conversation a few months ago." We did, but this time I'm not in a secret relationship with one of her other brothers. "But yeah. And this time it isn't with Garroth."
"So you admit it."
I crane my neck to look up at her, tilting it to the side from confusion. I've already managed to forget what I said. Too preoccupied with this stupid shoe. "What?"
My feet rise me to stand, and there's a little hop from me with a soft smile. She stares at me for a moment like I'm stupid before shaking her head. "You like Vylad."
Oh, shit.
