The McKay Boys

11| oculoplania•

"I'd walk the corners of my empty mind. But I'm full of darkness, with the loneliest of light."

Chapter Theme Song: 'Cursive' by Billie Marten.

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Amelia

"That's so heartwarming." The statement came from in front of me. I lifted my gaze to see a girl with freckles on her cheeks and plump lips approaching my desk. Her hair was black and fluffy, stopping at the curve of her neck. "Did he like seriously follow you to class? So cute."

I smiled a little, and hers stretched wider at the humble acknowledgement. She swung to the gawking figures and waved her red painted fingers. "All of you, stop looking at her. Is she a friggin' unidentifiable flying object?"

"You could have just said UFO, Rose." Drawled a guy who sat two desks away from me. His head was slanted back, knees splayed wide in a selfish act of manspreading.

Rose rolled her eyes and sat in the empty seat in front of me, fanning off the grey-eyed boy. "Bugger off, Jack."

Jack? Rose? "The titanic?" I muttered, and her eyes got a little bigger. She grinned and shook her head.

"No, my name is really Rose and his is Jack."

"The world would end if I ever gave my log to this pea brain and freeze to death in the Atlantic Ocean." Jack quipped, and some of the kids laughed. He focused back on the book he was holding, and Rose closed her eyes and whispered,

"Motherfucker..."

I pursed my lips as she reopened them. "Anyway, your name is Amelia McKay, right?"

May. "Yeah..." I rubbed my hands together beneath the wooden desk. The tables were long and were served for at least two persons. My supposedly desk-mate, the person who should have been sitting next to me was not present, it seemed.

And as though I spoke too soon, I heard laughter as two girls dashed into the classroom, filling the space with the smell of cherry bodywash or perfume, hair spray, and gums. As they came in my direction, I recognized the one at the back as the girl who'd bumped into Khalil earlier. Her hair was braided into two cornrows; I hadn't thought on that before, and a lollipop was propped between her lips. Her eyes connected with mine, then she looked at the spot next to me. Her forehead evened out and I got the impression that she thought I'd taken her seat.

"Where have you been, Hal?" Rose asked as my desk-mate sat into her designated place. The friend she came in with went to sit on Jack's lap, throwing her arms around his neck as she giggled into his nape. I watched the interaction, intrigued.

"The office." She shrugged. "Turns out, Ava won't be getting her pack of gummy bears back."

Rose laughed. "Hope she won't eat that in class next time."

'Hal' looked over at me, her head dipping slightly. Then she looked at Rose as if to ask, 'who's she?'

"Amelia McKay." She answered her friend's wordless question with a smile, drumming her long fingernails on the board desk.

Hal squinted her eyes and tipped her head, causing Rose to laugh. "Yes, she came with them." Them? "Amelia, this is Hallie. Hallie, Amelia..."

I looked over at the girl who was now working her slender fingers through the tight row of braid on her head, and I wondered why she did her hair just to pull it out again.

"Hi." She said with a smile. "Your brothers are crazy cute."

Rose chuckled. "Hallie is always to the point."