Burning

Chapter FIVE

Patience never was her biggest virtue. Tonight it seemed to be completely absent. Gabby sat across from Connor who was absently rolling a red tube of lip balm back and forth under his hand while he read. He'd politely but firmly told her he needed to focus when she tried to get him to do anything else. Well- almost anything. He'd offered to help her with chemistry or looking to reshelve books. She didn't want to do that though. She wanted to do something fun to make the time go faster while she waited to go on her date. Since she got him the second book earlier that week he'd been acting a little weirder than usual. Sadder, almost. Which made no sense considering that's what he'd been all worried about previously.

"Pssst. Connor."

"Mmmm." He flipped a page.

"Did you know naked mole rats can chew through concrete?"

"Maybe."

She snorted. "Um, no you didn't. Did you know that bananas are all clones?"

"Interesting."

She waited for him to say more. He said nothing. She sighed dramatically and flopped onto the table. "Did you know jaguars can carry prey like five times their size up trees?"

"Leopards."

"What?"

"Leopards can carry prey up trees. Jaguars like to stay on the ground." He placed the book down and rubbed his temples. "If you're going to annoy me with random facts, at least be accurate."

"I'm not annoying you. Also I'm pretty sure its jaguars."

"I'm the one who gets to decide if I'm being annoyed. And its leopards. What are you doing now?"

"Melting." She slithered out of her chair onto the floor and under the table. "I'm so. Bored!"

"Are you sure you're 17?"

"Yeah. Are you sure your 51? This is normal teenage behavior, old man."

"You're going to mess up your pretty dress if you sit on the ground."

"Awww how cute are you, worried about my dress." She popped her head back up. "You think it's pretty?"

His head was behind the book again. "Mmhmm. I said so, didn't I?"

She waited for him to react more to her being under the table and when he didn't, she grabbed some paper and proceeded to curl up down there to draw. A big cat pulling an antelope up a tree. She labeled it jaguar. Gabby was starting to fill in some of its spots when Connor's chair flew back and he was on his feet. She flailed her legs and pushed herself back out in alarm, worried Hopkins had managed to sneak down the stairs somehow. She narrowly avoided knocking her head into the table and followed his line of sight to the front. The bell clinked.

"Shit-" Gabby jumped up, dusting off her front, prepared to greet the guest when a short green-haired girl strutted around the corner.

"Mel!"

"Gabs! You look beaut-i-ful lady!"

"Why are you here?"

"To see you?"

"No- Mel- why are you here? You're supposed to be in- oh no." Gabby dropped her head. She knew this was coming. They'd spoken about it earlier that week and she'd been dreading Melody's dad backing out since the 'itinerary change' but yesterday it all seemed like it was fixed. But if she was here still...

"Hey, its cool." Mel gave her relaxed smile. "I knew it was coming after all."

"I can cancel my date." Gabby said quickly. "I'll call him right now-"