a week had gone by with me holding darwin's hand — a week of going to his house, ringing his doorbell, occasionally meeting aspen, and walking to the school. but this time, when i ring the bell, darwin has a different idea in mind.
"come on. i have something to show you," he says, pulling me inside the house.
we walk up the stairs and into a room i suppose is his. its walls are a blueish-gray color and covered with posters of bands from the 80's. journey. eagles. guns n' roses. i almost think i'm in heaven or something.
"you sure like rock," i murmur, running my hand across one of the smooth sheets.
"yeah, i do. it reminds me of the fun times i used to have with my father."
used to? i whip my head around to look at him. he stares at me for a moment, taking in the look of horror on my face before his expression mirrors mine.
"he's not dead," he clarifies. "my parents are divorced, and...my mother got the custody papers."
i nod in understanding, looking over to the paper he's holding in his hands. "what's that?"
"this," he breathes, flattening the crumpled sheet onto a desk and moving a lamp over to shed some light onto it, "is the beginning of phase two. it's still under construction, but when it's done, it'll leave a much larger impact on riley than phase one did."
"you talk about riley as if she's some project you're working on."
he merely shrugs. "it's the only way i can show this to you easily." he points to a place on the paper.
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"phase 2: snow the world," i read.
"it says 'show the world,' idiot. my handwriting isn't that bad," darwin grumbles.
i breathe a laugh before looking up at him with furrowed brows. "what are we supposed to 'show the world?'"
"that you're my girlfriend. well, we're not going to show everyone in the world obviously...just everyone in the school. high school is practically a teen's entire world, though."
"but how are we supposed to tell every student that we're a couple?"
"it's simple — prom is a month away, and boys have already starting asking girls to go with them," he explains. "there's a pep rally at school tomorrow. i'll stand up towards the end of it, and that's when i'll ask you."
"are you sure that's a good idea?" i ask. the judgmental stares of hundreds of high schoolers flashed through my brain, jail suddenly seeming like a much better option than this deal. okay, that's an exaggeration.
he nods, a confident smile on his face as he sits down on his bed. i seat myself next to him, and we don't say anything for what feels like a long time before he speaks up again.
"kyra...?"
"yeah?" i ask wearily, the look on his face having drastically changed to a thoughtful one, an unreadable one.
he turns to me, one of his curls falling down over his eye. "school isn't that bad, you know."
"it was terrible," i say immediately, my head already shaking from side to sideline in disgust. "why do you think i left?"
he sighs; it's a long one and, for a moment, i think he has just singlehandedly let out all the air in the world. but finally, he rises from the bed, a hand weaving through his hair as he whispers, "i'm still trying to figure that out."
