Decay

Friendship and Rooftops

I suppose you could say we became friends that day. I won't deny that the weird, tight feeling in my chest probably wasn't what people normally feel when it came to their friends, but that doesn't mean I'd care to tell him that. As it was, I was already terrified this would all turn out to be some kind of cruel joke, or I would accidentally ruin everything.

He kept me by him whenever he could during the rest of practice, ignoring the looks that the rest of the cast sent him. It was really strange to have someone actually look out for me at school. Even from the time I was small... well, smaller than I am, the other students had avoided me. Back in grade school, I figured it was because Cenn and Dad would drop me off at school, and it was either the children being terrified of them, or parents getting angry because they were a Demon and a Tracker together. It didn't make a lot of sense to me, but I quickly became acclimated to isolation, and I can't really say I minded it. I was quiet in general but had a tendency to over share as a part of my anxiety I felt in having to socialize.

With Novak, there was still that anxiety, but he seemed to understand and adjusted his actions according to how I needed to interact. He drove me home that day, talking excitedly and gesturing wildly (It was a little nerve-wracking considering he was still driving, but it wasn't really unsafe so much as I was afraid he would smack me with the back of his hand as he gestured.).

That in itself would have been strange enough, but the next day, he was waiting by the front of the school for me. As soon as I walked around the corner, I saw him, leaning against the wall beside the door, pretending to look casual while his eyes flickered back and forth around the parking lot. As soon as his gaze landed on me, his face lit up, dropped into a frown of what I assume had to be confusion, and finally settled onto a sort of vague excitement as he pushed away from the wall and walked toward me.

"Cay! I was waiting for you! I could have sworn you get here earlier- not that that's a bad thing or anything! Just that I thought you got a ride or something. Do you walk to school every day?" Just like that, the casual and somewhat cool image he had clearly been trying hard for went right out the window. For someone who looks so cool at a first glance, he does ramble a lot.

"Hello..." I said slowly, still unsure how to respond. "Yeah... I usually walk... Dad needed my help with something this morning. That's why I'm late... Why were you waiting for me?" The words came out slowly, almost halting every time I paused. I didn't want to fuck this up with nervous stuttering, so slow was my only option.

He smiled sheepishly. (Damn it... he even had a nice smile. One corner of his mouth pulled up slightly higher than the other, giving him a playful grin even when he was embarrassed. Fuck me... the fluttery feeling in my stomach was back.) "Well, I figured it would be nice. You know, hanging out with friends in the morning? I mean, I get if you don't want to, but I thought that we could go to the library or just sit and talk or something. I mean, I've seen you around sometimes in the morning, but you always disappear. I thought, I dunno..." He trailed off, studying me. "Am I annoying you? Because I can stop talking so much if you want. I wasn't sure if you were the type of person who needs quiet or likes to listen to noise or something, but if-"

I held up a hand, my eyes wide as I tried to get him to stop and breathe. "Calm down. It's fine... I... don't mind the talking... but... can we go somewhere other than the library?" I genuinely hated that room in the mornings. It alternated between being too quiet and stuffy to deafening and crowded in a matter of seconds.

He smiled, relief dawning over his face. Why was he so relieved? "Okay! Lead the way!"

I paused a moment, studying him. He seemed uncommonly happy, but why? Why would he be so happy to hang around me of all people? "Okay..." I turned and started off down the hallway, slipping into the door I knew would be unlocked. The janitor had caught onto me a long time ago and had started leaving that particular path to the roof open, hoping it would be a little safer than me scaling the side of the building (though, to be fair, it did only happen once or twice.) Novak just followed along, looking a little confused, but generally accepting it as I lead him up the stairwell and out onto the roof. "Is... this okay?" My voice shook as I turned back to him, trying to gauge his response. It was so strange. Unlike the other people who've tried interacting with me, his emotions were all out on display, but his thoughts were hidden. I could tell how he felt but not why, and it was putting me on edge.