A Winter With Icarus

Chapter 3

✄ "The gods may have spoken, but Nature only bends to a goddess." ― Grace Curley, The Light That Binds Us ✄

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Cass officially was the worst sister in the world. After the pizza came, she went upstairs to study more, as if she didn't study for the whole day (give or take an hour at the police station). Which left me and rage boy (i.e Icarus) to eat our Hawaiian pizza in complete silence. At one point it became a challenge to see who could eat the most pizzas. I wimped out at 6 and he ate a whopping 8 slices. I knew he was cheating somehow, all tall people have freakishly weird talents, like eating anything and the weight falling perfectly. Whereas, I was a giddy little trash bag full of pizza. 

"My dad and mom will be home soon... so you can leave here after we talk to them." I reminded him after we settled into a weird silence again at my kitchen island. And of course, he didn't pay me any mind. I'm sure he wasn't listening, so I continued quietly, "Hoping you don't burst into flames that is." His eyes snapped up at me so quickly I flinched back. What the hell, he has super hearing too? "Too soon?" I joked, laughing awkwardly. He rolled his eyes, and zoned out again, leaving me feeling like I was all by myself. I didn't want to leave him alone in my house as I caught up on the Bachelor, so I tapped my hands on the counter until I was sure I was nailing all the beats in Bohemian Rhapsody. I suddenly felt a large hand clamp down on mine, making me flinch again. And fucking super speed?

"Are you always this annoying?" He stated, his voice clipped. 

"Only when dicks are in my house," I responded without thinking. His face didn't falter one bit. His hands left mine and he leaned back on the counter as his arms crossed over his chest. 

"If you hate me so much, why the hell would you help me?" He asked, not making eye contact. I shrugged, knowing he couldn't see me. 

"It was the right thing to do." I easily responded. He tilted his head toward my direction, and squinted his eyes at me as if he was looking at me for the first time. In all honesty, every time Icarus looked at me, it felt like he was seeing me for the first time. 

"You do the right thing now?" I thought I heard a shadow of a smile, but when my eyes when to his lips, they were not amused at all. 

"I always do the right thing. I don't know what you're talking about." I shrugged, my eyes not meeting his. 

"Says the girl who dyed the whole football team's hair bright blue." 

"Oh trust me Icarus, that was the right thing to do." I heard him chuckle, and my eyes snapped up to see the faint workings of a smile. 

Wow, rage boy has some smile. Or at least, part of one. "Okay, I just have to ask," I said, pulling myself up on the counter. He turned around, his flaming eyes widened with curiosity. "Icarus. Do your parents have a weird sense of humor or are you just destined to burst into flames?" His face had a small smirk but fell instantly when he looked straight into my eyes. I backed up a little, realizing how close we've gotten. But it didn't seem to bother him anymore. 

"I'm probably destined to burn everything and everyone I touch. That includes you." I suddenly felt that feeling in the back of my throat, the one I felt when I first heard that Icarus was taken by the police. This static at the back of my throat, the punch in my gut, the buzz in my fingertips. 

What was this feeling? 

And why did it feel so sad?

I knew what Icarus looked like, my whole town did. Hell, his face is not easy to forget. But I've never seen him this sad, or at least I think he looks sad. He feels sad. I have seen him around school, but I was either too busy pranking someone, getting yelled at by my teachers, or actually listening in class. I didn't pay attention to his face. I didn't pay attention to the space he took up. Did it always feel this way? Did it always feel so melancholy? Like the feeling of missing places you've never been to before, or loving someone you've just missed by a second, or waiting for someone you know will never come home.