As I Fell ✓

Chapter 30

Owen

School was horrible.

To be fair, it usually is but today's even worse considering that I still had a slight fever and my throat itches from time to time. Why the hell did I even go through with school?

"Hey Owen, wanna grab something to eat? I'm hitching a ride with Marley. Wanna come with?" Calix asked as me, Marley and him went out of school through the back where the ramp was.

I wasn't hungry nor was I interested in changing my after-school plans so I shook my head at him, knowing that declining now would guarantee spending some time with Athena later. It would be the first time in a while since we would even go to the bookstore together and I would like to not be late. I wouldn't want to make her wait a long time—too long that she might write spoken word poetry about me abandoning her to her wits until she goes crazy and dies of thirst. She is just that kind of person.

Weirdly, I liked that about her.

"No thanks. Busy." I said a little too quickly, as my mind flew to replays of the days Athena came over to my house to check on me when I had a terrible fever.

After the first two days of Athena's visits, she actually came over the whole week. Once school ended for her, she would come by and ask me how I was doing, and she would do things to make me feel better. Well, she once tried to make me soup and I told her it was good despite it heavily tasting much like water. And she made me watch her favorite romantic comedies which, I have to say, are incredibly good. Not cheesy at all.

I just had to stop myself from smiling at the thought of Athena because as I turned my head, Marley raised an eyebrow and scrunched up her nose.

Whenever she does that, I get a little anxious because that habit of hers implied that Marley knows something is going on. So far, she has never been wrong. It's scary. I don't know how I even managed to stay friends with her even if she scared me sometimes.

"Really? Or maybe the stench of moldy cafeteria food just got you and gave you a bad stomach. It reeks here." Marley said, covering her nose with her warm orange-painted nails.

Calix nodded in agreement.

"It does stink here. Why is the ramp here anyway? Isn't there a new ramp out front?" he asked, looking around.

Coincidentally, all of our gazes were directed toward the ramp Marley and I just rolled down on. It wasn't extraordinary or anything. It was just old and gray. But it works and we haven't died yet.

Marley rolled her eyes at the mention of the new ramp built in front of the school.

"That ramp sucks. This ramp is angled right. I like how it's angled." Marley answered.

Yep. She was right. The angle of the ramp here in the back was just perfect.

A month ago, a ramp was made in front of the school building to accommodate wheelchair users but because of how suspicious my own mother was with her meetings with Marley's dad, I was starting to think that the ramp was for me and Marley.

As much as we appreciated the ramp out front, I think it was made in a hurry. It's literally too steep. We can't use that.

"So over the years, you two just ignored the smell of garbage just for a proper ramp?" Cal asked.

"Yep."

"Sounds about right."

Calix frowned, his eyebrows brought together.

"Dude, that sucks. I get it that people are really trying to accommodate everyone but that doesn't mean that getting something done means that it helps. Right?" He asked.