1.1 | constellations of you and me ✓

07 | pegasus

JONAH IS PISSED OFF. Fucking livid, really. He can feel the anger simmering deep in his bones, heating his blood until it's so red-hot that he can't breathe—can't think anymore. He still remembers how she looked as she trembled in his arms with her slim shoulders shaking violently. I didn't want it to be this way, he'd thought. Never wanted to see tears escaping burning auburn eyes surrounded by the stale smell of cheap liquor; never wanted to see someone else's hands on her body overtop that dress.

Fuck—the dress. It had made his throat go embarrassingly dry at the amount of skin she'd revealed, at the smooth expanse of neck and thigh on display. But underneath, Eloise Park is a destructive hurricane in the highest category—all fire and violent sass and vintage beauty lingering in the wake of her perfume. A perfect ruination of humanity. And—

His bedroom door creaks open, and Jonah grins good-naturedly as his teammates assume their normal spots with familiarity. Adrian has his headphones in (as per usual) and sits on the soft bed while Wren and Lukas pick up a video game controller and turn on the television. Adrian pokes Jonah on the shoulder roughly, a roguish beam on his face.

"Turn that frown upside down, sunshine," the golden boy says sarcastically. "What's got you so worked up, huh?"

Jonah sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Don't want to talk."

"Is it Eloise—"

"No," Jonah snaps, and then immediately lowers his tone. "Can't think right now. My knee is acting up again."

Adrian sits up straighter and his gaze switches to Jonah's elevated leg, noticing how his friend hadn't moved for the entire conversation. His eyebrows crease and worry lines start to develop on his forehead.

"It's her, too," the blonde persists. "We all know she's got you wrapped around her pretty little finger."

Settled in their beanbags, Lukas and Wren perk up with a raised head (along with a paused game). "Who're you talkin' about?"

"No one," Jonah snaps. And then, with a glare towards his best friend, "Zip it."

Adrian laughs with a devilish smirk. "Eloise Park, man. You know her?"

"Fuck yeah," Lukas admits. "Chick was hot—I had her in my English class freshman year. Quiet, sure, but—"

Jonah's sure his fists are clenched as Wren tackles Lukas on the carpeted bedroom floor. "If I had a penny for every single time you opened your bigass mouth, I'd already be retired," Wren comments with a forearm wrapped around Lukas's neck. The boy pinned down starts to dramatically choke and make a show of passing out, lips parted and gagging sounds escaping from the bottom of his throat.

Adrian lets out a loose laugh and jostles Jonah's shoulders. "Just a joke, Jonah," he confirms. "Isn't that right, Luke?"

The younger boy nods his head frantically and picks up the remote controller again. "For sure," he comments, lying through his teeth. A corner of Jonah's mouth tips up as he notices the two rosy spots on Lukas's face. "C'mon. When am I ever serious?"

"You'll be serious when I bench you for tomorrow's game," Jonah threatens jokingly. His two friends flip him off in front of the television, and all of them know that Lukas is the fastest runner UCLA has. To bench him would be costing the game.

"Yeah, sure," Lukas scoffs. "You'll be saying that when I run laps around you, captain."

Jonah hurls a pair of balled-up socks at his head.

Wren plays the video game again and their attention is sucked into the players on the vivid screen, eyes turning glassy and vision funneled into their playstation. Jonah feels an elbow digging into his ribs, and he turns around to face a glowing Adrian.