Hell to the No

Depth

When our laughter dies down, we both lie with our backs against the ground, looking quietly up at the pink sky. The sun has dropped below the hills on the other side of the valley, bringing a deep twilight to settle over our little town.

I poke at his skateboard with my toe.

"You a hardcore skater?" I ask.

"I've been skateboarding for a while, if that's what you mean," he says with a chuckle, "So I'm pretty good at it by now." I smile softly as a thought crosses my mind. I used to have a fascination with skater boys in my early teenage years, and I can feel that reminiscent attraction to the sport.

"You'll have to let me watch you go down one of these streets."

"Only if you ride with me," he laughs. I roll my eyes.

"Dying would be soooo cooooool," I tease with flat sarcasm as I watch a sparrow flit across our view of the sky.

"I'd keep you safe, darlin'." I draw a quiet breath at his soft tone, pausing to pick up the teasing that should be there. I look over at him to see his eyes hooded, his smile lazy and his expression relaxed. I roll over onto my side with my head propped up on my arm.

"You're the last person I'd trust with my life," I say with a soft laugh. The ghost of a smirk creeps up on his lips before he shifts onto his side to mirror me.

"Ouch," he croons. I scrunch my up my nose at him before landing a swift flick on his arm. "Jesus, injury to insult, huh?"

"What a baby!"

"What an asshole," he says as I stick my tongue out at him. He flashes his at me briefly as he mimics the face I'm making.

After our laughter dies down, we fall back into silence, taking in the sounds of cicadas, peepers, and traffic far below. After a moment of both periodically sighing in content, Roman breaks the vocal silence.

"So did my idea for this summer ever trickle down from my mother to yours?" he asks. My heart flushes in excitement, almost painfully, at the forgotten thought. Being able to see these smoky eyes, have these abusively flirty exchanges every day for a number of weeks.. Get to know Roman. He has been patiently holding my gaze, I realize, before I answer him.

"Yeah, my mom told me about it at dinner tonight. Your mom stopped by while I was studying, I just missed her." Roman rolls onto his stomach, laying his cheek down against his crossed arms.

"I called her and asked her about it after I got to my dad's from dropping you off. What do you think about it?" I swallow at that, trying to calm myself enough to not give away the fact that this little idea of his made me sick and giddy with excitement. I give a one-shouldered shrug.

"It's a really good idea, actually. We'll probably get the highest grade in the class for all the work we'll put into this project..."

"It's definitely gonna be perfect. Farther up the campgrounds, there are a few lakes that formed from the old mining areas. It'll be the perfect place to test our mighty craft." He closes his eyes as a smile plays on his lips. "Plus it's gorgeous, you're gonna love it. Having a new face there this year will be refreshing." My heart pounds excitedly with these thoughts of spending practically the whole summer with Roman at his camp.

"Who all goes with you? Sage and his family?"

"Well, just Sage and his dad. Then my mom and step dad, and we meet up with my uncles, aunts, and cousins up there. They lease properties in Alpine Mine, too. They'll love you, they're all great people. Not counting the little cousins..." I chuckle at the thought of Roman being pestered by a gang of tiny kids.

"You don't have any siblings?" I ask, and a thought hits me after the words come out. His parents weren't together. His mother was the one going with him to this camp all summer, and he had talked about going to his dad's house before.

"No," he chuckles. I think he sees the realization on my face now. "My mom had me when she was in college," he explains, "My father stuck around for a little bit, but they never got married. They both always stayed here, though. Mom did 'cause a lot of her family lives here, and my father did 'cause of his job. Though... I think mom stays here so that I don't have to move around all the time. She remarried about a year ago, who knows if I'll ever have a sibling," he adds with a soft smile. I had been watching him steadily the whole time, gazed at him as he rolled on his back to watch the sky as he told me about his family.

"So your mom's last name is Hughes," I say, "Is your dad's last name Spade?" He smiles at the darkening sky.

"No," he chuckles, "That was my mom's maiden name. My father's last name is Trep." I sigh as I watch him, and I have the strong urge to lie with my head against his shoulder. He sounds pretty okay with the retelling of all of his background, but I can hear the slight monotone his voice took on during some parts, saw the tightness of his smiles. I press no further, and the desire to physically lend comfort to him grows stronger. Who was this boy? He had changed so much from when I first was truly introduced to him just a few days ago. It was true that we had never even interacted over the years before this project. He never interacted with anyone in the earlier high school years. Except for Sage. And other than being something of an antisocial, I had known absolutely nothing about him. Besides what I had heard from other people about him being emo, an all-around dog and bad-boy. And that's how he came off when he first started talking to me. All devilish disposition and cocky smirks. But this Roman right here... The one who carried me home from the club, cared for me in my sorry and drunken state, forgiven my irrational behavior towards him, opened up to me here, was the Roman that makes my brain agree with my heart. But… Was there another side to him?

"What are you thinking about?" his voice murmurs softly in my ear, and my eyes snap open. I hadn't even realized I had zoned out so badly. I'm lying on my side, my cheek pressed against the soft grass, and Roman has inched closer to me, his face resting very close to my own. I blink a few times at him as my cheeks flush in embarrassment.

"Sorry," I whisper, and Roman's hand lifts to brush a strand of pink hair from my face. His touch lingers at my cheek, and he slowly brushes another strand back. His scent lingers like his touch in my nose.

"You kept frowning in thought," he chuckles with a smirk, and I swear he can hear my rocketing pulse. I've never felt a stronger urge to kiss him than right now. Not even when I was intoxicated.

...I think.

"Nothing, just thinking about finals tomorrow." His thick dark brows rise in amusement, but he doesn't question me further.

"I'll just bomb them like I did the other ones. I hate tests," he says with a single-shouldered shrug. I roll my eyes as I push his hand away from my face.

I sit up with a stretch and a yawn, looking out across the glittering town, noticing how dark it has gotten.

"Must be getting late," Roman voices my thoughts. I nod as I snatch up my flip-flops from the grass, and stand while brushing off my skirt. Roman stands up as well, lifting his skateboard and shaking out his dark hair as we both start walking towards the street. We look back over our shoulders at the town, now glittering with far-off lights far and wide.

"I can't decide if it looks more beautiful under the sunset, or right now under the night," Roman says. I nod in agreement. He tugs the sleeve of my off-the-shoulder shirt, and I look at him in the darkness. "I'll walk you home, Aleithea."