On Thin Ice

28.

Autumn Kingsley

"Autumn and Atlas? May I have yours?"

I open my mouth to speak but the idiot next to me gets his words out before mine.

"We sent it to you by email." He accompanies his words with a forced smile before sinking back into his chair. He turns his head towards me, and I don't realise my gaze is fixed on him until he pinches his eyebrows together at me.

Rolling my eyes, I turn my head away from him. Tauntingly, he mirrors my actions.

I'm surprised we even got to finish our project despite all the chaos the previous night. Atlas ended up being bribed to buy Kaden a new speaker.

We spend the remainder of the lesson planning an opening to story we were later going to submit, whilst Miss Wilder is occupied with looking through our assigned projects that we had submitted today.

My attention is ripped away from the crumpled up piece of paper on the floor as my arm is nudged in order to gain my attention.

Twisting my head to my right, I furrow my eyebrows. "What?"

"D'you have a pen I could borrow? Mine broke." Atlas lifts his broken pen up and wiggles it in my face.

"How did you snap your pen in half?"

He shrugs nonchalantly. "Messing with it."

"Is there something wrong?" We avert our gaze to Miss Wilder who was staring at us like we had been planning a mass murder.

Atlas speaks before me once again. "Just asking for a pen Miss."

Miss Wilder rummages around in one of his drawers, probably finding Atlas a pen since the dumb fuck managed to snap it in half because he was messing with it.

"Here." Unexpectedly, Miss Wilder throws the pen in our direction and Atlas smoothly catches it with one hand.

Nudging his head in a thanking manner, he presses his pen to his page before jotting a few words down onto the piece of paper in front of him.

It was the end of the lesson and I was just about to exit the classroom before I take notice of Miss Wilder calling Atlas over to our desk.

I manage to articulate 10 exact words.

Did you pick the topic for yours and Autumn's presentation?

And those 10 words seem to repeat through my head and leave me wondering as I made my way to the changing rooms.

- - -

I tighten the drawstring of my shorts to fit around my hips, before wiping my hands onto my thighs.

There is no way in hell they're making us play fucking dodgeball.

"You should wear these more often." Raven comes from behind me and stares at our, more like my reflection in the mirror. "It really makes that nice ass of yours pop out."

I roll my eyes at her remark and apply some lotion onto my legs.

"Atlas is going to be pleased this gym lesson." The corner of Lilah's lips turn up slightly and I groan.

"We're just being honest with you Autumn, that's what friends are for, right?" Raven smiles tauntingly at me before rubbing my lower back.

"Okay hurry up you two, let's go."

Lilah shoves us towards the doors before continuing to guide us to the double doors that led to the sports hall. "We don't wanna keep Atlas waiting, do we tums?"