To Be Alone With You

11. frigid

CHAPTER ELEVEN

FRIGID

—

It was December, and Kaspian was cold.

Teeth chattering, he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he had to find an alternative to warm pockets of jackets.

"Kas, oh my god, just get a jacket to school," Stella reprimanded, shoving her own hands into the pockets of her hoodie. Her makeup was done perfectly, and Kaspian briefly wondered how she managed to get her skin to look so smooth and shiny.

"But it's just extra shit to carry," Kaspian complained. It was true, he already had to carry clothes to change into after track practice, and carrying a jacket just seemed pointless.

Rolling their eyes, North shoved Kaspian's forehead. "You're always bitching at Stella and me for being cold all the time, but look at you. Dumbass." North's makeup was just as good as Stella's, with eyeliner sharp and precise. They leaned against the locker, hair falling in front of their face. Zahra handed them a pale blue clip to pin their hair back.

"Why do all of you look like y'all put so much effort into your appearances today?" Kaspian asked, genuinely baffled. "Except you, Nix."

"Nice to know I'm your least favourite," Phoenix retorted dryly. "You're not that special to me either, sorry."

"Joking. I meant that you put effort into your appearance everyday!"

Rolling his eyes, Phoenix pushed Kaspian playfully. "Suck a cock."

"Been there, done that. More than once actually," Kaspian mused.

"Nobody asked," Phoenix stated, and then turned to North. "Shit, I actually think I get why you don't wanna hear about our sex lives."

Kaspian usually didn't have any free time to just hang around the lockers before class, but Coach finished practice half an hour early, telling the team to get some rest, considering they were all way too cold to function normally. Or maybe that was just me.

"Is it possible to pass out from the cold? There are heat strokes but are there no cold strokes?" Kaspian questioned, shivering slightly. Maybe I'm getting sick or something. It's so cold, Jesus.

Just when Kaspian had that thought, he sneezed loudly into his arm, and shivered.

"Yeah, your cold strokes are called pneumonia," Zahra deadpanned. Phoenix sighed, taking a look at Kaspian's state, and he took off his jacket.

"I'm not taking your jacket. I can survive in the cold without a jacket. You can't, you're white. It's natural selection at its finest."

Phoenix gave Kaspian a mildly exasperated look. "You're behaving like it's the fucking Arctic or some shit. It's not that cold, you're just dramatic. Take it, I'm wearing a full sleeved t-shirt underneath anyway."

Kaspian smiled gratefully, and wrapped himself in Phoenix's jacket. North grinned. "You look like a little turtle."

"If I was a turtle, I'd be Raphael. God, what an icon."

Stella laughed incredulously. "You're delusional if you truly think you'd be Raphael. Zahra's Raph, North is Michaelangelo, Nix is a blend of Mikey and Leo. You're Donatello minus the brains."

"The way she fucking dragged you," Phoenix commented. "Wait, who are you?"

"The man— sorry, rat, the myth, the legend. Splinter." Stella smiled, seemingly pleased with herself.