Reed and I start the PE project that same week on Friday night, a large clear tarp laying on my backyard. There was a big ass camera, which I don't know where he got, that was set up on a chair on top of a large pile of books a little away from the tarp. He was currently covering the tarp with six bottles of baby oil, leaving two for each of us.
"I don't know about this." I sighed, staring at the tarp warily. He glances at me for a second before pressing record on the camera, a laptop opened on a couples yoga pose picture.
I stared at the pose, shaking my head, "That is going to kill me." I mumble. He snorts, grabbing the baby oil and dumping one over my shoulders, shaking it until it's empty as he moves around, being sure to get my arms and front. "Only if I'm lucky." He says, and I take the full one from his hands, throwing some of the oil onto his bare chest before getting his arms and his back. "No, seriously, you're paying for my funeral if this kills me." I say, tossing the bottle over my shoulder while he gets on the tarp on his back, pushing his legs up only halfway.
I stand with my front facing him, awkwardly trying to lower my back onto his feet. "If you drop me, I'm not kidding when I say I'll drop kick your balls." I threaten, reaching back and gripping his calves as he pushes his feet straight up into the air, gripping my heels. "Did we get it?" I ask, and he grunts, releasing my heels and propelling me off of him, sending me tumbling onto my back on the tarp. "Reed!" I yell, and he just chuckles, "That was like throwing a rag doll! You just flopped." He laughs, heading to the computer to change the picture.
I stare at the computer while Reed just bends over, his hands and feet on the tarp with his butt sticking in the air. "Dear heavens." I mumble, planting my hands on the slippery tarp and trying to flip myself over onto the back of his legs, but I end up propelling myself forward too hard and too fast. I slam into him and shriek, my legs sliding off of him and landing roughly on my back. "Ow, fuck!" I curse, and I can hear Reed chuckling, his shoulders shaking.
"Don't laugh at me!" I snap, trying to repeat my motions except more carefully this time. My butt collides with his and for a second, I think I might fall again but somehow I steady myself, sticking one leg forward and the other backward in the air. "Got it!" Reed exclaims, and then he stands before I can move, sending my body into a half fall and half flip trying to safely land in my spot.
"Okay, this next one's easy." Reed assures, changing the picture again. He half bends his legs, and I do the same in front of him, his hands trying to grip my forearms while I grip his. "Why are you so slippery?!" He exclaims, and I stare at him like he's an idiot. "Gee, I don't know." I say sarcastically.
He ignores my comment and pulls back a little, his hands still gripping my forearms. "Pull back!" He exclaims, and I frown. "I am!" I say, but he keeps repeating himself. "Do it, Leila! Pull back! You need to be straight!" He yells. When I don't, he releases my arms with a slight shove, sending me sliding back on my feet before I slip, falling onto my back. "God, Reed!" I hiss, sitting up with a glare. "You are literally the worst partner on the planet! Seriously, you suck." I snap, and he shrugs, still laughing.
"I don't know what you're talking about. This is the most fun I've had in a while." He grins, and then he gestures to the tarp in front of him. "Now get on your hands and knees. Time for the next one!" He cheers. I glare at him but do as I'm told. "Wait." I say, noticing him walking around me, and then his hands press into my back. "Wait, what are we doing?! What pose is this? You're literally going to crush me!" I exclaim. "Well, do you want to be on top then?" He asks, and I nod.
"Yes, you're going to kill me if you're on top." I say, smacking his hands away and glancing at the laptop screen to see which pose we're doing. Reed takes the spot with his hands and knees on the floor and I gape at the screen, but move over behind him and position my hands on his back. "How do I even do this?" I ask, screwing my face up in confusion. "Just hurry up!" He rushes. "I'm scared! What if I break your back?" I cry, glancing at the computer again. I was supposed to balance myself on his back with just my hands, my legs tucked up into my chest in the air.
"Well, then I'll break yours." He says easily, "Now do it! You take forever." He huffs. I chew on my lip but carefully propel myself forward and up, trying to tuck my legs into my chest before my hands slip and I scream, toppling onto him and sending us both to the ground. "Oh, my god!" Reed groans, "Fuck, what the hell? You talk about me being the worst partner in the world. You almost just legitimately broke my back!" He gripes, shoving me off of him. "I saw my life flash before my eyes." He mumbles.
I roll my eyes, "Oh, shut up. What's the next one?" I sigh, and he placed his hands on his hips. "We didn't even get that one. But because I don't trust you to not kill one of us with that one, we'll move on." He says, clicking to the next picture.
"Lay on your stomach. You're on bottom cause you'll turn this into a way to die, too." He says, and I shrug as I lay on my stomach. I hold my hand back, waiting for his foot but it doesn't come. I glance over my shoulder at the same time that he comes flying through the air, missing my hand as he flops onto me and I groan. "Get off!" I exclaim. I can hear him giggling as he rolls off and repeats his actions, almost kicking me in the face as he falls back onto me again.
"Stop trying to kill me!" I gripe, and he rolls his eyes, "Well, stop missing me! You know what, turn over." He says, gesturing to me. I turn onto my back, leaning at an angle while Reed stands in front of me, his feet on both sides of my legs. "You'd better catch me this time." He says, and then does a careful handstand with his head between my knees. His feet come flying towards me and I grip him by the ankles, pulling my legs up until they're bent, wedging into his back a little. "What are you doing?!" He yelled, and I shake my head.
"I don't know!" I admit, and then I shove him forward, making him flop over onto the tarp on his stomach with a pained grunt. "I hate you!" He snaps. I shrug, "This was your idea, just to remind you." I state.
"This is the last one 'cause this is painful." Reed decides, switching to the next picture. Both of us sit on the ground before sticking our feet up into the air, pressing our feet together while he reaches out and grabs my wrist while I grab his. "Okay! Done!" I exclaim, pushing him away and jumping up. Reed turns off the camera while I clean up the tarp, dragging it out the trash can and leaving him to pick up the bottles. Reed and I shove each other to get into the front door, "Stop it!" I groan, "I'm taking a shower first. This is my house!" I exclaim, but he just picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?!" I yell, his skin still slick from the baby oil. He tosses me onto my bed and then practically flys into my bathroom, with a little difficulty as his feet slide across the floor and he stumbles, locking the door while I bang against the door, "Reed! Get out of my bathroom!" I yell, and I hear shuffling before his voice rings out. "Are you sure you want that? I'm naked." He sounds completely serious, so I pause. "Why'd you have to use my bathroom?" I snap.
I hear the shower turn on but he doesn't respond. I huff and slam my palm against the door in frustration before grabbing my blankets, as they were now covered in baby oil. I head downstairs and put them into the washer, starting it before going back into my bedroom. I turn on Netflix, putting on A Series of Unfortunate Events while sitting on the floor, not wanting to get anymore baby oil all over my bed.
By the time Reed finally gets out of my bathroom, an hour had passed and I've already eaten half a bag of cheddar cheese Combos. I glare at him as he steps out, the band of his Calvin Klein boxers visible since his sweatpants are a little low on his hips. Not to mention he isn't wearing a shirt. "What the hell took you so long?" I snap, and he shrugs as he towel dries his hair before draping the towel over his shoulders, letting it dangle over his chest. "Nothin'." He says, to which I roll my eyes.
"Did you leave any hot water?" I ask, and he nods, "Yeah." He mutters, plopping on my bed. "Where's your blankets?" He asks, raising a brow. "They're in the washer. I got baby oil all over them, thanks to you." I don't wait for his response before entering the bathroom, locking the door and hopping into the shower. I was halfway through my shower when I realized I'd forgotten to bring any clothes and slammed my forehead into the shower wall, sighing.
"Why am I so stupid?" I whispered, washing out the conditioner.
I finish by washing my body, trying to stall as long as possible before stepping out and grabbing my towel, wrapping it around myself. I leave the bathroom and don't bother glancing at Reed as I head to my dresser, opening my drawers and pulling out my undergarments. I hurry into my closet, closing the door before dropping my towel and putting on my clothes. I was lucky I left pajamas in both my closet and my dresser.
I grabbed my towel off the floor and hung it back in my bathroom, swinging my hair all while walking through my bedroom. "Stop flinging your wet mop around." Reed says, staring at me with an unamused expression. I glance over at him while putting on deodorant, "Why don't you put on a shirt and then we'll talk?" I suggest, putting the deodorant back on my dresser. "Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?" He pouts. "Well, you in general make me uncomfortable." I shrug, grabbing one of my perfumes and spritzing it on.
"Why's that?" He asks, sounding as if he couldn't care less.
I rolled my eyes, "Because you're you. You could probably make a serial killer uncomfortable." I state, and he scoffs. "I'm not that bad." He defends, standing up to his full height. It's hard for me to keep my eyes off his torso, since it's just there on display for anyone to see. "You keep telling yourself that." I dismiss, and he's about to say something when my phone goes off, Noah's name flashing on the screen.
"Hey, bitch boy." I say into the phone, making Reed raise his brows at me. Noah huffs into the phone, "I told you not to call me that. I'm a man." He sounds like he's pouting, and I roll my eyes. "Oh, yes, how could I forget? My knight in shining armor who runs away when someone tries to kill me in the middle of the school hallway. What a man." I remind him, leaning against my dresser. "Are you ever going to let that go?" He sighs.
I shake my head even though I'm fully aware he can't see me. "Not a chance. You fucked yourself with that little decision, buddy." I state, to which he makes a whining sound. "It was an instinct! I was scared." He snaps, getting defensive. "Your first instinct was to throw me to the hands of Reed? Nice. You really know how to make it better." I say, unable to stop the small smile growing on my face.
I wasn't mad, obviously. Had the roles been reversed, I'd probably have done the same. It's just fun to mess with him, that's all. "That's not what I meant." He groans, irritated. "That's nice. What'd you call for?" I ask, and he paused. "Oh, right." He says. "Umm.." He mumbles, making me raise my brows. "I forgot." He admits. I roll my eyes, shaking my head, "Well, if you remember, I'll be here as per usual." I state. I don't even wait for him to answer before hanging up.
I look up at Reed and then over at the bunch of paints I have on a desk beside my bed, "Can I paint on you?" I ask.