The plot kinda thickens.
Their conversations grew more frequent.
Maybe she felt obligated to befriend him in some manner because of the seating arrangements, but as long as he got to hear her voice, he was okay with it.
As he walked to to school, the previous conversation ran through his head.
"So is Shade your only sibling?"
"No, he's just one of four."
"Four?"
"Yeah. But he's the fun one."
"Oh."
"How about you?"
He hesitated. "One. Well, I had one brother."
"Oh."
Before it could go where he didn't want it to, he quickly changed subject. "Tell me more about your family."
Her face lightened up. "Bree, the oldest brother, is more of a heartbreaker. Any girl around twenty years old, he's dated and broken up with. Except Ann Walsh. Somehow they're still together."
"Walsh? As in two kids, high school dropout, local diner waitress?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Gives her money, occasionally."
"That's good to hear."
"Yeah, it is. Tramy, the second oldest, he's a gardener. Works part-time at the flower shop down the street."
"Any girlfriend?"
"No. Girls want the bad-boy, not the sweetheart."
Cal was no bad-boy, and girls wanted his number. But he opted to keep his mouth shut.
"Shade, you know, and Gisa. Half the time she acts like my mom."
"How so?"
"One inch shorter than me and she sews, cooks half the meals and yells at me."
He tried to imagine someone shorter than Mare, but it was practically impossible for him without said someone being a child.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crashing. He didn't know what happened, but somehow Mare ended up face-first on the floor with too many books and junk to count on her back.
As many students started laughing, he rushed towards her, but unfortunately some other guy beat her to it.
Cal stopped in his tracks.
What does he do now? Stare as he helps her up? Turn back around and act as if he hadn't seen it?
He decided to help her up, since she saw him anyway.
Cal uses his hand to sweep the trash off her back and pick up the books necessary for her class, then carried her bridal-style away from the crowd.
Three minutes later, she hisses at him for carrying her that way.
"I'm not an invalid, Cal. I can walk fine on my own."
He was reluctant to let go, since he found a strange delight in holding her this way. "You sure?"
She huffed. "This isn't the first time it happened. Let go of me." Her face suddenly softened. "Please?"
"Fine." He let her stand on her own, and walked back to his locker for his books.
As he walked back, the same guy who tried to pick Mare up from the mess approached her. "Hi."
No response.
"Is that guy your boyfriend or something?"
"No, he's just—a friend."
"Really? No friend would ever do that unless he has feelings for the girl."
"Well he doesn't. He's just a friend that happens to overreact."
Ouch.
I would say so. Three in the morning, and I still got it. And this one was exactly 500 words.
This is the third writer typing, and have a good day🙂