When Ao'nung was absent, Spider had taken his seat in econ. Now that the entire Kogoya family was absent, and Kiri and her brothers were alone at their lunch table, Spider took advantage of the empty seats once again. He sat in between Lo'ak and Neteyam. They both scooted away without looking at him. The silence was heavy and awkward. Kiri glanced up at him and smiled before staring back down at her phone. "I'm sorry, who are you?" Lo'ak asked suddenly, looking over at him. "Oh. I'm Spider." Lo'ak blinked at him. "Spider? Like, actually?" "No, not actually," Kiri sighed, looking at her brother in disbelief. "Yeah, no, it's a nickname." Lo'ak rolled his eyes.
"Why is that your nickname?" Neteyam asked. At first, Spider thought he was making fun of him. But, after looking at Neteyam, he could see that the boy was being genuine. "Oh. I, uh, I used to try to sneak out of recess by climbing the fence. It just kinda stuck." Neteyam grinned. "I thought it was because of your skinny legs," Kiri called from across the table. Lo'ak scoffed, looking under the table at Spider's legs. "What- no, that's not why," he said, hurriedly turning his legs away from Lo'ak. "That's what Ao'nung told us," Neteyam said, looking at Lo'ak with mischievous eyes. "Ao'nung is a liar," Spider promised, holding his hands up in front of him.
Another silence fell. Spider looked over at Kiri. "Where's your boyfriend?" he asked. Neteyam's head shot up. "Wh- me?" Spider blinked and stared at him. "No, bro, not you," he snapped, brow furrowing in confusion. Neteyam nodded awkwardly and looked back down at his phone, rubbing the back of his neck. "Me?" Kiri asked, looking at him in disbelief. Spider grinned. "Yes, you." Kiri blinked. "I don't have a boyfriend...?" she answered, seeming unsure of her own statement. "Really? So, you and Rotxo aren't..." "Dr. Kogoya had her baby," Lo'ak interrupted, staring pointedly at Spider. "Oh." "Mhm. A baby girl," Kiri added, smiling softly. "Oh good, I bet Tsireya loves that." Lo'ak looked over at him suspiciously. "Dude, relax," Spider mumbled, staring back at him. "I'm just her brother's friend. It's my cousin that has a thing for her." Spider watched how his words affected Lo'ak. His eyes narrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly. He glanced over Spider's shoulder at his brother.
"Anyways," Kiri called, looking at her brothers in exasperation. "Sorry," Lo'ak mumbled, looking down at his phone. "What's your third?" Spider asked, turning his body to face her. "Art," she said bluntly. "Oh. So, you like to draw?" She nodded. "I like pottery best. I wish we had permission to use the kiln more often." Spider blinked. "We have a kiln? Here?" She nodded, again. "Why can't you use it?" She sighed. "The teacher is kinda strict," she explained. "Oh. Well, my dad is kinda involved in the school system. I'll see if maybe I could get him to talk to the teacher? Or, at least, the head of the arts department." Kiri's eyes widened. "You'd do that?" He nodded. "Yeah. You'll have to make me a mug or something. Maybe a bowl." he laughed, elbowing Lo'ak. "Although, Rotxo would probably prefer a bowl of some sorts." Lo'ak stared at him blankly. "Huh?" "You know, because he... you can smoke out of a- it's called a bowl," Spider explained, cringing at himself. "Not too much on Rotxo, man," Lo'ak murmured, folding his arms across his chest. Spider felt his face flush in embarrassment. He looked over at Kiri. She was smiling, and eating goldfish from a Ziploc bag. "Maybe I will make him a bowl. You'll have to work a little harder if you want a whole mug, though." Spider wasn't sure if she understood his joke. He decided not to ask.
Spider sat beside Kiri in econ again. He had spent his third block in the library, writing an email to his father. Now, he was beside her, watching her pick dried glue off of her palm. "I used to do that as a kid," he said, trying to start a conversation. "Me too," Kiri mumbled, not looking up. "Kiri," Neteyam called, holding out his phone. "They're still at the hospital, I think." Spider peeked discreetly at Neteyam's screen. It appeared to be a picture of Tsireya sprawled on a couch, sleeping with her mouth wide open, while Rotxo and Ao'nung huddled under a single thin blanket on the floor. Kiri grinned. "I hope Ronal is okay," she whispered. "Well, as okay as she can be," she added, smiling softly. Spider nodded. He didn't know Ronal well, but she had always brought chopped watermelon and orange slices to their swim meets.
Spider learned from eavesdropping that Neteyam had to drive across town after school to try to find a specific color of orchid. Kiri had grumbled about wanting to go home after school. Spider had been waiting for the right opportunity to offer her a ride home for the past hour. He was running out of time, and he knew it. Neteyam and Kiri were looking at something on her phone, deep in conversation. Spider didn't necessarily want to interrupt, but he had no other option. "Kiri," he whispered. She didn't hear him. "Kiri," he repeated, slightly louder. She glanced up. Spider realized at that moment that her eyes were hazel, not just brown. She gave him a weird look. He blinked. "I can drive you," he breathed. Neteyam looked up at him slowly. "I meant, I could give you a ride home from school," he corrected, feeling his face flush. "Okay," Kiri said, nodding. He waited for her to continue. She did not. "So, am I-" "No," Neteyam said, shaking his head. Kiri glared at him. "Yes," she said defiantly. "No. I don't even know him," Neteyam argued. Spider winced. "He works at Olive Garden. His dad's on the school board, or something. It's, like, a 12 minute drive." Neteyam hesitated, a frustrated look on his face. "I'm a really good driver," Spider assured him, grinning. Neteyam groaned. "Okay. Fine. Straight home, nowhere else. I mean that." He glared at Spider. Spider nodded hurriedly, eyes wide.
Spider walked Kiri out to his car. The wind kept blowing his hair in his face. He was trying to listen to what she was saying, but found himself distracted by the curls whipping in the wind in front of his ears. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" he apologized, holding his hair back in his fist. Kiri grinned at him. "Here," she said, handing him a large clip. Spider took it, looking at it closely. It had green leaves painted on it. "I don't... know what I'm supposed to do with this," he muttered, handing it back to her. "It's for your hair." "I know, I just-" "Let me." Spider crouched down slightly as Kiri twisted his hair away from his face and clipped it back. "Hm," he grunted, moving his head back and forth to test its security. "Thank you," he said, looking down at her with wide eyes. She nodded, smiling.
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