"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness - and call it love - true love." (Robert Fulghum)
Moving...
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"I can't believe you actually listened," Harlyn says, mouth agape.
We meet Nevin in the hallway, and he looks exactly as Harlyn described, except he's replaced the leather pants with jeans. The black backpack pairs perfectly with the slightly transparent white shirt on top, which has rolled-up sleeves and is unbuttoned down to the third button. Nevin is sometimes insecure about how he looks, and today is one of those occasions because in other situations, he wouldn't have had any problem wearing the shirt on bare skin. His insecurities are the newly emerged chest hair and the lack of a defined abdomen, complemented by the beginning of a belly due to his metabolism struggling to handle the amount of unhealthy food Nevin consumes daily.
I hear a whistle coming from Lance.
"Well, well, what do we have here, ladies."
Harlyn rolls her eyes.
"If I didn't know the truth, I'd say you're hitting on us," she says.
"The truth?" Raine asks, perplexed.
None of them display any reaction to Raine's curious question, which mirrors my thoughts and leaves us in a haze. Is she suggesting that he has a girlfriend?
"Do you have everything ready? Did you bring the gifts?"
My and the blond's gift is with Zayden. Raine is carrying the gigantic bag from her and Harlyn, Lance has a bag on his back, and he's dressed and ready. Luke joins us, dressed much more casually with a somewhat fitted T-shirt that has a shirt-like collar and some slacks. A shiver runs down my spine as we step out into the cold wind. My legs are exposed to the wind, covered only by a pair of tights, and I'm wearing ankle boots that are quite slippery, so I have to lean on Nevin for support, and he willingly lets me hold onto his arm without hesitation. Over my dress, I'm wearing a thick coat that doesn't match at all, but at least it keeps me warm.
"I can't wait to have a drink," Nevin says.
"Not as long as I'm here," I reply, giving him a nasty look.
He hasn't even had much contact with alcohol, and yet he's so eager for it. I'm afraid he might get drunk because I don't know how he would react. He could cause a scene, become very quiet, or even do something stupid like flirt shamelessly with Harlyn or other girls. I don't trust him when he's not sober.
"Have you ever drunk alcohol before, at least?" Raine asks, incredulous.
"Of course," Nevin answers, offended.
We arrive at the exit of the school courtyard, where the guard greets us with a suspicious look.
"Where are you going, kids?"
"To a birthday party," I reply, knowing that among all of us, I have the best relationship with him.
