Melodies

Spanish. Sucks.

The only thing keeping me awake (whose idea was it to start school at 8 anyway? I barely speak English this early) was watching Kell. He was actually paying attention to the lesson, taking notes and following intently. When he isn't paying attention to how he looks, he's ridiculously cute. He had a leg on his seat under him, leaning forward so he could read the board, scrunching up his face in concentration.

I worried a little, though, because of the circles under his eyes that seemed to be growing darker every day. He looked exhausted. If I could have just convinced him to take one day off, I could have relaxed a little bit. He was so stubborn. He refused to even consider the thought, telling me that he doesn't like his schedule to be interrupted.

He eventually noticed me staring, looking over in mild surprise and slight amusement. I waved lazily with one hand as he noticed the blank piece of paper in front of me. He rolled his eyes and resumed taking notes.

Thankfully, the bell rang soon. I was actually looking forward to Chemistry, just to get away from Spanish. We were doing a lab in class anyway, so it wasn't going to be too boring.

Once class had started, Mr. Fuentes had us divide up in pairs. Courtney threw a slight fit when I paired with Kell and Kim paired with Elizabeth, leaving her with some random person she never talked to. It was actually pretty funny watching her pout while the other kid did all the work.

We were doing something incredibly dull that involved letting a solution drip into another solution one drop at a time, until the mixture got the slightest pink tinge. Kell helped me set it up and then adjusted it correctly. It took almost the entire class period, but we got it right on the second try. Of course, neither of us knew how to use the data for the questions we were supposed to answer, but it was a start.

Computers and Gym went by, dragging on until the final bell. I could have ran straight down the bleachers and all the way home if I hadn't waited for Kell's slowpoke ass. He took forever, looking completely drained and miserable. I couldn't blame him, though. We'd been playing volleyball, and he invested a lot of energy in not getting hit by the ball.

Courtney met us outside, after her photography class finally let out. "Are you guys going to Kim's tonight?"

I shrugged. "Probably." Kim had the biggest television set, so Courtney begged her to do a Disney marathon at her house.

Kell said, "Maybe. I need a shower though."

"And a nap."

He pulled a face at me. "I can deal without a nap, thank you."

I held up my hands in mock defense. "You're so intimidating."

He sighed and leaned against me, linking our arms together. I turned to Courtney again. "Yeah, we'll be there."

~~~

Kell was already at Kim's when I got there, sitting on the counter that divided the kitchen and the living room. He was watching Ashton and Alex fight over something stupid, looking confused and tired.

I shoved past them to join him on the counter. "The hell are they doing?"

"They're trying to decide who has to do their math homework and who has to do their Geography project."

"Well, knowing them, they just won't do it in the end."

Kell shrugged. I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. Courtney chose that minute to walk in from the kitchen, where all the girls had gathered.

She squealed once she saw us. "You guys are just adorable!"

I grimaced and Kell wearily stuck his middle finger up in her direction, making me appreciate him even more. She didn't seem to care though, excitedly babbling at Kell about something. It involved a new dress and Halloween, and that was all I got out of it.

I pressed a kiss to Kell's cheek and slid off the counter, telling him I would be right back. I went through the back door in the kitchen, pulling out my cigarettes and lighter. I was extremely surprised to see Elizabeth already outside, exhaling smoke and staring at the kids in the yard next to us.

She looked over at me as I sat next to her, but she didn't say anything. I just stuck a cigarette in my mouth, lighting it and inhaling deeply. It was the first I'd had all day, and it was like heaven.

One of the kids next door, a little girl, raised a water gun twice her size over her head, accidentally hitting her brother directly in the face. Elizabeth chuckled. "Oh shit."

I smiled. "He probably shouldn't have stood so close to her."

"I guess not."

Voices drifted out from inside Kim's house. I heard Kell asking Kim if she'd seen me. She told him I was in the backyard.

He came through the door, looking insanely attractive in the shorts and The Little Mermaid tank top he'd stolen from Courtney. He pouted a little when he saw us. "Dammit, you're smoking."

"Sorry. I promise it's the first I've had all day."

Kim yelled out to Kell from inside. "It's no use, Kell! They'll lie and say they're quitting for you, but they're lying!"

Next to me, Elizabeth rolled her eyes and exhaled through her nose, smoke curling around her face.

Kell sat between us, purposefully not letting his bare fee touch the grass only a few inches away. He offered a half-smile to Elizabeth. "She only gets so frustrated because she used to smoke too."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Her dad found out. He's a doctor, so he flipped shit about lung cancer. He took her to that Bodies Exhibit thing, and showed her a smoker's lung. She freaked out and quit. That's probably why she wants you to quit so bad."

Elizabeth looked down at the concrete. "I told her I am, she just refuses to believe me because I can't give it up all at once like she did."

"She'll calm down."

Courtney opened the door. "Hey ladies, Brittany's putting the first movie on."

"Which one?"

"Hercules. Come on."

She waved us in. I stood, grabbing Kell's hand when he held it out and pulled him up. Elizabeth followed us in, shutting the door behind her.

Luckily, because Kim's dad is a doctor, they can afford to actually have furniture and stuff so that no one has to sit on the floor. Kell and I took an oversized chair next to the couch, where Brittany had her legs spread out over Ashton and Alex's laps.

Unshockingly, Kell fell asleep halfway through "Go The Distance." I would normally have been a little irritated or something, but I let it go. He'd been working so hard, it was time he got a little break. And he was the cutest thing ever when he was asleep.