02 : go home

"TWO WEEKS DETENTION, AFTER SCHOOL." My eyes pop out of my socket.

"But ma'am, I have lacrosse practice. I have a huge game this Tuesday." The urge to stomp on his foot increases when Kamil acts as if he is the only important player.

"Yeah, I also have to practice."

Ms Blatt rolls her eyes at us, "I am sure someone can fill in for both of you in the meantime. You should have thought about it before you disturbed my entire class."

Come on, Qureshi! Use your teacher's pet pixie dust and fucking swoon, Ms Blatt, already.

Kamil's grey eyes turn glassy and he speaks in the voice that will even make me pity him, "Ma'am, please. This is very important. Avery is the team captain and both of us need to participate in the match. It is the game that decides whether we go to the semifinals or not."

Ms Blatt smiles, "Oh, did our school not get into the semifinals in the first place because of your mistakes?"

I squeezed my eyes shut for a beat, "We will do whatever you want us to as long as it does not interfere with our lacrosse practices. We will be on kitchen duty!" Kamil stomps his foot over mine, his eyes alarming on the words kitchen duty. I pinch his leg to shut him up.

"No, I do not need you on kitchen duty. There is an activity that is due next month. What about you both hand it to me by this Saturday? A slideshow in front of the entire class. Good enough?"

Kamil and I started, "But—"

"Or you can spend your time in detention. Pick your partner and start it. Now leave my classroom."

I run a hand through my hair when we get out of the class. A vein pops out of Kamil's forehead, this has got to be good. The project is about that we have to pick a city or town and write briefly about how it was fifteen years ago. And there is no one anyone will agree to partner with me, especially not when the deadline of the presentation for the entire class is next fucking month. At least, this is better than warming benches and getting dirty looks from everyone.

Kamil's jaw is locked tight, a good thing I speak without thinking or I might just have kept my mouth shut all the time. My voice stops him from moving, "Kamil, what if we did the assignment together?"

"What?" I expected him to react the same way.

I shrugged, "I mean that no one will partner with us at this moment, since they have like an entire month to do it. So what if we partner with each other?"

Kamil let out a rough laugh, I have to tilt my face to look into his eyes when we are standing. "Are you kidding with me, Ramos? Are you that out of your mind?"

"What do you mean—"

"Listen, just because we made out as a mistake, does not mean that we are now friends. I still dislike your guts with the same passion as before. You are the reason I have to go through this and you were the reason why we lost the game. I will rather do the project happily alone, than with a person like you." I clench my fist at his words. Who knew Kamil Qureshi is also so good at spitting out venom? I really should have thought before speaking.

—

VALERIE KNOWS SOMETHING IS UP. Of course, she does. Even I know my tells, I am that obvious. She pouts a little without my greeting when she comes home. Her brown hairs are tied in a ponytail in such a bad manner that it looks like she has not combed in forever. It might probably be true since I have rarely seen her getting ready in six months. Even though she might have blue bags under her eyes, she asks me about my day while ruffling my hair. Just because she doesn't take care of her hair, doesn't mean I don't. I swat her hands away from me while she drops her bags on the floor. But there is a certain smile on her face and I bet it has something to do with the person who dropped her home in their fancy car.

She places the box of pizza on the kitchen counter and washes her hands, "What happened at school? Got in a fight?"

"Oh, do not ask me questions miss, when you are not telling me who was the person and their fancy car?" I ask, taking a bite out of the pizza.

"I asked you first." I hate the fact that hovers over me because she is a couple of inches taller.

My hands block my nose from the sudden air pollution, "God, Vanilla. You are stinking. Go take a shower. My eyes might bleed because of your smell."

She grins before taking a huge bite out of her pizza, "I am starving, today was so tiring. There was this patient who had broken his nose, and he would not stop complaining about it. He kept whining about how he will not be able to give his interview in the school paper. Truly, he reminded me of you."

"I truly have no idea why the person who dropped you off even likes you. You are talking with your mouth open. What did your parents teach you, huh?" I shake my head in disappointment, "Mama raised you better than that."

She licks her finger covered in red sauce, "Oh fuck off, Avery. It's just you and me, let me live in my own house."

My eyes widen as I let out a dramatic gasp mimicking mom, "Valerie Ramos, how could you use that language in my house? So much disrespect towards the women you gave birth to you. Have some shame! You are a doctor for heaven's sake, Valerie."

"Twice usage of my name in the monologue. Hm, you nailed it."

"Thank you, it's my pleasure."

"Tell me what happened at school and I might tell you the name of the person who dropped me."

"You are so vicious, you got that from me. I cannot be more proud."

"Now."

I take a deep breath, "Basically, I got in a fight with this guy who hates me a lot—"

"Which one? The one you pushed accidentally in the mud or the one you burned?"

"Burned. Uh, so he got on my nerves and I kinda yelled at disturbed the entire class. Ms Blatt told us to submit her assignment in under two weeks or we both can serve detention."

"But don't you have a game soon?"

"Aww, you remember! Well, yeah. I asked Elliot to do it with me but she bailed on me."

"I do not even know why you are even friends with her. Doesn't she like ditch you every other time?"

"Come on, we do not choose our friends."

She rolls her eyes at my little dialogue, "Hit me up if you need my help."

"Actually, I do—"

"Look, when I offer you my help, the polite thing to do is decline the offer. And say that you can do it by yourself."

I roll my eyes and give her my empty dish, "Look, the activity is to write about how things were in here fifteen years ago. And since you are old as dinosaurs, maybe you can tell me something about that time."

"'That time'. Avery, I am not that old and I was like four or five when you were born. So, I do not remember most of the things. If I find something, I will tell—" The doorbell cuts her off, "Be a dear, and go open the door. Or you can do the dishes." I move towards the door, anything was better than the dishes.

The door swings inside slightly, as I poke my head to see who it is. The person who was about to ring the bell again wears a sage green shirt and black pants. They look classy and unfamiliar.

Their brown eyes blink twice, "Hi? Is Valerie home?"

"Do I know you?"

I squint my eyes for fun, and it's hilarious because they look like they are about to have a stroke right this second. "I am Dr Kauffman. Sia Kauffman. I work with Valerie, she left her water bottle in the car." Sia is saying the truth because I can see their car parked outside our gate and the anime kitchen on the water bottle is Valerie's favourite possession. I swing the door open immediately and lean against it.

"Oh, you are the person who dropped her off. Hello, I am Avery! He, him or they, them."

They take my hand lightly, "Sia Kauffman, she and her. Val talks about you a lot." Sia calls her 'Val', nice information. I finally have something to tease her about.

"Yeah, you mentioned it." Now, it is the golden opportunity to embarrass the fuck out of my dear older sister, "Thank you so much for dropping her off today! It is such a drag for her to take the bus every day since she cannot drive on her own and I cannot drive her yet. It is very kind of you, I am glad that she knows people like you. When did you two start dating?"

Panic flicker in her eyes, "Oh, uh, we are not dating. Is that what she told you?"

"No! Valerie does not want me interfering in her love life. So bad that you both are just friends. It has been so long since she went out with someone. Did you buy that car on your own?"

Sia chuckles nervously, "I got it on loan."

"Hm. Still impressive. Are you seeing someone—"

"Avery, who is it!" Valerie shouts from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her shirt. It looks like she is about to scold me but her words dissolve in her mouth when she sees Sia Kauffman standing in her doorway. "Oh, hi, uh—"

"I was here to return your water bottle, you forgot it in my car." Valerie blinks twice before stammering and as an empath, I think she wants me to leave when she pinches my arm subtly. It's fine, I am not a terrible brother. And I also want her to leave me alone when I talk to anyone I like. Valerie cannot stop blushing and the thought of the fact I have an assignment to submit by next week kills me. I flop on the couch with my neck resting on the hand rest, I search about my town was fifteen years ago. But there is no information that I can write about it. I put variations of words to find the desired results but there is nothing. Guess, fifteen years ago this place was as boring as always.

Ten minutes later, Valerie stomps into the hall and growls, "You."

I laugh to piss her off even more, "What? Did I embarrass you in front of your girlfriend?"

"Fuck you, Avery. Let's see what I will do when you find a partner—" A bell cuts her off.

I wiggle my eyebrows dramatically and smirk, "Oh, look! Your girlfriend is back. If you are going to sleep together, just tell me I will spend the night at Elliot—"

"Shut up!"

"Be safe! I don't want to be an uncle so soon!" And I am definitely not surprised when she shows me a middle finger which makes me laugh harder.

I turn on the sofa and start scrolling through google when Valerie walks inside again. She smirks, "Someone is there for you. And they have hickeys on their neck."

"What?" Why would Kamil be here?

"Go look for yourself. And remember to be safe."  I make an annoyed face at her before getting up with a groan.

Kamil wears a forest green shirt and black with annoying eyes dripping regret. The hickeys are not very visible on his dark skin but it is there. My voice has the same venom he spits on me this afternoon, "Why the fuck you are here?"

He winces from my words, "I—"

"Because if you are here to apologise or some shit like that, you should simply go home. Don't waste your time."

"I want to take up your offer."

I know what he is talking about but the assumption can be fatal, "What offer?"

I want to chuckle because it looks like someone asked him to cruse his dignity and kiss my feet, "Of doing the activity together."

"Oh, so now you are willing to work with a person like me?"

"Avery—"

"Good fucking bye, Qureshi." I swing the door shut but instead, he sticks his leg between.

"Listen, I know why you are here. You could not find a partner for this stupid activity because your friends bailed on your boring ass. And you just realised that you can not do this alone. So, I do not give a fuck about you. I cannot work with someone who hates me, it's just going to be more trouble. My advice is to go home and do it on your own, alone as you said earlier. Fuck off, good night."

I push at the door but Kamil is stronger than me as he uses his hands to not crush his foot, "Just hear me out, Avery. I should not have said those things about you. And I am just as at fault for this. My friends already have picked their partners and they are useless to work with anyways but that's not the point. The point is that we got into this together and we should help each other in this situation." I clench my jaw and he continues, "And just till the assignment is over, of course. Because I cannot do this without some help and you know that this topic needs for field research then google would help."

"So what now? I am your guide? Big boy cannot handle a small conversation?"

"No, yes. I mean, you are not my guide. And I am not good at talking to people! What about we—"

This is of no fucking use. I sigh turning the door wide open, "You wanna come inside and talk about it instead of freezing to death?"

God knows this is going to cost me.

—