the pie

[instar]

Gym class is mind-numbing. Bella spends it thinking about introversion - Andi finds it peculiar and kept asking her questions about it. Bella's not an extreme case of the type, but definitely qualifies. Andi always has more friends - needs more friends - than Bella does.

Comments

[instar]

Bella looks at him.

She looks at the bruises.

She concludes her phone call - "the name is Swan" - and hangs up.

"What happened?" she asks, gesturing at the bruises.

[aeskhyne]

He opens his eyes. "Mm?"

[instar]

"Did you have a violent disagreement with a staircase?"

[aeskhyne]

"Oh." He grins. "Nope. I had sex. Really great sex."

[instar]

"Ah."

[aeskhyne]

He laughs.

"Next time should I just tell you you don't wanna know?"

[instar]

"You could ask me if I'm sure I want to know."

[aeskhyne]

"Okay."

[instar]

"If Renée sees those bruises, she will not in fact want to know, but might feel obliged to ask."

[aeskhyne]

He snorts. "I'll tell her I fell down the stairs."

[instar]

"She'll probably believe you. When I was in the first grade she got some pointed questions from my teacher because I often have violent disagreements with staircases. It blew over, but she's at least aware that there are multiple reasons someone might appear injured."

[aeskhyne]

Trouble laughs. "What was the teacher doing grilling her? If something was up she'd just lie about it, right?"

[instar]

"Well, Renée teaches kindergarten - you can't really work with kids any more if there's an accusation like that out in public, even a false one. And the first grade teacher had met me - she hadn't seen me fall at the time she got suspicious, but she'd seen me use walls for balance, and stumble, and knock things off my desk. Renée told her to talk to my gym teacher, and to call Charlie if she still wasn't sure, and then there's the fact that Andi was always fine. No scandal, Renée keeps her job, I am generally known to be accident-prone."

[aeskhyne]

"And nobody asked you what the deal was?"

[instar]

"The gym teacher had already confirmed with me at the start of the year when Renée told him that I couldn't be playing soccer with the other kids, so I guess the first-grade teacher didn't feel the need to follow up," shrugs Bella.

[aeskhyne]

"Lucky you," says Trouble. "That would've been awkward."

[instar]

"My first-grade teacher taking me aside asking if Renée hits me? Yes. I was just barely six, I don't think I would even have understood why she was asking."

[aeskhyne]

He chuckles and shakes his head.

[instar]

"What?"

[aeskhyne]

"Nothing. I have a weird sense of humour."

[instar]

"Very weird, apparently."

[aeskhyne]

"Yep."

[pandion]

The door opens and in walks Andi. "I haaaaaate history, I studied presidents for like all afternoon with Meg and I still turn half their names into Spoonerisms. Hi, Trouble."

[aeskhyne]

"Hi, Andi!" he says, waving.

[pandion]

"Why do we have to have so many presidents, couldn't they have longer terms or something to be gentler on poor innocent high schoolers?" She flops onto the sofa next to Bella. "Whatcha talking about?"