CHAPTER ELEVEN

FRIGID

—

It was December, and Kaspian was cold.

Teeth chattering, he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he had to find an alternative to warm pockets of jackets.

"Kas, oh my god, just get a jacket to school," Stella reprimanded, shoving her own hands into the pockets of her hoodie. Her makeup was done perfectly, and Kaspian briefly wondered how she managed to get her skin to look so smooth and shiny.

"But it's just extra shit to carry," Kaspian complained. It was true, he already had to carry clothes to change into after track practice, and carrying a jacket just seemed pointless.

Rolling their eyes, North shoved Kaspian's forehead. "You're always bitching at Stella and me for being cold all the time, but look at you. Dumbass." North's makeup was just as good as Stella's, with eyeliner sharp and precise. They leaned against the locker, hair falling in front of their face. Zahra handed them a pale blue clip to pin their hair back.

"Why do all of you look like y'all put so much effort into your appearances today?" Kaspian asked, genuinely baffled. "Except you, Nix."

"Nice to know I'm your least favourite," Phoenix retorted dryly. "You're not that special to me either, sorry."

"Joking. I meant that you put effort into your appearance everyday!"

Rolling his eyes, Phoenix pushed Kaspian playfully. "Suck a cock."

"Been there, done that. More than once actually," Kaspian mused.

"Nobody asked," Phoenix stated, and then turned to North. "Shit, I actually think I get why you don't wanna hear about our sex lives."

Kaspian usually didn't have any free time to just hang around the lockers before class, but Coach finished practice half an hour early, telling the team to get some rest, considering they were all way too cold to function normally. Or maybe that was just me.

"Is it possible to pass out from the cold? There are heat strokes but are there no cold strokes?" Kaspian questioned, shivering slightly. Maybe I'm getting sick or something. It's so cold, Jesus.

Just when Kaspian had that thought, he sneezed loudly into his arm, and shivered.

"Yeah, your cold strokes are called pneumonia," Zahra deadpanned. Phoenix sighed, taking a look at Kaspian's state, and he took off his jacket.

"I'm not taking your jacket. I can survive in the cold without a jacket. You can't, you're white. It's natural selection at its finest."

Phoenix gave Kaspian a mildly exasperated look. "You're behaving like it's the fucking Arctic or some shit. It's not that cold, you're just dramatic. Take it, I'm wearing a full sleeved t-shirt underneath anyway."

Kaspian smiled gratefully, and wrapped himself in Phoenix's jacket. North grinned. "You look like a little turtle."

"If I was a turtle, I'd be Raphael. God, what an icon."

Stella laughed incredulously. "You're delusional if you truly think you'd be Raphael. Zahra's Raph, North is Michaelangelo, Nix is a blend of Mikey and Leo. You're Donatello minus the brains."

"The way she fucking dragged you," Phoenix commented. "Wait, who are you?"

"The man— sorry, rat, the myth, the legend. Splinter." Stella smiled, seemingly pleased with herself.

"Well. On that note, I'm leaving. I have to go to class," Zahra interjected, kissing both, Stella and Phoenix on the cheek.

Kaspian started making his way to class too, he decided he could be early to Calculus for once. When he entered the class, he found Rowan, and he looked to be in a heated argument with somebody. Kaspian went closer.

"Yeah, and what the fuck is it to you? You gay for him or something?" Some guy in an orange t-shirt asked.

Rowan clenched his fist. "You're an uninformed, homophobic, sexist and racist bastard. Sorry not everyone is white and privileged like you are. Doesn't mean you have to talk smack about them." He looked like he was close to hitting Orange T-shirt.

Orange T-shirt glanced at a guy with an eyebrow piercing, before letting out an ugly laugh. "We saw him snogging Devon last year after their track practice." Oh, wait, shit. That's me they're talking about. "And I've heard that he's always making eyes at people on the track team. His mom's done a really shit job of raising him. But I guess that's all you can expect from one woman."

Should I just punch him now and risk getting suspended later? Is it worth it?

Before Kaspian could even think about his decision to punch Orange T-shirt, Rowan was pulling him by his t-shirt, close to his own face. It was early, and there were only around three other people in class, and they didn't seem to care about the ordeal that was taking place.

"I want to smack you across the motherfucking face. But I won't, because your privileged ass will get away with anything, and I won't. So I'm going to let you go now."

Orange T-shirt stepped back, and sneered at Rowan. Jesus, people are so dramatic. He went and sat down, away from Rowan and Kaspian thankfully.

Kaspian walked over to Rowan, whose hands were shaking. "Holy fucking shit, I don't know what I would have done if he had beaten me up. I don't even know how to land a punch."

"Thanks for that. But honestly, I don't care if people say shit about me. So you don't have to put yourself through that if you hear someone saying something."

Rowan quirked an eyebrow. "So you'll defend your friends, but you won't defend yourself? And when someone does it for you, you don't want them to?" Rowan moved for Kaspian so that he could sit near the window, and then sat down next to him.

"Precisely."

Shaking his head, Rowan took his books out, as Mrs. Willis entered the class. He nudged Kaspian, urging him to do the same. Sighing, Kaspian reluctantly took his own books, resting his head on one hand.

"At least pretend to look interested," Rowan mumbled in the middle of class, not looking up from his notes.

Kaspian stared at his own notes. "I don't know what the fuck is going on."

Rowan had an amused smile on his lips. "I'll explain it later, just try not to look like you're plotting a murder right now." He finished solving all the sums, and looked at Kaspian's work. "Hey, you're doing them right!"

"Deadass? Shit, okay, wow. Cool."

Kaspian continued to do his work, zoning out once every five minutes, occassionally sneezing, causing Rowan to laugh at him every time he did. Rowan also ended up elbowing him every time he looked dazed or spaced out, and he would pout and go back to his work.

I can't wait for Christmas break. I'm so tired of school and people in general. Shit, Stella's birthday is next week. God, it's cold.

Kaspian was brought back to reality by Rowan flicking his ear. "Class is nearly over, just finish your sums and submit it. That's it."

"I'm a hundred percent sure that I've gotten only like, two of these correct. I can't wait to go to college and never have to do Calculus ever again," Kaspian grumbled, quickly finishing the rest of his work.

Rowan grinned. "From what I'm seeing, the first four sums you've done are right. So don't worry, you're not as bad at this as you think you are."

Kaspian wrapped Phoenix's jacket around himself tighter, as he submitted his paper, pleased with himself. "I think that's the first time I've ever finished Calculus work, to be honest. Who knew you'd be a good influence?"

"Y'all just use me for my brains. Atreya used to be so shit at school, and then I tutored him, and now the bitch is acing. And now, you're going to ace Calculus too. I feel like a proud father."

Kaspian grimaced, wrinkling his nose. "That's not a nice mental image."

Looking at Kaspian with a disturbed expression, Rowan said, "There was absolutely no need for you to say that. But anyway, Stella said her birthday's coming up? I don't know what she likes, so I don't know what to get her." He paused, and then mused to himself. "I always find it low-key sad when people have birthdays during the holidays. Because people rarely ever give them two gifts, and it's so unfair."

"You don't even have to get her anything, to be honest. Just show up to whatever she wants to do on her birthday, and it's all good. But if you really want to get her something, you can come with me. I'm going to the mall the day after tomorrow, I have to buy her a gift, and I have to buy Christmas presents for everyone. Exhausting."

Rowan's eyes lit up. "You're going to the mall?"

"Yeah?"

"Hell fucking yes, I'm coming with you. I love the mall."

Kaspian gave him a look of endearment. He's so fucking adorable, it's not fair.

"Okay. That's settled then. We'll go to the mall."

—

+1507

AN: we got the option of either writing our exams or not writing them and i have decided im not heh anyway, this is hella short sorry, the next one will be longer :3

i hope ur all doing well n thank u all for reading💖