Chapter twenty-six | Cancer stick

"I think that is all for today," I said as I shut my notebook close. Cynthia sighed in relief and closed her book too.

"Thank God for that. I thought it was going to take forever," she muttered and sank back in her bed. I rolled my eyes at her exaggeration. Placing my Organic Chemistry books with hers, I leaned back on the bed too.

She quickly curled up next to me and settled her head on my shoulder. Her warm breath tickled my neck, making goosebumps break across my skin.

Suddenly, my mind slipped back to the incident a few days back. Cynthia was hiding something from me, and it showed in the way she sometimes hesitated while talking to me.

"What are you doing tonight, Eli?" she asked, filling the silence between us with words. I broke out of my thoughts but kept my gaze away from her.

"Connor is coming over to stay the night," I replied as I flipped through my phone. "He will show up in thirty minutes."

She snickered and leaned away from me. A sudden lack of warmth made me frown.

"What do you guys do on a guys' night?" she questioned as she pulled a stray strand of her hair back.

I shook my head at her child-like amusement. Her giggle was sign enough about the absurd thoughts she was harboring.

"Contrary to popular belief, we don't gossip about celebrities and guess whose tits are real." My voice was bland as meat without seasoning.

A chuckle slipped past her lips, echoing in the closed room. It was half audible but still very enchanting.

"So... Do you paint your nails and have a pillow fight?" she asked when she sobered up from her laughter hysterics.

"A pillow fight, maybe but never painting our nails. Mostly video games and movies," I answered, swiping through my notifications. "We also share a few beers," I added as an afterthought, reading Aaron's text about some team bonding time.

Before she could reply, my phone chimed up.

It was a social media notification as someone tagged me in a post on twitter.

I scrunched my brows up at the unfamiliar name that tagged me in a post about high school friends. "Who the fuck is Sylvia Melnik?"

Cynthia peered into my phone as I clicked the profile of the girl. She followed me while I didn't.

"She is one of the juniors. She is part of the dance team," Cynthia whispered as she eyed the picture of a pretty blonde with light blue eyes.

While Cynthia gazed at the girl, my mind drew a blank. Her words caressed my ears as her hands gripped my shoulders. As she leaned forward, she pressed against my side, making me stiffen.

I cleared my throat and closed my phone. Shaking my head, I tried to get my thoughts out of the gutter.

It was hard with her pressed up against me.

I need to leave.

She yelped as I hastily got away from her. I grabbed my books and got to my feet.

Her shocked brown eyes looked up at me as she lay on the bed at an odd angle.

I ran a hand through my hair, pushing it away from my eyes. "I need to leave. Connor is about to reach in a few minutes."

She gave me an odd look and got up from the bed. Bare feet, she padded along the carpet, standing close to me. "What are you thinking, Eli?"

Something was different in her voice as her breath fanned on my neck.

I bent my head, trying to match her stare. The intensity of her stare threatened to pierce my thoughts, making a blush creep up my skin.

"I was thinking about ricin, which is poisonous and found in castor seeds," I blurted the first thought that came to my mind.

All the expressions vanished from her face as she stared at me blankly. A few seconds later, she snickered and shook her head.

"Are you sure you are not some serial killer and shit?" Her word were filled with amusement as she bit her lips.

Her flushed face with a mischievousness in her eyes made me shake my head.

A small involuntary smile slipped on my lips. "You sound too excited for a person who is talking to a serial killer," I pointed out as I leaned closer.

The specks of gold became prominent with proximity, shining under the artificial light of her room. Her breath hitched as her skin glowed softly.

With her face devoid of any makeup, Cynthia's features seemed softer and natural.

She leaned closer as the space between us turned almost non-existent. Our eyes were intently shifting to each other's lips. Anticipation thrummed through my body as my thoughts became a jumbled mess.

I sighed slowly as her faint taste emerged in my mind.

Raspberries.

Will she still taste the same?

We jumped apart as my phone rang loudly. It broke the moment beyond our comprehension.

I checked the caller id as she gave me space. Both of our cheeks were warm with blushes, and our eyes refused to meet.

I cursed under my breath as I saw it was Connor.

"I need to go. Uh... bye." Not waiting for a reply, I ran out of the room.

Just as I stepped beyond the threshold of her house, my phone pinged once again. I had two messages, one from Connor and one from Cynthia.

Cynthia: 'Enjoy the nail painting. Make sure to paint them blue, matching your eyes.'

I rolled my eyes and quickly typed in a reply.

Elias: 'Yeah. Do you want me to paint flowers and leaves on it too?'

I waited for her to respond and checked the message from Connor. As I opened the house door, Dad's singing filtered through my ears. It was horrible, but something I got used to overtime.

Connor: 'Where the fuck are you, dude?

I am already here.'

I quickly made my way up the steps. "Connor is here!" Mom called over. I just shook my head yes in response, even if she couldn't see it.

I pushed my bedroom door open and frowned at the sight in front of me.

The repulsive smell of cigarettes hit me on the face, making me cringe. The smoke added a gray tint to the air, making it harder to breathe with the closed window.

Connor was leaning against the pane as he gazed out on the street. His eyes held a faraway look as he brought the cigarette close to his lips.

"What is that cancer stick doing in your hand?" I exclaimed and shut my bedroom door closed.

Surprised with my arrival, he jumped a little and turned towards me.

He groaned at my disapproving look and smashed the left cigarette against the windowsill.

Taking steps closer to the window, I quickly opened it fully. I waved around frantically, trying to get the stench out of my room.

"Someday, you will get me in serious trouble." My words came out as a hiss as I gritted my teeth.

He just rolled his eyes and made his way towards the bed. "You are overreacting," he muttered and leaned against the headboard.

I narrowed my eyes towards his form. "When did you start smoking again? I thought you left the habit in junior year."

My voice held both concern and annoyance.

He scrunched up his face in disapproval. Moving his eyes away from my questioning stare, he pulled his phone out. He was trying to evade my question.

Sighing heavily, I quickly made my way towards him and snatched the device from his hands. He huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms.

He was acting childish and was too prideful to accept it.

I will need to take the other approach.

"What happened, Connor?" I asked as I took a seat next to him. The single bed was small to accommodate both of us, making me half lean over the edge.

He turned his head upwards and focused on the glow in dark stars on my ceiling. It was as if he was silently counting them, stopping at star number thirty-two as I had countless times before.

"I started two weeks back." He gulped. "After the breakup. It was stress-relieving."

His words struck a chord inside of me, making me flinch at the reality.

Before I could respond, he leaned forward. His eyes stared through mine as his face displayed an impassive mask.

"Did you talk to her?" he asked as he tried to appear nonchalant. Connor's words were simple but filled with emotions.

He didn't need to tell me who 'her' was. It was blatantly obvious.

I exhaled slowly and nodded in response. Before I could say anything, Connor's eyes glowed with relief.

"Is she fine?" he asked hastily. "She was absent yesterday after that shit that went down a week back. I was worried-" He bit his lips hard as he realized the words he had spoken out loud.

Averting his eyes, he ignored my hard stare.

"I have been texting her and calling her regularly. She is a bit hesitant, but she is doing fine." At my words, his shoulders drooped in relief, and he nodded.

"What about yesterday?" he inquired once again. "Why was she absent? Did she tell you about that?" He was fidgeting with his fingers as he looked down at his shoes.

"You can ask her about it yourself," I said as I checked the time. "She should be here any moment now."

Connor's eyes grew wide as he stiffened in his spot. He turned towards me, flailing his arms wildly in surprise. One of his bulky arms hit me across my chest, sending me tumbling down my bed.

"What the fuck, dude!" I exclaimed as I rubbed my sore elbow.

My words fell to deaf ears as he stared down at me, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"What the fuck, dude?" Connor repeated after coming out of his daze.

"Why did you do that?" he bellowed as anger seeped in his words.

I narrowed my eyes and got up from the floor. "I am sick of you looking like a sob. Both of you need to talk about it, and I need both of my best friends back," I stated as I rubbed my temple in annoyance.

Connor bit his lips and leaned back on my bed. As if on cue, the bell chimed followed by the sound of the front door opening. He stiffened as footsteps traveled up the stairs.

The door flew open, and Navya walked in with great haste. She stopped short at the sight of Connor and gulped.

Her eyes met mine, and I gave her a reassuring smile. Her face had a sullen expression with a hint of fear.

I opened my arms for her, asking her for a hug. Comfort washed over her features, and she ran into my embrace.

I made a light noise at the back of my throat as she crashed into my chest at high speed.

She placed her head in the crook of my neck as Connor got up from the bed. He sneakily tried to run out of the room and the situation, but I pinned him under a glare.

Huffing he remained rooted on his spot, staring at the scene with dread and melancholy.

Navya was silently shaking along my body as I felt the cold drops of tears along my shoulder. "I missed you. I am sorry," she slowly mumbled.

Feeling guilt claw me, I patted her head reassuringly. "I missed my best friend too." My voice was weak with emotions. "I am sorry... I was a bit too harsh."

She pulled away at my words and shook her head. "No! You were right. I deserved that." Her words were fierce, but her brown eyes were glassy.

She pivoted in my arms and pinned Connor under her gaze. I pulled back slightly as she took a step near him.

Connor was shaking in his spot as his fist clenched and unclenched on his sides.

It was obvious that he wanted to run away, but he was stuck to the spot as he stared into her deep brown tear-filled eyes.

Her shaky fingers reached up to him but stopped short near his face.

The room was filled with tension as it soon suffocated any movements.

Navya's next words were croaky as emotions plagued her voice.

"I am sorry, Connor. Not for being me but leading you on for years. I am sorry for playing with your emotions. Can I please have my best friend back? Please? I missed the guy who became my friend even after I broke his nose. Can I have him back?"