Page 3 of Shattering

Gray groaned. "Ya're an eejit, Byron."

Cadi narrowed her eyes at him. "Who even are you?"

Byron gasped in mock horror. "Who am I? I am the great and mighty Byron, connoithheur of chaoth, mathter of mithchief—"

"The biggest pain in my backside," Gray finished, rolling his eyes.

Byron grinned, leaning closer. "And yet, you love me."

Ana, passing by, snorted. "More like tolerate you."

Byron grinned wider. "I will take it!"

He reached out and tugged a strand of Ana's hair. She swatted at his arm. "Do that again, and I'll staple your shirt to the chair."

"Ooh, tho thhcary," Byron taunted, before turning back to Gray. "Anyway, you ready for rugby later? Bathherth' Club awaitth."

Gray nodded. "Aye. Coach says we need to work on our scrums."

Cadi wrinkled her nose. "Sounds like a fancy way of saying everyone push each other."

Byron laughed. "That'th pretty much what it ith."

Cadi tilted her head. "What happened to your teeth, anyway?"

Byron puffed out his chest. "Took on a tree. Didn't win, but I put up a fight."

Gray shook his head. "He ran into a branch."

"It came outta nowhere!" Byron protested. "Like a ninja tree!"

Cadi giggled. "You sound funny with your missing teeth."

Byron gasped. "How dare you! Thith ith a mark of honour!"

Later during PE, Gray scored a try, sprinting past defenders with surprising speed. Cadi, watching from the side-lines, squinted.

"Your eyes look really pretty when you run." she said as Gray walked by.

Gray skidded to a stop, looking utterly horrified. "What?"

"I mean—" she stammered, realizing how that sounded. "They look nice in the sun."

His face turned a very bright shade of scarlet. "I'm not pretty."

"That's not what I meant!" Cadi protested.

Byron, of course, had heard every word. "Oi, Gray, she thinkth yer a printheth!"

Gray shot him a withering glare before stomping off the field. Cadi groaned, but minutes later, he returned, standing next to her like nothing had happened.

"Wanna play tag?" he muttered.

She smirked. "Yeah."

As they left school later, Cadi spotted her mother waiting at the gates. She grabbed Gray's wrist. "Come meet my mom!"

Gray hesitated, then nodded.

---