Chapter 3
"Pass the red crayon, will ya, Cads?" Gray muttered, his Derry accent thick as he focused on the lines of his sketch.
Cadi handed it to him without looking up, absorbed in her own artwork. Her paper was filled with swirls of bright colours, abstract and free, while Gray's was more structured—precise shapes carefully sketched with his pencil before he added any colour. Their shoulders almost touched, but neither seemed to notice.
"That looks good," Cadi said, glancing at Gray's drawing. "What is it?"
"A rugby pitch," he muttered, shading in the goalposts. "It's for when I play."
Before Cadi could respond, Byron plopped himself onto the chair beside them, stretching out dramatically. His front teeth were missing, leaving a slight whistle in his words. "Oh no, am I interrupting a moment?" he thed, waggling his eyebrows. "That'th what Uncle Tom alwayth athkth mom and dad."
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.
"Mom, this is Gray," Cadi introduced.
Her mother smiled. "Hello, Gray. Cadi talks about you all the time."
Gray shifted awkwardly, glancing between Cadi and her mother. Their auburn hair caught the golden light of the late afternoon, glowing like a sunset. He was mesmerized. They both had the most beautiful hair he had ever seen.
"Would you like to come over and play sometime?" Cadi's mom interrupted his thoughts. "I can speak to your mom about it."
Gray's eyes brightened slightly, and he gave a small nod. "Aye. That'd be grand."
As Cadi's mom walked away, Cadi nudged him. "See? That wasn't so bad."
Gray shrugged. "Aye. Guess not."
"I'm having a party on Saturday!" Cadi announced excitedly as they sat outside during lunch. "Mom's making cake."
Ana clapped her hands. "Ooooh, cake?"
"Loads of it," Cadi said proudly. "And games. And maybe even a treasure hunt."
Byron bounced in his seat. "Thhhhath thoundth amazin'!"
Gray, who had been half-listening, glanced up. "Can I come?"
Cadi blinked, then grinned. "Course you can."
Gray tried to play it cool, but the pleased look on his face was undeniable. "Grand," he said simply.
Byron leaned in with a mischievous smile. "Hope there'th a pi?ata. I wanna thmack thomethin'."