Jate found her on the roof, sitting cross-legged on the ledge as if she'd been waiting.
"I knew you would be up here," he said.
Peach turned, unsurprised. She reached into her bag and pulled out a half-squished croissant partially wrapped in plastic, then placed it down beside her on the gravel invitingly.
Jate ignored the pastry. He stood there for a full minute, watching as she stacked stones into what looked like an inverted stupa, impossibly balanced.
"Have you heard that shit those idiots are saying about Thanom?"
Peach sighed, placing a final, tiny pebble on top of her strange tower. "Say what you came to say, Jate."
Jate hesitated, then let it out.
"You knew that would happen, didn't you?" His voice was tight with accusation.
Peach didn't even bother to defend herself. She just shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. "I already saw us arguing about this, so I'm skipping to the part where you forgive me."
Irritation tightened Jate's jaw, but a reluctant, painful grin tugged at his lips. He hated that he couldn't stay mad at her.
"You didn't warn us."
"Would it have changed anything?"
Jate dug his nails into his palms. "That's not the point."
"It is. You just don't like the answer."
She finally looked at him. Her eyes were calm, unnervingly so. "I don't cause things, Jate. I just see the ripples before they break the surface."
"That's not normal."
"Neither are you," she said, without malice.
He let out a frustrated breath. She was right. He sat beside her and picked up the squashed croissant. It was cold and flaky.
"So," Jate muttered, picking at the crust. "Do you know what I'll do next?"
Peach tilted her head. "You're afraid," she said. Her voice softened, almost like a lullaby. "You're afraid of being outside something that matters."
"You don't know what I feel."
"I don't need to. Your essence sings it. You're off-beat."
Jate's stomach twisted. It felt as though she had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart. He stood up abruptly. "I didn't know we were making music."
He turned to leave.
"Be careful, Jate," she called after him. "You're not meant to be a piece on someone else's board."
Jate stopped. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"You know what it means. Can we fast forward past the part where you pretend to be confused?"
Jate paused, looking down at his shoes. He did know exactly what she was talking about.
"Don't try to become the story you're jealous of," Peach said gently. She began to unstack the inverted tower of pebbles and stones. "I'm not the only one who sees you."
"What?"
"Do you feel that the night has an echo? Someone else is thinking just as loudly."
Jate frowned. He held out his palms, hands open, exasperated. He clearly had no idea what she was talking about.
Peach sighed. "You're staring at the sun, Jate. You're missing the moon." She looked at him pointedly. "Have you ever thought to look in another direction? You might appreciate a different kind of light."
Jate opened his mouth to defend his misery, but the words died in his throat. He looked away, out toward the dark line of the mountains.
"I don't know how to stop," he admitted, his voice rough. "I don't know how to stop watching them."
"That sounds like a waste of a life," Peach said.
"You're creepy, you know that?"
Peach smiled. "I know just about everything. I know I'm your best friend."
Jate wavered, a silent battle playing out in his stance. Then he sank onto the ledge beside her.
He took a bite of the croissant. They sat there together in silence for a while.
After a long while, it was Peach who finally spoke, her voice soft and distant. "In one possible future… you disappear. No one notices."
She looked directly at him then, with eyes hiding futures that Jate couldn't see.
"I won't let that one happen."
Jate felt something inside him loosening. A faint, genuine smile touched his lips. "Good, because you're the only one who would notice."
Peach leaned back on her hands. "You think they don't see you, but you're just scared."
"No, I'm not," he said immediately.
"Liar." She raised an eyebrow.
A comfortable quiet settled.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
Chick stood at the top of the rear stairwell, the cherry-red lollipop clicking against her teeth. Below her, the steps plunged downward.
Mali was climbing the staircase, lost in thought, holding her school bag.
A stupid nine-year-old could easily tumble down if she lost her footing, Chick thought as she locked eyes with Mali. Thanom and Art hovered over her like she was a precious doll, but they weren't around. Chick's sugary smile widened.
They took away what was supposed to be mine, and they don't even have the decency to bleed for it. Until now, Chick thought. She adjusted her glasses and skipped over to Mali with bubbly innocence.
"Mali! Hiiii!" Chick chirped, her voice artificially sweet.
Mali jumped, her small hands gripping the bottoms of her sleeves. She looked up, wary, remembering the explosion of rice flour and Chick's laugh. "Oh. Hi, Phi Chick."
"Let me help you with that, bestie. It looks super heavy!" Chick cooed, stepping uncomfortably close. She placed her hands over Mali's, trapping the younger girl near the top step.
"I'm okay," Mali said softly, trying to lean back, but Chick's grip was stronger.
"I just wanted to apologize for the other day," Chick pouted, tilting her head so her pink glasses caught the dim light. She popped the red lollipop from her mouth, pointing it at Mali. "Your brother got sooo mad. I really didn't mean to bump you. He really scared me, you know, with the purple eyes and rice powder. I was so worried he'd scared you, too."
"Phi Thanom didn't mean to," Mali defended, her feet inching backward.
Just one more centimeter, Chick thought, her heart doing a happy little hop. Just a tiny bit further. I bet she'll bounce before she hits the bottom.
"That's good to hear. Then I guess we're all friends here," Chick beamed, her eyes gleaming with delight. "Friends are always there to catch each other."
Then she threw her weight forward.
"Whoops." A calm, monotone voice drifted up against Chick's ear.
Startled by the sudden sound, she flinched. The revenge lunge turned into a wild flail. Chick gasped, her arms windmilling as her hip slammed painfully against the railing. She scrambled to catch herself but lost her grip and fell a few steps over the edge of the top one.
As she tumbled, Chick's arm shot out and caught a passing metal baluster at the base of the railing, abruptly stopping her fall midway down. The shock of pain in her shoulder from the sudden pull was terrible, but even worse was that in the act, her cherry-red lollipop flew out of her hand and shattered on the steps below.
Chick lay awkwardly sprawled on the steps, her heart hammering away—this time from actual panic. She sat up and whipped her head around, her pink glasses sitting crooked on her nose.
Behind her was Peach, now crouched down on the upper steps, her face just inches from Chick's. She was smiling.
"I think you dropped something." Peach looked down at the broken candy. She tilted her head, her voice completely airy. "Good thing no human got hurt."
"Oh wow! Phi Chick, are you okay?" Mali gasped, rushing over to Chick and offering her hand out to help her up.
"She's fine, Mali. I'll help her." Peach didn't look at Mali and barely looked at Chick as she reached down, grabbed her injured arm, and unceremoniously yanked her up.
"Are you blind?!" Chick cried. Her hip and shoulder were throbbing. "You almost killed me!"
"You won't die that way, silly," Peach said with a wink. "But I wouldn't test the mountain again if I were you."
Chick stared at her, baffled. Her body hurt, her candy was ruined, and her perfect revenge plot had just been foiled by a smiling Peach who somehow knew exactly what she was doing.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Bruised as she was, Chick's eyes were gleaming. Peach looked up, her eyes entirely devoid of fear or mocking. She just looked mildly distracted. "Affirmative," Peach stated plainly. "Also, your specs are arguing with your face."
Chick slowly pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. A slow, teasing smile stretched across her face, completely unlike the sugary mask she wore for the others.
"You," Chick whispered, her eyes locking onto Peach with intense fascination, "are the weirdest thing in this entire building."
"Am I?" Peach shrugged as she walked back up the stairs.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
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