𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋| Xavier Thorpe

ii. 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐞

۫ ּ ִ ۫ ˑ ֗ 𓏲˖ 𑁍 ࣪ ִ ۫ ּ ִ ۫ ˑ ֗
࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ  ✩◿𝓖𝓖◸ 🂱 ࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ
CHAPTER TWO—
an indoor shopping spree.

"Do you hear that?" Xavier looked over at Blake as she accompanied him on his late night art on the side of the school.

Blake sniffled the air. "A... cello?"

"You smelt the cello?" he looked at her with a dumb look on his face. "You can't smell anything."

"What is with you and reminding me?" Blake rolled her eyes with a fake hurt look. "You make me want to kill myself."

Xavier stared at her in unamusment as Blake laughed at her own fake. "Because i'm-"

"Got it." he cut her off with a shake of his head, finishing off what he'd started. "You're not suppose to laugh at your own joke."

"Well, who else will?" she backed up to look up at his work of the evening. "Stunning, I project. Stunning I feel. The fo stunning!"

"Stop reading Shakespeare." Xavier smiled as he put his spray paints into his bag. "We still doing this?"

"You remember." Blake gushed loudly as she put her arms around him. Over the years, they developed a system. Blake was an affectionate person and while Xavier wasn't necessarily, as a kid he'd let Blake hold him when he felt lonely or bullied based on how he looked or who he was. After she died, it didn't cross their minds they'd never get to do that anymore. But, Blake and Xavier thought air hugging was better then nothing. She hovered her arms around his shoulders while his did the same around her waist. It didn't compare, it never would, but he could feel the chill of her radiating from it.

Blake couldn't feel anything, but it still made her feel good to at least imagine she'd still be able to touch him.

"Hurry up." Xavier waved her on. "I gotta return it all before I go to the carnival."

"Will you eat a lot of junk food for me?" Blake begged as they crept back into the school. "And throw up from motion sickness for me? Just once?"

"You have my word." he hummed, watching her pass through the door before he unlocked it and walked in.

"Did you get the good stuff?" Blake tried to look in the bags. "Hurry! I've been dying for this!"

He gave her a look of disbelief as Blake held back a laugh, looking as if she was in pain. "You told me not to laugh at my own joke."

"Do not." he pointed at her, reaching into the bag. "Three outfits. They didn't have the purple sweater we saw online, so i had to improvise."

"Okay." Blake didn't even care, she was ecstatic with joy and excitement. She turned to the body mirror, bouncing on her heels slightly. Xavier walked behind her, moving the checkered purple shirt rather then the lavender sweater she originally wanted, putting it right in front of her as Blake stood still. They'd do this every now and then, it made Blake still feel some what human. She never thought she'd miss shopping or trying on new clothes as much as she did.

"Do you like it?" he asked as Blake smiled. Despite how happy she was, it was a sad one. "You look great."

"Yeah?" Blake smiled, shifting slightly as he tried to follow her movement. "What else do we got?"

"Two more." he threw that one toward his bed and grasping the mint green tee. It was a basic one, but it had always been her favorite color. "I kept saying sage green but they just corrected me. It's causally mint green."

"It's perfect." Blake smiled, always loving the way the color clashes with her lip color. She used the same deep rose lip stain ever since she was a thirteen. That was one pro of being dead and never being able to change, at least she died not long after she'd put the layer on so it had been stuck that perfect way forever. "Vogue worthy?"

"Vogue for every season." Xavier agreed with her, grabbing the last one. "Look at this one, it's got pockets and everything."

Blake was in shock he'd managed to actually find a decent dress, he rarely ventured out of a couple shirts that he stressed for hours for. She wondered how many panic attacks he went through trying to find this one. It was pretty though, Blake was impressed by his taste. Red with a black printed design in certain areas, short but had long sleeves. It was perfect, especially considering her hands that pocked out when she angled her arms lined up perfectly.

Xavier smiled at her in the mirror. "Maybe just return the shirts."

"Deal." Blake smiled, stared a little longer before backing off. "Is it on your way?"

"Yeah, it'll be quick." he grabbed the bag, fishing the recite out of his pocket. "They're gonna catch on soon."

Blake didn't want him to go. Most of the school was there, she'd be all alone here. Blake hadn't seen a carnival in over a year, just when she shut her eyes and pictured the lights on the rides and booths, convincing herself she could smell the pretzels and cotton candy. Xavier noticed the faint look on her face. "I can stay here."

"No." Blake said with a shake of her head. "One of us has to take pictures."

"True." he smiled as she smiled back, sitting down on his bed. "I won't be long."

"Longer the better, I need a break from you." Blake joked, watching him go to his closet in search of a jacket. The truth was, she felt bad that Xavier felt bad for her. She knew he missed out on things that he really wanted to do just to stay at school with her, venture as far as the gates until she couldn't anymore. He gave up a lot just so she wouldn't be lonely, it caused guilt to build up on her heart.

Blake didn't know that Xavier didn't want to go out and do things if she wasn't gonna be there anyways.

"If I throw up twice from all the junk i'll eat for you, what will you give me?" he came back from his closet with a testing look, pulling the jacket on. "You owe me then."

"Hum." Blake leaned back on his bed and pretended to think. "I don't know. Guess you'll have to just ask me."

That was the fun thing about the two of them. Something there, disguised in a joking manor as if they'd only been trying to make the other laugh, but still something. Xavier smiled as he nodded, backing away toward the door with the bag and recite in hand. "I'll be back soon."

Blake nodded, blowing him a kiss as he threw her one back before shutting the door. The second he was gone, she stood to her feet and hurried to walk through the window. It took her a while to master the ability to float, but it came in handy now as she floated to sit with the gargoyle not far from his window. Her eyes casted down as the night air blew, watching him walk. He walked and walked until he reached where she no longer could, passing the gates to go live the life she only had when she closed her eyes and imaged it.

•

kylie speaks

BABIES!!!!