(Okay)
Kyle took a moment to collect himself before responding, "Yes, I've always been able to do that. I don't know how it's possible and… I am human, as far as I know," He sighed and kept his head low, "And it's… part of the reason why Jason bullies me, yes."
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//Guess who’s back! Got off a bit early.//
“I can’t believe you exist! I’m glad you exist! It’s just so… thrilling!” Xiomara was beyond thrilled. She was an author, she had been waiting for this her whole lifetime. Magic in the world! It existed! Her eyes lowered to her shoes.
This was terryfing. Magic in the world. It existed. People were sure to take advantage of it.
“C-Can I see? The frost or ice or whatever…?” She asked hopefully, her eyes kind and expression soft. “I think it’s stupid he bullies you over this. I think he’s just afraid of you.”
Kyle looked down and away from her gaze, "He's really not and you really don't know half of the reasons why he does, the… magic is just a small part of it." He sighed and removed the scarf from his hands.
He couldn't believe she wasn't scared of him or throwing insults. Almost everyone else did. What if she runs when he shows her a little of what he can do? What if she starts to bully him too?
He frowned a little before he opened his palm and let the frost coat his hand slowly. Before long small snow flakes began to dance just over his skin, a look of concentration yet also relief to be able to use his power freely.
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Xiomara shook her head, sliding closer. She couldn’t understand what he was going through. Not completely. But she herself had been in certain situations that sounded familiar. “Maybe I’ll get to know you then.” She replied brightly, grinning stupidly. “I’ll be around you more often. You heard him, how could Jason ever “punch a pretty face’?” She giggled.
She watched patiently, amazed by the frost. “Is it cold?” Tilting her head, Xiomara leaned over. She was captivated by the dancing snowflakes. Snow had always been beautiful to her.
Her eyes flickered to his face, seeking any emotion. She caught his relief and even felt the tension leave the air. “You wouldn’t mind if I used this in a book would you? I won’t use your name.”
"No, it's not cold," Kyle muttered, "Not to me anyway," He sighed in relief and somewhat contently as he watched the snow drift round his fingers and his wrist.
He let his eyes stay on the snow before he drifted a snow flake over to her and stop on her nose, small glittering sparks of blue coming off the corners, "And no, I wouldn't mind if you used this is a book, go ahead." He offered her a small, tiny smile too.
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The sight of the snowflake drifting to her nose made her flinch a little but she did not move. She chuckled, watching the blue with an air of calmness. If she had such powers, she’d be obsessed with making those pretty snowflakes.
By now, Xiomara was convinced he was the real deal. Not that she had doubted him before but she was afraid he was just a dream she’d made up in her mind. “Ha! This one will be a best seller! Better than my last book.” Her last Sci-Fi had been a bit of a failure, but this one, a Fantasy, might just make it.
Pausing for a moment, she sighed. “I never got your name… just Ky.”
Kyle looked up at met her gaze, "It's Kyle. But my…" He paused, "My mother used to call me Kai." He smiled fondly down at his ice, remembering the woman who had looked after him all those years ago, Maria.
Even though she wasn't his biological mother, she was the only mother he had ever known so to him, Maria was and always will be his mum.
"So I don't mind you calling me that." He sighed a little and slowly started to make his ice disappear, taking his time and savouring every moment of it being free.
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“Call me Xio then, Kai. Or Marie, I don’t mind.” She stretched, yawning. Her night had been filled with less sleep than the previous. Her father hadn’t returned until late. “Jeremy calls me Xio a lot. It’s kinda just stuck.”
She had almost forgotten about Jeremy. He’d feel betrayed but proud. He was always nagging at Xiomara to get another friend. Maybe Kai wouldn’t mind if she hung out around him.
“You know, him and I were going to get a smoothie today after school but he’s sick, would you want to go?”
Kyle's eyes lit up for a moment, "W-Wait really? You wouldn't mind? Sure, I'd love too." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
By this point his ice had vanished, and it already felt like something inside of him was trying to break out of his skin. But he had a hold if it this time and wasn't going to let that happen.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets, making a mental reminder to text Giselle, his foster mother that he'd be home later then normal tonight.
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“Of course. I don’t have anything to do.” She really had nothing. No other friends to hang out with, no other plans. She was free. “It’ll be fun! Just meet me here again after school.” Xiomara laughed at his brightness. It was the most emotion she had seen from him so far.
She pointed to her scarf, smiling. “Can I get that back?” She shifted nervously, running a hand through her hair. It was left just as tangled and as curly as before. “I do like scarves, a lot.”
Kyle looked at the scarf and nodded, "I mean, it is yous so I don't know why I wouldn't give it back." He handed her the accessory gently as if he might hurt her at any moment before pulling his hand away.
"I don't think I've ever worn a scarf, maybe because the cold doesn't bother me." It was true, he'd never been one to get cold and he always thought it was because he had cold themed powers. He'd also lived on the streets for fifteen years so he got used to it too.
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“Ah, thanks.” It was placed back around her neck, a shiver running through her body. She had forgotten about the frost. “That’s a little chilly.” Xiomara nodded softly as if agreeing with herself.
“I wear scarves all the time, even if it’s hot outside. They just make me feel protected.” Protected and safe not only from the elements but from her past and the public. “Well, and to hide my scars. They’re not always fun to explain, you get me?” She hit herself mentally. She was too personal too quickly, but it seemed natural with Kyle.
“You ever had to do that Kai? Hide scars? Or bruises?”
Kyle looked away and nodded, frowning a little at himself for admitting it, "Y-Yeah, I have. Luckily they're easy to cover." He closed his eyes tightly as if trying to get rid of a memory or multiple.
His first foster family hadn't been very… loving so to speak. Luckily he was only there for a year so it could have been worse and now he was with people who actually cared for him.
He sighed and opened his eyes again, looking back at Xiomara.
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“Let me tell you, orange foundation saved me some days. Hides bruises like they were never there.” She grinned, laughing. Why she laughed she didn’t know. “Maybe we should talk about something else. So… ever had a pet?” She was awkward by heart. So, with nothing else to say, she fell back on the cliche ‘get-to-know-you’ question’s.
“I have a cat right now, his name is Milo and let me tell you that cat is ridiculously cute. He’s so fluffy and soft and some days he’s the only one who will listen to me rant.” Milo was basically her only source of comfort next to Jeremy’s waffles.
Kyle rubbed at the back of his neck, "I have a dog called Alba, she's a border collie and my only friend pretty much. Technically she was Maria's dog but she's mine now and I love her so much."
He mentally hit himself for saying Maria instead of madre or mum or something like that because Xio might ask who she is and that is not a conversation he wanted to have right now.
He felt his heart ache the longer he thought about Maria and he wished he could change the subject but already felt like he spoke too much in that one sentence.
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//Sorry, might have fallen asleep//
“Alba… I don’t know who Maria is but if she had such a pet I’m sure she was wonderful. Is she a sister?” Xiomara smiled sadly. She herself had no siblings. Only her druggy mother and her overworked father.
From what she saw, having siblings seemed like fun. She never had anyone to fall back on when things got tough. Maybe Jeremy but he had his own things to deal with. And her father was busy enough as it was, she couldn’t bother him.
(M o o d, all g)
Kyle shook his head, "No, she wasn't. A-And I don't feel like having this conversation right now," He stood and looked back up to the door, the bell ringing as he did so, "We should get to class."
Honestly it was a relief to not have to talk about Maria. After all he's only just met Xiomara and had already admitted more then he was comfortable with for one session. But maybe one day he would, if she stuck around.
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Thought slightly disappointed, Xiomara nodded. She would respect his boundaries. She didn't want to scare him off already. Not yet at least. She smiled sweetly, a rather bad habit of hers, and sighed. "Sorry I asked, I shouldn't be going too deep into your personal life already." She stretched her sore arms before heading up the staircase. "You're right. See you after school then? Hopefully?"
And when she said hopefully, she really meant it. Her eyes were filled with an excitement. Someone else to talk to, someone else to hang out with when Jeremy had his little 'sick trips'. He got sick often. Something about a blood disorder.
"Don't get too bullied while I'm gone, alright. If you ever need a pretty face to step in, just call for me." She winked, laughing at herself. She was going to milk that for as long as she could. "Have fun!"
"Yeah, see you after school. And I could never have fun at school," Kyle rolled his eyes a little but headed up the stairs, "See you later."
He was actually sort of excited to be hanging out with someone after school instead of just heading back home to do homework and sleep. Not that he would ever show it, but it was the only thing he could really think about for the majority of the class.
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"Just try, you'll see it can be fun." She added as she disappeared around the corner.
Xiomara seemed extra bubbly through the last few classes, her eyes warm and her answers vivid. A few people gave her sideways glances, including the teachers. It had been ages since someone new had actually agreed to hang out with her.
As the school day came nearer to its end, she hardly could wait. So, to pass the time, she counted it down. It was painstakingly slow but every second was worth it when the bell dismissed them for the rest of the day.
Once the bell rang, Kyle made his way to the locker and stuffed his books into it, well, the ones he didn't need. He was instinctively on the look out for Jason but he was nowhere to be seen thank god.
He made his way to the staircase, and leaned against the back wall, taking out his phone while he waited but only to send a text Giselle, glad he remembered. Hopefully everything would go okay. It was just a smoothie, how bad could it actually be?
Well, it could be pretty bad, but Kyle prayed that it wouldn't be. He'd never had an actual human friend before so some part of him hoped Xiomara would be.
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Xiomara, being the carefree person she was, had completely forgotten to visit her locker after school. She hummed a tune to herself as she pulled her phone from her pocket. Her father had sent her a few unnoticed texts. She sighed as she read through them.
Marie, I'm going to be late home again. I'm picking up another shift. Don't leave the house after nine. Stay away from the park, ok?
Xiomara's face fell. Another long night for her father. He worked himself too hard. Sending a quick text back, she turned down the stairs, groaning. "Looks like another long night for me." She muttered, looking up to see Kai. Her face lit up. Her dad wouldn't be home until at least two in the morning. She could hang out past nine.
"Ready to go?"
Kyle looked up from his phone and nodded, "Yeah, I'm ready. Lead the way."
He stuffed his phone into his pocket and pushed his glasses up his nose. He couldn't be home too late but he was glad he was spending time with someone he might even consider a friend. And he hadn't had a smoothie in a while was he was looking forward to it.
"Where is the smoothie place?" He asked, following her out the staircase and the school grounds.
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"Very close, just a bit of a walk from the school." Xiomara bit her lip, tasting the metal of her piercings as she thought. The nearest smoothie place was only a few blocks down and it was her favorite place. She gestured for him to follow her grinning from ear to ear. "I thought you were really soft spoken at first, Kai. But you're quite talkative under certain situations." She giggled to herself. When they reached the school's entrance, she nearly threw herself at the doors.
"So, you are a senior, right?" She asked cautiously, stealing a glance at his face. His hair was just as messy as before. "Is the frost and ice nice to have in the summer?"
"I'm not that talkative," Kyle muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck as he flushed a light shade of red from embarrassment, "And yeah, I'm a senior and yes, the frost is nice in summer."
He'd always preferred winter over summer, most of the time. But in summer when you don't have a pool and don't like going to the outdoor swim center, it was nice to be able to just cool off in his room easily.
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"You're talking to me which is saying something." With a grin, she nudged him gently. "People say I'm too forwards yet you seem to be doing fine." She fell silent suddenly, her eyes closing for a split second. "I ask too many questions don't I?" Yet another question.
"Ah, can't be helped though, can it? At least a smoothie will shut me up for a bit." This small moment of self-doubt made her frustrated. She was fine, just attention seeking.
Kyle shrugged a shoulder, "I don't mind you talking or asking questions." In fact, he actually liked her talking. He was used to silence or insults so questions was a nice change, and in meant that she was trying to get to know him.
"I don't mind the questions so you don't have to shut up." Again, he shrugged a shoulder.
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“If I get annoying, feel free to shut me up.” She laughed softly, but her tone was serious. As she turned down a road, her eyes fell back to her feet. “You can ask anything you want too. I feel like I know too much about you already.”
That didn’t mean she wasn’t enjoying it, however. She was having the time of her life getting to know him.
"You know that I have ice powers and a dog," Kyle said deadpan, "That's two things." Granted it was two more things then anyone else knew but for some reason he didn't care today.
"And I know that you have a cat and like scarfs. So we're even." Some part of him wanted to know more about him, but he didn't want to intrude too much on her life.
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“Pfft. Wow. I guess we are even now.” Her eyes lit up at the sight of the cafe in front of them. “Hm, I guess we are just acquaintances. Of course we wouldn’t know much about each other. But hey, what says ‘bonding’ like a smoothie?”
She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the cafe, grinning from ear to ear. “Tropical is probably favorite but blueberry is to die for! I’ve never tried the strawberry banana mostly because I hate banana anything but I’m sure it’s good too, without the banana.”
