- Whisperpeak Academy for Wayward Dragons - Ch.13 P.6 - Dying Tears -

Instructions

(+)Shortie raised her eyebrows, while Alex scratched his neck casually. "Okay! That works." "I'll- check! Yes, I'll check." Back to my terrible antisocial state, I wandered down to the room that Iris had fallen in. When I silently peeked in, (assisted by air powers of course), I caught the wholesome sight of Iris curled up in Oliver's arms. He was so tall that she seemed enveloped in him. Their chests slowly raised, nearly in sync, their legs crossed like they were scared one of them would leave. Iris looked clean and tidy, much more comfortable. I waited for a moment. An awkward amount of time. It didn't take long for the peaceful embrace to spark envy in me. I wish I had someone to spoon. Then another spark burned away my bubble. Shut up. No one will want you if you are jealous of your best friend. Stop this, Adrian. Stop. I left and instantly deflated. These feelings were getting worse. "How are they?" Shortie asked cheerily. "Sleeping. Peacefully." I smiled; forced every second of it. "Alright, Anxiety, no more excuses. Sit down and have table manners." Alex eased me down with his arm. I watched John slide the fragrant mushroom sauce into layered pastry cups. "Ah. Pastetli. I thought I recognized that scent." Alex's eyes sparkled as he gazed down at the dish in front of him. Shortie chuckled. "You'll learn Alex is quite the foodie. Hah, if he wasn't leading the Resistance, he would be with John, somewhere in Italy, sampling wines and pastas." "Shut up," he snapped, though it was obvious he didn't mean it. John scoffed, but he looked close to drooling as he served himself. After a small hiccup of laughter, the room went quiet. We all started picking at our meals, and Alex announced, "En guete!" Shortie replied with exaggerated fervor, butchering the phrase. Alex rolled his eyes. "What?" "In. Guwut. Tha. That's how you pronounce it." John scoffed louder at Shortie's confusion. "That's what I said!" "No…" He puffed through a mouthful of mushroom. "How about I give myself a little test," Rachel suggested. "If I can form a concise sentence in Swiss, you have to stop judging me and my way of saying... Whatever. Deal?" Alex leaned back in challenge. "Deal." John snickered and chewed at the tiny biscuit that topped each pastry cup, occasionally dipping it in the leftover gravy. Shortie held her chin in contemplation. "Okay... So..." "Stop stalling. If you don't come up with something in five minutes, we will not stop teasing you and you'll be stuck in this torture forever." She didn't seem too perturbed now, though. "Uhhh. . ." Shortie cleared her throat and began cautiously, "Danke für alles i de letschte Jahr. Ich wüsst nöd wo ich ohni dich wär." Alex's eyes softened. A tiny smile formed on his face, but it faded away quickly. Even I was surprised by the way the words rolled out of her so sharply, so clearly, like she knew them by heart. "Well… ? I've been practicing that one for a while. There was a Swiss dictionary in the library I was using- I was planning on showing you my progress when things quieted down!" She was smug as she munched on a pile of soaked pastry, not noticing Alex as he trained his eyes back on his plate without commenting. Bad or good, those words meant a lot to him. Later, John got up and plucked everyone's dishes away, showing way too much interest in the smeared plates as he kept his eyes off the pair. I raised my eyebrows and mouthed, "Do you guys ever give each other privacy?" He whispered in my ear, his voice heavy and bitter, "We're all family here. We aren't scared to show raw emotion." And I couldn't help but feel like he meant something more pointed. "What did Shortie s-" John hushed me, his eyes like daggers as he began washing and brushing the plates in the sink. Something was troubling Alex and him. A little confused with the sudden burst of events, I got up and timidly excused myself, though Alex and Shortie were in another zone. Sometimes things don't need to be clarified, sometimes people don't need to know how jealous you are of them, and sometimes things should be left unsaid. I smiled drearily to myself. Everyone had secret words they'd never speak to me.