"Psst, Ryker! Psst, wake up!"
The boy blinked his eyes open to the view of Nadia's cheek squished upon his desk; facing him, thin brows wiggling suggestively.
"Whatever happened to my desk being a drool pool?" He muttered, crinkled grey eyes fixated over her toothy smile.
"Oh I was lying, of course," Nadia grinned wider. She was standing at a right angle with her back in the air and face pressed within his line of sight. If they were any older than nine, her back would take revenge for such torture.
"What—" Ryker coughed the sleep out of his throat, "What is it?" He asked again as he sat up straight to put Nadia's back out of its owner's self induced misery.
Nadia, too, stood up straight as she clapped her hands to mark her excitement, "I never told anyone that we got kidnapped yesterday! Well, almost kidnapped, but kidnapped nonetheless!!"
"Oh, did we now?" Ryker scoffed. He leaned back into his chair and rested his head over the backrest.
Nadia scooted behind his chair and her face appeared right on top of his as she continued, "Come on, it is a bit cool, right? Like, I did not even register it probably until I went home and processed it. You know, I of all people was kidnapped," she giggled, "It is so funny! That was the most fascinating thing to ever happen to me! I swear!"
Ryker could have sworn the turn of events were not as Nadia narrated. He pressed a hand over her face and pushed it away, "Stop spitting on me, you fool. You're certainly not right in your head."
Nadia merely twirled onto his desk and perched herself over it like a bird marking free real estate for its nest.
"Yeah, I think I got your point yesterday. What if Antonio was a person with really bad intentions? I would have missed the upcoming summer festival 'cause I would be dead! Like, of course being brave is good and all but what if I really died?? The kebab rolls in my fridge would have rotted away!"
"You say Antonio like you're chums." Ryker scoffed.
"Oh! we shall be. I saw him at the school gate this morning. You know, I thought he was onto something again but apparently he was there to show me a business card. He got himself hired at a company or something, hehehe."
"Look at Nadia Paisley, changing the world, one life at a time," Ryker drawled as he rolled his eyes.
"Oh talking of lif—"
The school bell blared for attention and cut her off. Students shuffled their way back to their designated spots, all whispers and giggles dying down. Nadia took two big strides to reach her seat in the third row, third seat, right in the centre of the entire classroom. She was quick to fetch her books out of her bag, open them to the chapter due for that day and creased its centre to lay it flat on the table.
When the teacher entered the classroom, Nadia was the first to stand up and lead the class into a chorus of 'Good Morning.'
The back of her head was still a mess of curls, though, additionally, Ryker discovered that she had a habit of tucking pens or pencils into her hair to avoid misplacing them. At the beginning of the class she would be sitting up straight but gradually as the period progressed, she would slouch lower and lower until she looked like a three-dimensional C shape from all sides.
The bad posture was pity evoking.
He noticed the side of her face brighten up and left eye twinkle whenever the teacher would pose a question — as if she knew all answers but never raised her hand to answer them. Nadia would drag out her excitement until the teacher would make eye contact and acknowledge her in order to drive an answer out. Usually, it would be Bernadette or Bernie, the only student who would answer everything in class.
Everyone loved Bernie because they took away the teacher's attention and kept it fixated on themselves during all periods. As long as Bernie existed, no teacher could punish the students for not paying attention. Bernie paid a collective attention for the rest of his twenty classmates by eagerly cross questioning throughout the day and sometimes, even in the free period.
Ryker had been classmates with Bernie since pre-school but he still had no idea if they were a girl or a boy. Bernie had a meek voice, soft and sugary, but they wore the boys' uniform. They had their hair upto their shoulders but their square jaw took away from any dainty that his slender body offered. Maybe Ryker would have figured it out if he tried paying attention for a moment more but he couldn't be bothered about it.
There was so much Ryker had yet to figure out, he realised with a sigh. Though his dilema did not last too long as the bell blared to indicate lunch time. Nadia seemed to be busy in between classes, collecting forms or homework books or running errands for the teacher but lunch time was when she approached Ryker and placed her purple lunch box on top of his desk.
"Scoot, let's have lunch together. I brought Kebab rolls. Do you have anything? I see nothing, tsk."
"You want to eat with me?" Ryker asked as he looked up to face her bright smile, astounded by the audacity of her simplicity.
"Yes of course, that's what friends do and didn't I promise to bring kebab rolls for you? Hehe, I made the sauce for them yesterday, it's super tasty, now scoot—!"
'for you.'
Ryker let a subtle smile grace his lips.
He stood up, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and locked it around her neck. "Not here, come with me," he demanded as he snatched the lunch box from her hand and led her tilted-self outside of the class.
They happened to be the same height or maybe Nadia boasted an inch or two over Ryker, which was why she moved along with him in the most awkwardest tilt whilst coyly resisting and cross questioning, "This is so embarrassing, please stop, where you taking me?? We're going outside the building? Why outside? I have to be here before the bell rings. I am also the discipline incharge, come on Ryker..."
Though, her words landed on deaf ears as he carried her all the way out of the main building's premises, across the rose gardens and into the restricted area behind the campus.
"Oh you're going to kill me and sell my organs, right? I knew it! I was being too kind! Leave me be, we're not allowed to be here! We'll be punished big time!!" Nadia begged as they neared closer to the steel fence of the restricted area.
"Did you not say that the Principal held you in high regard? He wouldn't reprimand his favourite student, now would he?" Ryker snorted as he opened the small red metal gate and beelined toward an intricately carved gazebo built in the middle of a blooming field of roses.
A stoned path, which could barely fit two people walking alongside, lead up to the carved marble stairs of the gazebo. It was furnished with a circular white table and three chairs, all seemingly vintage with their swirling metal handles and feet. On top of the table were three metal boxes set in a line, which Ryker opened after gesturing Nadia to take a seat.
Steam escaped as soon as the lid was displaced and the aroma of crispy fried vegetables and freshly cooked rice infiltrated Nadia's nose.
"Oh that smells heavenly, what is that? Braised chicken with stir fry veggies? Oh that looks juicy," she drooled as she sat on the edge of the seat, eyes fixated on the meal spread before her greedy eyes.
"You can have it," Ryker offered, nonchalant in his approach as he took a seat beside her and opened up the greasy lunch box she had brought him.
"I cannot!" Nadia exclaimed, "Might I remind you that this is the restricted section?? And we don't know whose food this is!"
Ryker scrunched his nose at the sight of the soy sauce drenched kebab rolls before picking up one. It smelled oily and salty when at hand, which made him second guess his decision only slightly.
"Eat quickly and we can leave like nothing happened," Ryker said and popped a roll in his mouth. His eyes involuntarily closed shut, scrunching, as if to brace for impact — and then it hit him. A myriad of flavours exploding in his mouth, salty, tangy, sweet and the perfect proportion of spice that put his head chef to shame. The flavours danced over his tongue, infiltrated his mind and branded him addicted.
"But that's stealing!" Nadia exclaimed, gulping down her saliva.
"And this is brilliant, how did you— what even is in this? This is so juicy yet meaty, ugh, what did you do in here?" Ryker moaned with the roll in his mouth, melting upon instinct. He savoured every speck of flavour as long as it lasted in his mouth.
"Oh did you like it? It's my magical sauce," Nadia said and giggled, her eyes simultaneously moving between Ryker and the lunch boxes.
"It is magical, indeed," Ryker said as he proceeded to devour the whole box.
Nadia sat there, gulping and looking around for any human presence to bust them— but all that surrounded the gazebo were fragrant roses gently swaying with the summer breeze.
"Eat it, it's my lunch after all," Ryker said, pointing at the lunch boxes with his chin.
"Finders-Keepers doesn't always apply to everything," Nadia tsked and shook her head, "Are you going to participate in the Summer Festival?" She asked as she leaned back into the cushioned chair.
"I won't, it's dumb," Ryker replied. While Nadia talked, he collected a spoonful of rice and topped it off with some meat and veggies.
"It's not dumb! They give out cash prizes every year! For everything! I can win and spend!" Nadia exclaimed before Ryker shoved the spoon in her mouth.
"Eat, peasant," Ryker demanded with his mouth stuffed with two rolls.
"This is so morally wrong," Nadia whined but slid to the front of her seat again, already preparing the next spoon.
"Have you participated before, in the summer festival?" Ryker asked.
"No, my mum doesn't let me. It's always school and home and home and school for me. But yesterday when I was in the teacher's office, I saw a new notice. Apparently, Mayor is encouraging school students to participate in activities and they'll give us extra credit for it. Nice, right? Finally, I can see the festival and be a part of it!"
"What will you even do?"
"Dunno," Nadia shrugged, mouth stuffed with meat and rice, "We'll see."
As lunch neared end, Ryker returned Nadia her lunchbox — licked spotless.
"If I left it with you for two more minutes, you would have eaten the plastic as well," Nadia snorted as she locked the lid over the lunchbox and stood up.
Ryker held his dirty hands in front of him and demanded, "You will bring me food tomorrow as well."
Nadia frowned, though as he stood there, lanky against the rosy backdrop with oily hands held out like a proud trophy, her heart leapt in wonder — had he been surviving on stolen lunches all along? Did he have no money or family?
His dark eyes blinked with expectations, brows raised, as he earnestly waited on her reply. Nadia scrunched her nose, already feeling the toll of extra meal prep weighing over her head.
But what good would a friend she would be if her friend was living off of someone else's food? Nadia sighed and this time, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and patted his chest, "Don't worry, count on me to bring you the best food."
Ryker rolled his eyes but the ghost of a smile lingering over his lips conveyed his happiness. "We should stop strolling though, the Principal usually comes down here for a walk, after lunch," he informed.
"You should have told me!!" Nadia exclaimed through gritted teeth and sped faster, almost sprinting, out of the restricted territory. She breathed a sigh of relief as they reached school ground again.
"Wow, you're so afraid of him," Ryker snorted, panting as well, as he stood beside her with his hands on his waist.
"It's called respecting the rules, tsk," Nadia snapped.
"Of course," Ryker said.
Suddenly, the bell rang and upon instinct their feet birthed into a sprint. Dashing past the school ground, evading collision into other running students, they cut through the wind and ran like their life depended on it. As they reached their class, mere seconds before their teacher, they slumped in their seats and panted like dogs.
Nadia turned, from her seat in the front, to look at him sitting at the back of the class, shaking his head and drowing his intestines in water. A big smile broke onto her lips and eyes crinkled; Involuntarily, Ryker reciprocated with a big smile of his own, showcasing a dimple on each cheek. Somehow, the sight of him smiling so wide with hair blown out and sweat dropping from his forehead, neck and armpits, made Nadia throw her head back and laugh out loud.
Unknown to the fact that she looked similar to him or even worse with her frizzy hair standing upright.
It was nice, having a friend.