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Carter hated exams with a passion.
He hated the constant flutter of his tummy—and it was not the pleasant type that he'd feel whenever Wes was around—and the interminable feeling of doing too little or not enough. He felt these sensations pulse through him as he sat up from his desk in his room, falling back onto the mattress of his bed with a frustrated groan.
He still had so much more to go, but so little time, and he still felt as if he wasn't sure about the topic he was revising on, which was terrible because it meant that he had to spend more time on it, and let the time for the other possible subjects and topics he wasn't sure about bleed away. He shut his eyes as worries plagued his head, and not even the fake stars on his ceiling could make him gain energy to wish them away.
When the sound of his bedroom door opened, he assumed it was probably his mum coming to tell him about dinner plans with her girlfriend tonight. But when the door shut, and not a single sound followed afterwards, he opened an eye, turning to see Wesley a centimetre away from his face peering right at him.
Her sudden appearance shocked him, though it shouldn't have because Wes loved doing those, and made him jump. Because they had been so close, their foreheads bumped and Wesley stumbled back while a sting erupted on the affected area on Carter's head. His hand shot up to nurse it, and he sat up too looking at Wesley to see how bad it had been for her. She was looking down, hair falling down and hiding her features, but not long after she was gazing back at him an amused look painted on her face, no pain whatsoever.
"Too silent and too deadly, Wes." he chastised.
The girl in question rolled her eyes. "Don't compare me to a fart, stink."
Carter smiled, shaking his head and falling backwards onto his bed again. He tilted his head to watch her drop her stuff—her blue denim messenger bag and that black bomber jacket she liked wearing so much—on the floor. "What are you doing here? Not that I detest your presence or anything."
"Very reassuring." She smiled sarcastically. "I'm obviously here to see you, best friend."
"Well, best friend, hi." He let a tender smile curve on his lips. He was still in love with her, had never stopped being, and though Jeremy had been gone for a year and Wesley had said many times that she was over her ex, he still couldn't bring himself to tell her. When was it going to be the right time anyway?
She went over to where he was lying on his bed and made a move to push him. He rolled to the other end so that Wes had a spot too, but she didn't lie on the bed like he did, she sat up against the headboard, her head resting on her knees instead. Carter shifted so that he could see her easier, watching as she glanced up at the stars on the ceiling he'd lost hope for.
"Do they still work?" She asked. "I've always wanted to know but always forget to ask."
"Kind of." Carter sat up, going over to the desk piled with books and papers. He ignored the obstruction and went over to the drawer adjoined to the desk and pulled out a blue-light torch. He went across the room, turned off the lights and shone the flashlight at the stars. As soon as he did, the stars began to absorb the light, and not long after, Carter's ceiling was filled with artificial luminescent stars.
It was nearing night, so there was little sunlight from the sherbet sky passing through his linen curtains and his room was a beautiful sight. He'd almost forgotten why he'd stuck the stars up in the first place; it was because of this. It was a view, though not as picturesque as the actual stars, not worth it to pass up.
"Wow," Wesley sounded like she was in awe.
"Wow." Carter reiterated, crawling over on his bed to sit next to Wesley. Their shoulders were touching and he loved it. His stomach released a school of butterflies that intensified when his best friend leaned her head on his shoulder. His heart was beating with quickening speed but he found it comfortable to be in a proximity this close to her. So he, without thinking, reached around to wrap his arm around Wesley, resting his chin on the crown of her head.
Her scent, strawberry shampoo and soap, intoxicated him, and there he was: his worries lost, the girl he was in love with in his arms, and him ever so deep in the pool of loving Wesley.
