Chapter Text
“He’s my boyfriend!” Alya declares to the playground at large.
Alix blinks at her. “Okay,” she says, and returns to chasing Kim around, scooping up fistfuls of sand from her overflowing pockets and hurling them at him. Max doesn’t bother looking up from his book. Ivan glances up from where he and Mylene are playing checkers but then returns his attention to their game.
Alya pouts, sticking out her lower lip, then puffing out her cheeks, then doing both when neither seems to elicit any reaction.
“Come on, Nino,” Alya says, dragging him behind her.
“He’s my boyfriend!” Alya tells Rose and Juleka when she finds them. Nino stares blankly at them as he half-dangles from her grip.
“Cool,” Juleka says.
“Aw,” Rose says. Juleka looks at her. “I thought he was cute.”
“Okay.”
Alya pouts at them when no further reaction is forthcoming.
Alya’s forced to relinquish her grip on Nino when they separate for lunch.
“No one’s gonna like you ‘cause you’re weird,” she hears as she trots back to class. Her eyes narrow. She recognizes that voice.
“An’ you’re gonna be all alone, like, forever,” Chloe continues, “‘cause that’s what happens to weird people.”
“No he isn’t,” Alya declares as she marches up and seizes Nino by a bicep.
Chloe looks at her with blank disdain. “Why?”
“‘cause he’s my boyfriend!” Alya declares proudly.
Chloe rolls her eyes at them and leaves. “Whatever,” she says. “Just don’t get your weird cooties all over the rest of us.”
“Stop it,” Nino says as the rest of the class files in, pulling himself free. “I’m not your boyfriend.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets and shuffles in with a mobile slouch, gaze fixed on his feet.
Alya pouts.