novelxo Chapter 31: Antithesis
Leon was smoking the joint while lying down, his head only slightly turning at the sound of the door opening. With as much anger I could muster, I marched to the bed and took the burning joint from his hand.
“You’re trespassing.”
He glanced at me, not bothering to lift his head off the mattress. Contrary to expectations and Morta’s insistence I was attracted to him because of all the tweed, he wore grey sweatpants now and a white t-shirt, possibly the one he only slept in. The dim lighting from my table-lamp emphasized his muscles and the sharpness in his eyes.
“It was unlocked.” He said. “You were in Amma’s room, figured I wouldn’t interrupt.”
The joint burned in my hand, sizzling as the fire ate up the herb, and I put it between my lips. I inhaled the thick smoke, throat closing around it. I held it in my lungs, determined to quicken its magic.
“Got tired of ignoring me?” I exhaled.
Leon smiled. The light formed a shadow over his lips and only illuminated his left eye, leaving the right in the dark.
“Was I ignoring you?” He spread his hand, asking for the joint.
“Yes.” I gave it to him. “I don’t care about whatever game you’re playing, I just want you to behave tomorrow and let us go through with our plan without interruptions.”
Leon put the joint between his teeth, inhaled, then exhaled as he spoke, “Are you scared I won’t go to the dance with you?”
“No, that’s-”
I cut myself off.
“The plan is the most important thing right now, Leon.” I said instead. “There’s no place for your... mischief.”
He pouted, “I thought that’s what you liked about me.”
I took the goddess damned joint, my heart beginning to pound slow and deep and loud.
“I don’t like anything about you.”
“On the contrary.” He propped himself up on his elbows. “I think you’re wildly in love with me.”
I laughed, “I aspire to be this level of confident.”
Still, my head filled up with smoke and wicked ideas. He was in my room, lying on my bed. No one knew he was here. Not even Amma and Morta.
“Sit.” Leon looked at me, lips caught in a permafrost smirk. “Have some witch’s brew with me.”
I inhaled more smoke, letting it cloud my judgement. Then, I took the ashtray he must have brought here because I didn’t own one, put it on the floor, and handed the joint to him.
“Everything is so damn easy for you.” I found myself sitting on the bed, far enough from him. “Demons, wars, conspiracies. All you care about is if you can get a proper high out of it.”
“Is that why you keep hooking up with me?” He turned his head towards me, a shadow cast over his left eye again. “Because you want things to be easier?”
“Maybe.” I kicked the boots off my feet and pulled my legs up on the bed, fully aware how the hem of my deep green knee-length skirt pulled up.
Leon took a drag, the joint shortening on sight, eaten by the fire and greed of his lips.
“Jade Montgomery.” He said my name like it was something sweet and thick. “I bet you had to follow lots of rules when you were a kid. Your father doesn’t seem like the type to make anything easy or spontaneous.”
“And what makes you such an expert judge of character?”
He puffed the joint before handing it to me, “I’ve met people like Dereck Montgomery. Graduated cum laude, married the right girl, climbed up the political ladder. He probably expected a perfect daughter.”
I couldn’t tell if he knew how right he was, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it, so I smoked in silence. The weed hit all the right places, lulling me into calm resignation.
“You know who else graduated cum laude?” Leon took the joint from my hand.
“Who?”
“Thar Adara.”
I let out a chuckle, “There’s nothing wrong with graduating cum laude.”
“Well, consider me bored.” Leon took a lighter out of his pocket and tried to suck the living hell out of the roach. “But, you wouldn’t have to worry about your dad. He’d be thrilled if you and Thar got together.”
The small smile fell off my lips. Teasing me about Thar was one thing, but talking about it this openly was beyond my comfort zone, especially with Leon.
“There’s a line here, Leon.” I said. “You cross it and you’re out of here.”
He sat upright and threw the joint butt in the ashtray, “You know one thing that cum laude graduates don’t do?”
“Smoke joints on school nights?”
“Sleep with students.”
He met my gaze and my smile dropped.
“But you’re not a cum laude graduate, and you’d sleep with him.” Leon lay back on the bed and put his hands behind his head. “And that’s why you keep hooking up with me. You want to break some rules and Thar won’t help you.”
By now, my head was heavy with weed and my tongue loose.
“You’re right.” I shrugged. “I’d sleep with him. In a heartbeat.”
Leon figured it out before me. He’s probably known it from the start. The only reason why he was in my room, lying on my bed and smoking a joint was because I couldn’t do it with Thar.
“I told you we’d meet again, Jade.” His voice remained even, emotionless. “Amidst some bitter disappointment.”
If he’d kissed me then, I would have let him.
He didn’t, though.
“Come on.” He pushed himself off the bed and lit up a cigarette, “I wanna show you something.”
I grabbed the bottle of witch’s brew and followed him with some reluctance, “Since when are you chain-smoking?”
“Since there’s a horde of demons attacking the school.” He opened the door and walked out, leaving behind only a gush of cigarette smoke.
I hopped after him, the floor soft and unstable under my feet. We only descended one floor before continuing down the hallway. Even though it was only around 8PM, the halls were empty. They have been empty for a few days now during night.
“You know you’re not allowed to smoke in here, right?”
Leon turned on his heel and walked backwards a few feet, “I believe we’ve reached the point where getting kicked out of this school might be a prerogative.”
He wasn’t wrong. Leaving this school just might be in our best interest.
Leon led me up another flight of stairs; older and creakier, more secluded. The walls closed in on me as I moved up, the ceiling lowered and cold, hard stone replaced the warm wood of the stairs.
“Where are we going?”
Leon struggled with the lock of the metal door at the end of the staircase, then opened it with one strong push. Fresh air slammed into my face, clearing my foggy mind.
“Welcome to the roof of the H. Academy.” He stepped out.
I exited to a rooftop terrace, made of concrete, with a low retaining wall. Curved clay roof tiles descended from the wall. Aside from the terrace, the roof was steep and intimidating, much like the entire building. Once up there, I realised just how in the middle of nowhere we were.
A dense forest surrounded the Academy. The forest, shadowy and dark, appeared both foreboding and attractive, hinting at untold secrets within its depths. One lone road led away from the Academy, completely hidden within the darkness.
The moon shone above it, casting an ethereal glow upon the landscape and the ancient architecture of the university, lending an eerie yet captivating atmosphere to the scene. The spires and intricate details of the buildings silhouetted against the dark backdrop, evoking a sense of grandeur.
“Do you bring all your girls here?”
Leon sat on the retaining wall and cast his legs over it, the grey sweatpants white and glowing against the dark roof tiles.
“No, I bring them to the rooftop of the southern building.”
The air was fresh, but gentle, cool against the skin and soothing to the soul.
“Why is it so warm?” I heard myself speak. “It’s November.”
“The shields.” Leon answered, and spread his hand towards me, making me remember the bottle of witch’s brew in my hand. “They keep the place warm.”
I came closer to the retaining wall, “I-I didn’t even realise.”
“That’s because you haven’t stepped outside of H. Academy since you arrived.”
I stopped. Oh, Goddess. He was right.
Leon chuckled, “Feel claustrophobic yet?”
We were surrounded by the forest, tactically unable to leave the school in a convenient way. We’d have to use the only available road or test our luck in the forest, which I very much did not want to do.
“Come here.” He took the bottle from my hand and opened the lid. “Look at the forest, right where it’s darkest. You can see the shields.”
I squinted, blocking the moonlight, and stared into the darkness. The slow wind blew and created a shimmering in places. Silver, flickering, quick to disappear. And then, as my eyes got used to it, I noticed it everywhere. Down at the forest, up in the sky, next to the moon. We were surrounded.
“They’re lines.” Leon took a sip. “Scratches.”
My heart dropped so quickly it made me dizzy, “What?”
“I imagine it’s demons.” He said. “Scratching against out protection with their nails, constantly trying to break through.”
I spoke through an awkward chuckle, “If you’re trying to make me horny, it’s not working.”
Leon let out a laugh, “No, I’m just trying to tell you that I understand the gravity of our situation. I’ll take you to the party tomorrow and I won’t do any of my usual shenanigans, don’t worry about it.”
This made me finally sit next to him and take the bottle from him. The feeling here was the same as the one I had down in the library. This place – this school – had secrets. I took a sip of the sweet liquor. Getting out of here might truly be in our best interest.
“What are you worried about the most?” Leon asked, surprising me with a so sudden change of subject. “What about our situation keeps you awake at night?”
“Innocent people dying?”
“Yes, fine, but that’s distal.” He side-eyed me. “What’s your biggest proximal worry, your most private concern?”
I didn’t like humanizing Leon, but sometimes he spoke like he understood way more than we gave him credit. I was also high out of my mind and the forest looked like it was moving.
With a sharp sigh, I told him the truth.
“I’m worried that my father is behind this and that he’s going to get away with it.”
Leon looked at me, eyes silver under the moonlight, full of daring patience.
“I’m also worried that he’s not behind it.” I admitted, gaze flying to the dark forest. “And that he’s going to come out on top anyway.”
I breathed in, lungs expanding. The air entered all the way in, fresh and cool.
Fuck, I needed to say that out loud. For once, I needed to tell someone how much I wanted to see my father fail, because in his eyes, I’ve been failing my entire life.
Leon said nothing.
“He thinks I’m stupid, you know?” I chuckled, still staring ahead. “Which is my fault, because I’ve been acting stupid in front of him my entire life, but it still kinda sucks.”
“No, that’s good.” Leon spoke, making me look at him. “I’ve always found it kind of dumb how easily we give away our hand.” He spread out his hands and looked around. “This place does it on purpose. They make us believe that we have to prove how good we are every day. Who’s the best student? Who’s got the best grades? Who has the most magic? But all we’re really doing is telling them exactly how powerful we are. We’re sharing our limits, limitations, weaknesses.”
I stared at him, astounded by the clarity of his voice.
“Don’t show them what you’re capable of, Jade.” He looked at me. “Let them think you’re stupid, and careless, and weak. Never tell them how powerful you are. The enemy that destroys you is the one you underestimate.”
Fuck.
I wanted to kiss him again.
His sharp eyes, silver under the moonlight, smirked at me, reading me like an open book. My body refused to listen to my brain, and I turned towards him, knees bumping against his grey sweatpants. Goddess, not again. What the hell was wrong with me?
Leon looked away, “Well, it’s getting late, and I need my beauty sleep to look dashing on the dancefloor.”
The laugh that stumbled off my lips sounded strained and taken aback.
No, this was not fucking happening to me. Leon did not just flat-out refuse me.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jade.” He swung his legs over the retaining wall and walked away.
Me wanting to sleep with him and Leon walking away? When have we switched roles? Overwhelmed by confusion and shame, I buried my head between my knees and grunted.
He’s left me the witch’s brew, though.