should be studying asdajfadlklk;;
Dante keeps moving forward, staring at his feet and all the damage the rainwater and muddy grass have done and are doing to the hem of his uniform trousers and shoes.
Troublesome, he thinks, and finds that it’s a good word for this-for her-because as determined as he is to get his work done in a timely manner, there was no reason at all to go on this escapade today of all days, amidst the rain, taking bus after bus and then half a mile on foot to see their assigned historical site for ancient civilizations class. And don’t try to tell me you didn’t check the forecast. I saw the clouds when it was too late and asked to postpone but of course you wouldn’t have any of that-
The sound of water splashing beside him snaps him out of that bitter train of thought.
She’s been half-walking-half-skipping, he realizes, with a little bit of incredulity until it hits him that this should not really qualify as a surprise. Left foot, right foot, and on and on...and by now, she’s ahead of him by a few strides for sure. The silence, it seems, doesn’t bother her at all.
Staring at his shoes, he lets out a sigh, and part of the frustration in it is very much genuine. The other parts are, well, annoyed at best. Initially, he had tried being all-out resentful but the rain had (fortunately) stopped before the walking-segment of their trip. So yes, fine, he’ll grudgingly admit, the fresh air is kind of nice.
--
“Almost there,” she calls out, not bothering to turn around and completely assured that he won’t bother to listen or offer a response.
“Do you have any idea where we’re going?”
“So either you purposely ignored what I just said-in which case, you sound like an idiot-or you just didn’t hear me, in which case I’ll be nice and repeat myself slowly: weee-aaare-al-most-there.”
“I heard you the first time but the question still stands. To my knowledge, you’ve never stepped foot in this part of the island before.”
“Your knowledge,” she scoffs, “is clearly lacking. Just keep walking and don’t ask silly questions. A few more blocks and a turn to the right and that’ll be the gravesite of good ol’ St. Medaea.”
Blowing out a breath, this time he really does not bother with a response, figuring that silence probably holds more favourable consequences as far as they're concerned.