Adrian and Kaden hadn't moved, though, a little while ago, Connie had left. Adrian had thrown up through his nose and she'd gagged sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she said, backing up. "I'm sorry but that's rank, I can't, and your sister'll be here in a sec and— eugh!"
Down by the stone wall, Adrian had his head tipped back looking at the branches of the tree leaning over them, his disjointed ramble shifting from topic to topic, a frustrated mutter about how he didn't understand why cars were so interesting to something about a girl he'd always liked, to something that Leo had done that'd bugged him and what a little fartbag he was.
"At least he—" Kaden started to say, but couldn't finish, and dug his heels into the dirt to press himself back against the stone wall. If Adrian didn't need him so much, Kaden didn't know how much Adrian's complaining would get to him. "Leo's alright," he muttered. "Drink some water."
"Yours ever piss you off, though?" Adrian asked, rolling his head to look at Kaden, who went even more stiff and taut, the shake on him only perceptible in his hair.
Truth was, Kaden had more examples of Tragos being a shit than he could ever say, and even thinking them felt like stabbing a knife info Tragos' back. "Shut up," Kaden muttered viciously. "You don't know fuck all. Leo's great. You're being a shithead."
"You're being a shithead," Adrian muttered, and threw a small stone that had once been part of the fence across the lawn. He made a small sound of satisfaction and searched around for something else to throw, pressing his hands into the hoodie pockets when he found nothing else on the ground. He pulled out the little stone scarab and closed his hand around it, and Kaden yelped "NO!" and threw himself across Adrian, wrestling it out of his hand. Adrian was drunk and stubborn, especially after being called a shithead— but when he snatched his hand away Kaden elbowed him in the face, and, panting, pried his hand open and retrieved the scarab, darting back a few paces and tripping over a paving stone.
Adrian (hand over his mouth where his top lip had been slammed into his teeth) and Kaden (on his arse and panting raggedly) stared at each other for a few horrible moments, before Kaden's phone started to ring. With stinging eyes, he glared at Adrian and shoved the scarab back into his own pocket, making sure it was buried deep as it could go before answering the phone.
It felt like it had been a million years since he'd last heard Marcie's voice. "Out the back," he said, struggling to get his breath back.
He didn't know what he would have done if Marcie hadn't rang when she did.