Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Author:Aiden Thomas [Thomas, Aiden]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
ISBN: 9781250250469
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: 2020-08-31T18:30:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

When Yadriel slipped back into his room, he found Julian lying on his bed. He was stretched out lazily like a jungle cat, one hand tucked behind his head. Purrcaso was curled up on the windowsill, her tail slowly swaying like the pendulum of a clock. Julian stared out the glass. Lights blinked from the hills in the distance, beyond the cemetery walls. They were the closest thing they had to stars in the city. The garden of tombstones and mausoleums stretched out into the dark. Yadriel’s old iPhone lay on the pillow next to Julian, the earbud right next to his ear. He tossed a balled-up piece of paper into the air and caught it over and over.

When the door closed behind Yadriel with a click, Julian turned.

His skin was bathed in a silvery glow. Yadriel wasn’t sure if it was the moon sharing some of her light, or the effects of being a spirit. Julian watched him with silent regard, the ball of paper held in his hand.

For the first time, Yadriel couldn’t immediately tell what he was thinking by the look on his usually expressive face.

“Listening to my shitty music?” Yadriel asked as he tugged off his hoodie and tossed it into the closet.

“Mmm,” Julian hummed in reply.

Yadriel removed his portaje and tucked the dagger into his backpack before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Looking down at Julian, he raised an eyebrow. “How is it?”

“Still shitty,” Julian said, but a small grin tugged the corner of his lips, teasing a dimple.

Yadriel exhaled a short laugh. When Julian shifted closer to the window, he lay down and tucked the other earbud into his own ear. A breathy voice sang softly through dreamy chords. Julian went back to tossing the paper ball in the air.

Goose bumps trailed up Yadriel’s arm where it rested closest to Julian. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting the music wind through his mind and ease the stress knotted in his body. The gentle sound of Julian catching the ball out of the air fell into time with the steady beat.

“It’s sad,” Julian said.

“It’s not sad,” Yadriel murmured. “Just … quiet.” Though, he supposed that was why Julian didn’t like it. It didn’t appeal to his nature.

The tossing stopped and, for a long moment, they lay there listening. Yadriel’s body felt heavy, like he was sinking into the bed as exhaustion coaxed him toward sleep. The blanket was soft under his fingers. Yadriel floated somewhere between the real world and a dream when Julian’s voice called him back.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hm?”

“Earlier. For being an asshole.”

Yadriel opened his eyes with effort and turned his head.

Julian stared up at the ceiling, his brow furrowed as he turned the ball of paper over in his hands. “I could lie and say it’s because I’m a ghost, but I was never any good at controlling my temper when I was alive, either,” he admitted, not looking at Yadriel when he spoke. Julian shifted awkwardly, waiting for his reply.

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