"Everyone up! Last ferry leaves in forty minutes, and I'm not paying for hotel rooms because you idiots missed the boat!"
Skylar stepped back. Tucked a strand of indigo and pink hair behind her ear. The vulnerability I'd glimpsed moments ago vanished behind her usual mask of boredom. In the half-light of the balcony, her flushed skin took on an almost otherworldly glow. She straightened her dress with a single motion that somehow conveyed both indifference and perfect awareness of how good she looked.
"Well," she said. Voice deliberately casual. Fingers tracing her collarbone in an unconscious gesture. "That was... educational."
I smirked. "High praise from someone who hates school."
"Don't push it, Stray Dog." But there was no venom in her words. She reached for her purse and pulled out her headphones. Let them dangle around her neck rather than immediately placing them over her ears. A subtle invitation to continued conversation that didn't escape my notice.
