Page 55 of Icarus

Celestina wrapped her arms around both of them and squeezed really tight. “I’m making this weird,” she crowed. “I’m making this weird so it won’t be so tense!”

Icarus laughed, and let her sway them all back and forth.

Feathers

“You scared me. You scared everyone.”

Icarus thought about Luca’s words while he sat next to Sorrel in art class.

“You’re so nice and normal until anyone asks you to go anywhere with them and then you get cagey. You’re always covered in bruises and small cuts. You’re out of school a bunch randomly. You look like you never sleep. What was everyone supposed to think?”

He brushed ocher into the highlights of Sorrel’s hands.

“You thought no one noticed?” Luca had scoffed. “Yeah, I mean teachers might not notice, they’re too busy. But everyone else does.”

He’d asked if Luca had started trying to be his friend just because of this. He had been starting to get angry at the thought, but Luca shook his head.

“I think it’s because you’re so . . . popular that a bunch of people noticed anyway,” Celestina cut in. “If you were more of an actual loner it might have taken longer.”

“Too long and too late,” Luca had said, looking out into the woods.

Icarus painted like Vermeer, in dark layers of discordant color with glazes of true color on top. The shadows of Sorrel’s hands were purple and the midtones were turquoise green.

“Did you get to dance with her?” Icarus asked Sorrel, breaking the silence.

“Huh?” Sorrel looked up.

“The girl. The one you wanted to dance with at homecoming,” Icarus finished.

Sorrel flushed delicately. “Mm-hmm. But only for a little while. She went off with her friends after.”

“Who was it?”

Sorrel paused for a bit, then continued painting.

“Mina Silvestri. I know she doesn’t like me back, but it was nice.”

Icarus stopped painting and spun around to face Sorrel. “Don’t say that. Girls are just . . . people, like everyone else. Just talk to her.”

“But—”

Icarus shook his head. “They may have their own tastes about what they’re into, and you can’t change it if you’re not their type. But you don’t even know what Mina’s tastes are. So don’t count yourself out before she does.”

He went back to painting, putting sky blue in the ridges of Sorrel’s cuticles.

“I’ll introduce you to Celestina,” he murmured, leaning in close to get the detail right. “Then you’ll have a bridge.”

Icarus could feel Sorrel looking at the side of his head.

“Thanks, I guess . . .” Sorrel replied softly. “Do you have any time this week to come over to my grandma’s house?”

“Oh shit, yeah, the portrait. I almost forgot.” Icarus rubbed his forehead, streaking paint into his hair. “I can do it Wednesday. Is Wednesday okay?”

Sorrel nodded. “Yeah. Thank you, Icarus.”

“It’s nothing. No problem.”

Toy