Eyes set firmly ahead, I flew without saying another word while he kept popping candy and crunching them to bits.
I kind of hated him calling me Lucky.
029
Thefollowingday,Iylenestrapped themselves into the co-pilot seat. That morning, I received orders to fly the shuttle, nothing more, and thus a new dent appeared on the bedroom wall from my kick. If Roys had a problem with property damage, he could fix it his fucking self.
“Roys won’t be joining us?” I asked.
“He will not,” Iylene replied.
“Did he say why?”
“Is that a problem?” They didn’t sound offended, only curious.
My hands gripped the wheel. I wanted to break it and the windows and the cockpit and then Roys’ stupid face. But I smiled, started my checks and said, “Not at all.”
“Humans are strange beings. You are clearly upset that I am here.”
“No, I am upset that he isn’t here.”
That had them flicking their long tongue. “But you dislike him, so is it not a good thing that it is me here instead of him?”
The shuttle raised. We began our journey to investigate the area around the mountain. Our task was to find a safe path, which should take a couple of days. I expected to spend those days with Roys where I would be, as always, a complete jackass. We’d argue. I’d make his eyes twitch atleast a dozen times. He’d admit to lying about finding me competent in any form, and we’d have hot, angry sex in the cockpit, then forget anything else happened.
“It’s complicated,” I grumbled.
“As I said, humans are strange.”
They were right. We were because why did I care that he didn’t show up? He told me to fly the fucking shuttle, so I was, and I didn’t need him for that, not when he didn’t trust my plan after lavishing me with flattery.
Liar.
He probably wanted head on the flight. Which I would have done had he asked rather than spew filth right to my face.
Iylene and I worked fine together. Better actually, because there was no chit-chat. We did our work circling the mountain, taking scans, and returning in time for dinner. Roys sat with the survey team. I gave him the middle finger. He frowned.
“What’d you fight about with the captain now?” Arana retrieved a tray for Iylene and me.
“Nothing. He’s a shithead, and I felt like reminding him.” I shoved food in my mouth, trying not to glare and failing abysmally.
I was tempted to throw food at him. No one would think anything of it. I had been annoyed with him before, but I was hungry and he wasn’t worth the waste. When he finished eating, he left. My commlink buzzed moments later.
Roys:Come to my office?
Lucky:Use your hand, fuckface.
Roys:I wantto talk.
I ignored him because I didn’t want to talk. There was nothing to talk about. He didn’t believe in me, even after all that shit he spewed, even after saying time and time again that I could do better, that he seemed to have faith in me. The one time I did better, he didn’t trust me and got snippy afterward because…
Because he never meant a word. You are as worthless as everyone believes you are, and youknowyou are.
Actually, I would reply. Simple and to the point.
Lucky:Die.
For the next three days, we didn’t talk. Roys didn’t message. I woke up to check my commlink, did so when Iylene wasn’t looking, and found myself doing so between tossing and turning at night. The fucker was interrupting my sleep and not in the fun way.
